Many of us have used a photographer for some occasion in our life. Whether that was for graduation photos, a wedding, a newborn or the dreaded Christmas card photo, we’ve worked with someone and paid them for their time and photos. However, this industry of photography is a completely different business model from working with a Commercial Photographer, which is why the pricing might make your eyeballs jump out of your head the first time you start googling it.
Go ahead and take a deep breath. I’m about to drop some pretty big numbers, but don’t worry, the light is at the end of this blog post!
Let’s start with how traditional commercial photography works.
First of all, Commercial photography pricing is based on how many people are exposed to the image. A photographer shooting for Nike is going to charge a whole lot more than they are charging for the mom and pop shop down the street. They’ll ask you questions about where you are using the image specifically (I.e., emails, social, billboard, etc.), how long will it be there, and how many people are likely to see it? All these questions are then used to calculate the cost of that single image with that limited licensing.
One of the industry standards for pricing licensed images is Getty Images. Their Royalty Free images, like stock images, are $175 for a digital format image and go up to $499 for a high-resolution photo. And these are stock images. That doesn’t account for the price that needs to be paid for a photographer to create a shoot specific to your need. If you want to get even more technical, Getty Image’s RM (Royalty Managed) photos will be starting closer to $1000 per image, and that’s still for stock images. None of these prices include the cost of photo shoots which include designing and setting them up, paying for models (through trade or cash), location scouting and then shoot time.
Okay. The hard part is over.
No more talk of crazy numbers that will have you revisiting how you count sheep when you try and sleep. This is where the good news comes in.
My photography is set up to make your life easier. I want to help your business stand out in the crowd and grow because your business is my business.
Every shoot is customized to the needs of what you are looking for. Whether you need five photos or 50 photos we work together to tell the story of your brand, to show off your product and best of all to make it clear what your customer’s life could look like if they had your brand in their life.
Every single photo you purchase from me gives you unlimited use for a price that’s less than you’ll pay with any other professional. You can use that photo ANYWHERE. As long as you aren’t selling the photo or claiming it to be your own, that photo is yours. Use it on your social media this week, on your website next week, in your email one month from now and again on social in a year. We’re looking for timeless photos that can be used over and over, and when your new line comes out, we’ll do it again.
Based on the number of photos you need and the story you want to tell we’ll work out how long the shoot will take and the setup fee for it to create the cost of your photoshoot. To be clear, custom shoots start at $2,000. That’s just a little more than 1 Royalty free stock image on Getty Images, and you’ll be getting a minimum of 25 curated photos that match your brand and reach your customers.
Photography will change your marketing. It will help your customers envision their future. And with all the visual platforms we have today, your customers know what good photography looks like. Investing in high-quality photos that will help you stand out in the crowd is one of the most significant ways you can use your marketing budget.
So what are you waiting for? Book your shoot today and let’s start making your business grow!
