A Pricing Tip for Photographers

There is one thing that I’ve always struggled with when creating my pricing for photography clients, and it probably goes more to the core of who I am, but since I’ve seen so many other people struggle with it too, I thought I would talk about it here.

I call it the “Nice Guy” syndrome. It is when you love what you’re doing so much, you want it to be something that EVERYONE can have. You want it to be accessible to every potential client out there, you don’t want people to lose out on your great work just because they can’t afford you.

Here’s the thing — if someone REALLY values something, they find a way to afford it.

Selling to the masses is the fastest, shortest road to being burned out. You don’t want to be everything to every one. You actually don’t want everyone to be able to afford you. Not if you want a successful and profitable business. Not if you want to do this for the long haul.

Your business has to be profitable to survive.

Sometimes you will come across that special client, that one that you just know is exactly the client you want to work with, that does truly value you but can’t afford you – and you’re the boss. You can choose to make a collection just for them, or to waive their session fee.

But if you want to have a business that can support you, you can’t be that photographer to everyone.

It is hard. I know. Five years in, and I still struggle with it some times. But you can’t be all things to all people. Not everyone in the world is meant to be your client.

Determine what you need to make to make a profit. Ultimately, you will be able then to serve your clients better than ever before because you will be happier – and they will too!