Let’s talk about… pricing

Welcome to this article on my pricing approach at Atom creates…

Here’s the short version:

I know my worth, and I price fairly according to what I need to run my business and provide for my family.

For more information on what’s involved in pricing my service, please see below –

Understanding what someone charges for services can be complex.

When we receive a quotation we often process the figure according to our own frames of reference. Typically, we cut straight to dividing the figure by the number of hours we think the job will take, and then determine whether we think this arbitrary hourly rate is fair or not.

What we cannot know, until we receive more information such as that detailed below, is what has gone into formulating this price.

Firstly, there is the most important factor – experience.

I’ve dedicated myself to my craft since picking up a camera as a child, I am constantly learning, and when I take photos for you as a client all of this skill and knowledge is being employed.

It is from all the previous work and practice I’ve dedicated myself to that I’m the photographer and business person I am today, ahead of everything explained below, this is what you as a client are investing in when you hire me to capture your images or consult on your business.

On top of this experience, you are also paying for the time, energy, and professionalism that constitute my services. To better understand this, here is more detail on what’s involved in running a business like Atom creates –

A typical job for me usually goes something like this:

• Initial contact: This is usually by phone, email, or via social media

• Exploratory conversation: Depending on the level of detail required, there then ensues a dialogue to find out more about the client’s needs and to formulate the tailored quotation

• Planning conversation: If the client confirms, there will then be conversations around planning the job. This varies depending how complex the job is

• The job: Next comes the job itself and completing the shoot, this varies from 1 hour to multiple days

• Travel: Unless the job is taking place in the Atom creates studio, there will be travel to and from the location. This requires time and carries the cost of fuel and wear and tear to the vehicle. Travel time varies from minutes to hours

  • Additionally, time spent in the Atom creates van is time (as a single staff member in a small business) which cannot be used for tasks such as replying to messages or generating new business

• Editing: Most photography shoots generate many image files from hundreds to thousands. The editing process moves through the following phases:

  • Backing up – this takes a long time due to the file sizes, even with the most modern computers and hard drives at work

  • Rating/Culling – once backed up, all images need to be checked, rated and culled ahead of the main edit

  • Editing – the images are then edited using, in my case, Capture One software. I shoot all images in manual (with auto focus) so in my own process this usually involves a crop and slight changes to settings such as highlights, contrast, exposure, and white balance

  • Retouching – depending on the job, some images are sent to a retouching partner for more extensive edits. This process requires admin time on the part of Atom creates to liaise effectively with the retoucher

• Sharing: Images are then uploaded via WeTransfer and sent to the client. Some jobs also include an online gallery, this is a time-consuming process in terms of creating the gallery, uploading the files, and sharing it with the client

• Follow up: Most of the time there will be messages after the images have been shared, and sometimes additional work is generated for tasks such as additional edits or ordering more products such as prints, frames, or more digital files for download

As you can see, there is a great deal of time required to make each set of images happen beyond that of taking the photographs themselves. 

In addition to these costs there are then the costs of running a business, some which are common to all businesses, and some which are specific to a photography business.

These include:

• Insurance – this needs to cover equipment and professional indemnities

• Rent – in this case for a studio

• Rates – required when renting a commercial space

• Electricity – heat, light, computers, charging batteries…

• Phone – an essential device in any business

• Website – typically around €300/yr if maintained by the business owner (i.e. no third party design or editing support)

• Software – nearly all software is now sold as an app on a subscription basis

• Physio – photography, especially sports photography, is hard on the body due to the weight of the equipment and the contorted positions required to get amazing shots. On top of preventative measures such as strength work, physio is required to offset the effects of working with the camera

Then, with photography especially, there is equipment:

• Cameras – a pro camera body costs between €3500-6500. These need to be replaced every few years

• Lenses – pro lenses cost from €2000 to pretty much any number you can imagine!

• Computer – this needs to be powerful enough to process the large files and best software

• Hard drives – there is a constant need to back up data and this costs in terms of external hard drives capable of housing large amounts of information

• Other – monitor, bags, lights, light shapers, batteries, props all add up to a small fortune

One key thing to realise is that it is only with all these factors in place that the photographer can offer the service you need when you need it. What I mean here is that the price you are paying is for the service or product you are receiving at the time, but additionally it is ensuring that the service is still there when you next need it, and that others also have access to a photographer when they need one too.

Summary

So, all of these factors are what feed into the price you are quoted for a service from Atom creates.

The main trick to try and employ is to avoid taking the price and dividing it by the number of hours imagined to complete the job.

As a client, in the absence of being able to take all of the variables listed above with their cost and divide them by the actual amount of time required, it might be best to see the price and trust that Atom creates is based on fair pricing and excellence in service.

With that in mind… how can we help?