Services
Quality or Price in Photographic Services?
Proper pricing of products and services is paramount to the financial success of a company or professional on its own, and with photographic services it would be no different.
The difficulty here, however, is in the pricing that must be practiced for certain activities in the segment.
While we know that a quality job requires a greater investment in equipment and specializations, which generates the final price for the client, we are also aware that values lower than those practiced in the market are a draw for the uninformed public, who gives preference to the price at the expense of quality.
To assist in this matter, we will bring some tips for you, photographer, to safely price your services, with the certainty that you will be charging a fair price and that it is in accordance with the quality standards that you establish for your activity and gender of work.
The first step is to see yourself as an artist or, if that word does not carry a meaning that you appreciate, as a professional who works with art.
Look at yourself: do you value your own work?
Obviously, we are often exposed to our own work. We know its characteristics, whether they are good or bad, in addition to the time we invest in doing it. And therein lies one of the challenges.
We, as human beings, tend to always focus on the negative. Therefore, your work may be perfect in the eyes of anyone else, but you will always be able to find a point that “could be improved”.
When we use this benchmark to set the price for photographic services, we usually charge a lower price, as if working with higher prices would be “unfair”.
Therefore, the first step is to enhance your photographic services.
Here, that saying “if you don’t value yourself, how will other people?” makes perfect sense. Analyzing your own photographic work in a negative way will impact the entire relationship with your client, from the first contact and the presentation of prices, to the presentation of the final result.
Add that to the fact that the customer seeks the lowest price because he does not always know the values behind each activity he contracts, and he will be sure that his price will always be below what it should be.
An interesting practice is to look for other opinions of professional photographers that are not part of your niche (because when there is competition, the opinion may not be so impartial).
Do not be affected by the first negative feedback, since the person giving the opinion is a human being like you, who may have their criticism influenced by personal taste.
Start worrying when different opinions about your work have a negative bias… Then, it is important to analyze some options to improve.
In fact, when talking about improvements, always challenging yourself to look for the best, in a healthy and non-derogatory way, is one of the ways to guarantee the quality of your work.
Use the digital revolution to your advantage
One of the factors that may have contributed to the devaluation of photographic services is the fact that we all have a camera with us. Amateurs or not, anyone with a minimally equipped cell phone will be able to take pictures.
How about looking at the digital revolution as “easy access” to art? Something that was once exclusive to a certain privileged group has become more popular.
Many people are able to appreciate art, even if they are unable to define it in a technical way. Use this to your advantage, and insert here the differential that your work brings.
While the population focuses on selfies (after all, it is a type of photography that does not require any technique to be taken and brings a unique and exclusive element: the face of the person who photographed himself), the professional photographer must show all his technique around lighting, colors, composition, angles, nuances… in short, how to put soul in the photos and make them look more professional, even if combined with the beauty of an artistic practice.
The difference in Quality and Price in Digital Albums
There are also differences to be noted in the materials that are used to compose digital albums for your customers.
The Classic Collection from Digibook is an example of quality and affordable price.
Bound as one continuous piece, the Classic Collection covers exude excellence and timelessness thanks to the use of high quality leather and their simple and elegant look.
In other field, Matted Album is a top quality refined product for exclusive work.
Enhanced by the quality of materials used, this model is high class and exclusive. Tintoretto Paper Overlays reinforce the classic character of this product.
In the middle between affordable price and quality, is the Acrylic Collection.
In this new generation of acrylic covers we achieved a unique result by using a new brighter and more transparent acrylic and printing on Pearl paper.
Now let’s do another exercise…
Imagine that your client is unable to appreciate and recognize the differences between amateur and professional photography. How can you captivate him?
The best way here is to demonstrate less with examples from previous sessions and more with technical advice. In other words, impress him with the knowledge acquired through training and technical courses, in addition to practical experience in the photographic services performed.
If that client still does not value your work, it may be better to let him go, as he will try to level the price down, according to the incorrect value he intends to hire for your services.
Another interesting exercise is to put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
Here, we are not talking about those who appreciate or dislike your work, but about the general public that you will inevitably need to stay in business.
What is their understanding of photography? What do they look for in a professional photographer? What are your biggest doubts?
Sometimes, we are so close to the activity and we have so much knowledge about it, that it is difficult to understand those who do not – and this creates a distance that will make it even more difficult to assign a correct value of your services according to the quality offered.
Simplify: you are selling a service.
We can, without intention, make the reflection about Price vs. Quality more complex than it should be. So, how about simplifying?
A person hires a professional to perform a service for two reasons:
- The professional is able to perform an activity that the contractor cannot do;
- The contractor seeks to economize, either time or money.
With these two guidelines, set a goal for relations with your clients, always making it clear that, when hiring you, the person will not waste time, will have access to quality work and, above all, at a fair price, which makes justice to the quality presented.
The photos used in this article are by Jeremy Wong Weddings, Ailbhe Flynn, Annie Spratt, JESHOOTS.COM and Matthias Blonski. They are available via Unsplash.com.
