In my time as a pro photographer, I’ve had all sorts of reactions from potential clients when I have quoted my prices. And I’ve also heard some shocking responses from photographer friends of mine. My favourite being the client who, upon being quoted a price, exploded, ‘But you’re a freelancer. That means you work for free!’. I think most pros are used to hearing a potential client wail, at the very least, ‘How much? I can’t afford that!’

So why won’t people pay photographers what they’re worth? Well, unfortunately there’s no one definitive answer to the question. For some reason, a lot of people seem to think that it’s reasonable to try and haggle with photographers.

photo by Ed Schipul

It’s bizarre – you wouldn’t go into a restaurant and refuse to pay the prices on the menu, or tell a chef that you’ll need him to teach you how to make the meal yourself so you don’t have to pay him in the future. Yet most freelancers (and not just photographers) get faced with these sorts of problems on a regular basis.

Freelancers Are Not Big Companies

Often, one of the problems is that photographers are just one person, working on their own, rather than part of a large corporation. Clients know that, nine times out of ten, they’ll be speaking directly to the owner of the business and they often think that this will mean more room for said haggling.

In conjunction with this though, photographers can be really bad at projecting their own ‘worth’. Big companies tend to get that way because they’ve spent time designing their worth and the type of market they want to appeal to.

Your Own Worst Enemy

As photographers, we can be our own worst enemies at times. We often let our customers define our worth for us. In the early days of starting out as a pro, it’s easy to believe someone when they say they can’t afford us. And if we start charging too little to one customer, anyone they recommend us too is going to expect the same low price. This is a vicious circle.

Like most creatives, photographers are often plagued with doubts about their own work. We’re perfectionists and sometimes just don’t think that we’re good enough. So if other photographers are getting clients even when they are charging higher prices, we can start to think that they have some magic ingredient that we don’t.

Of course, the truth is that if you’re good enough to be a pro, you’re good enough to charge just as much as the next guy (or girl!).

Who Your Ideal Client Is

There are things you can do to make life easier and to help stop clients from even asking for a discount. Make sure your website presents a professional and clean approach and, if you include prices on your site, make sure they are simple and clear to understand.

You need to figure out who your ideal clients are and make sure that it’s them you’re appealing to. It’s all about creating the illusion of a larger company in many ways, so that people don’t think to try and haggle in the first place.

You’re a Pro

I can’t pretend that I don’t find it intensely irritating when people try to haggle with my prices. The advent of digital technology and the increase in weekend warriors has unfortunately led to the belief that taking photographs is as easy as just pressing a button.

A number of times I’ve run through my pricing structure with a client, only to be told that someone else has quoted them a derisively low price. Frankly, if they’re prepared to risk their photos with someone who’s charging peanuts, I’m not inclined to argue with them. Fortunately, there are still clients who are open to more sensible prices!

So many of us spend too much time apologizing for our prices, and this devalues us as photographers.

Remember, your clients aren’t just paying for you to press a button. If all else fails, break it down for a potential client. They are paying for your time, your expertise, your equipment, your knowledge, your retouching skills, your premises… I could go on but the list is fairly extensive! I’m sure you get my drift anyway. And clients, if you’re reading this please don’t insult our intelligence. We can’t use your promises of ‘recommending you to all my friends’ to keep a roof over our heads. Photography is a skill that takes years to learn and a lifetime to master. We’re worth every cent that we’re charging.

What do you think? Please share your experiences with us!