I officially have 93 draft posts in the backend of my blog. Yup. I’m quite easy to come up with ideas, not usually so great at following through with them. Come to find out, I have “the Edison trait” and so I’m choosing to use my left brain more. Which means I’m going to finish what I started and start turning all these drafts into actual blog posts for people to read {what a novel idea!} One such post is this one I’m about to write. Unless, of course, I get distracted by Facebook or online shopping or some other blog post idea.
Today I want to talk about being the cheap photographer and the effect that it has on the photographers who consider themselves ‘cheap’. Or even more importantly, the photographers who other photographers consider cheap.
Because herein lies the problem: lots of less expensive photographers out there are feeling judged and bullied by more expensive photographers.
A long time reader, Louise, wrote to me:
“Now that I’m fully legal and ready to get my business going, I’m so nervous about publishing my prices because I know I am cheap. I have struggled for a while with photographers blasting over the internet about how “you get what you pay for”. I come from “not a posh area” where people can’t really afford photography (even the people who really value it) so I do want to be affordable to the people who can’t afford nice photos.”
Ok Louise let’s break this thing down. I’m going to come at it from both points of view so excuse me while I play Devil’s advocate. These are my initial thoughts in no specific order, from both sides of the argument:
People can afford whatever they want to afford. I guarantee a pretty good number of the people in this “not so posh area” have TVs the size of their living room wall and go on holiday more than I do. People can afford whatever they value. I know you say that even the people who really value photography can’t afford it. But do they like/love it or actually value it? There’a a difference. Now, I’m not saying that you need to tell these folks to scram just because they’re using their money to buy food and shelter and not photography. But I’ll tell you that my best clients are normal working class people who have to budget in their family session and take advantage of my payment plan to buy their images. You really shouldn’t make it so easy to hire you that you’re a disposable commodity like the end pieces in a loaf of bread. I’m also not saying that you need to be expensive to drive this point home. Because that’s just not fair to anyone.
Anyone remember the post I wrote about the good delusion? Well, that applies to just about everything in life. It’s about perspective and point of view. So on that point, I will say:
There is no such thing as cheap or expensive. There is only value. And that value is intrinsically different to each and every person on the face of this earth.
What is cheap to me is expensive to someone else. So, dear Louise, if you’re feeling ‘cheap’, then consider the idea that you may be a victim of other people’s judgements. You may be coming under the weight of other people’s hangups and perhaps bullying from people who consider themselves higher than you because they charge more {and clearly don’t have enough work to keep them too busy to bully people online}. And being that I’ve met you and I know that you’re not shallow Hal, you will definitely get what I’m saying here.
Now, if you’ve surmised that you’re a ‘cheap’ photograper based on things like the advice I give on my blog about pricing and value and not letting cheap people take you for a ride, then just know this: when I write on this blog, I never talk actual figures. I don’t tell people they should be charging $xxx because that is different for every single market, every different experience level and every different person. So consider that maybe you’re only judging your prices against other photographers who aren’t in your market. And if you are, maybe that’s only because you aspire to be a photographer who can charge more. And you can be! You just have to connect with and market to people outside of your own demographic. And you know what, lots of photographers who charge a lot {depending on your definition of a lot} can’t really even afford themselves!
So let me let you in on a little secret: I am a cheap photographer. Yup. Well let me rephrase that…if you’re judging my prices against the prices that a photographer in L.A. charges, I am a cheap photographer. In fact, I actually had someone comment on my blog recently that maybe soon I could find the confidence to start charging more. Say what?! Little do they know the painstaking experimentation I’ve put myself through to formulate price points that have finally clicked with my demographic and started bringing in so much business that I’m booked for the next two months.
Just like no one can judge whether your work is good or bad, no one -NO ONE- can judge you to be either cheap or expensive.
Unless they are an expert in your exact location, market and target client {not to mention you as a photographer} the idea that they can make this judgement is asinine and I’d suggest that they don’t have the understanding to make any such claims.
Now, on the flip side you need to ask yourself: am I actually comfortable with my prices? Have you picked a number out of thin air based on your own financial situation, other photographers around you or the area where you live? Or have you worked to find a happy place that you know is perfect for you? I can’t tell you how many different pricing structures I’ve put myself through. Lots. The first ones were picked out of thin air, the others were set based on eBooks I’d read. And now, my prices are perfect because they have been born of the blood, sweat and tears of self discovery and experimentation.
Louise and everyone else: unless it builds you up and gives you direction {although sometimes it may hurt a little}, disregard advice that causes you to feel discouraged or less than you are. Don’t let anyone make you feel small. Every single one of us is in a different place on our journey and no one, not even Chuck Norris, will ever be at the top of their game. And anyone who doesn’t have the brains to understand this doesn’t deserve you to lend them your ear.
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