ABOUT MY SESSIONS
What goes into one of my sessions...
IN MOST SERVICE INDUSTRIES THERE IS AN INDUSTRY-WIDE STANDARD FOR PRICE POINTS. OF COURSE AVERAGE PRICES VARY DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION, QUALITY, SKILL, SERVICES INCLUDED, ETC., BUT THE RANGE IS NOT A SURPRISE TO MOST. PHOTOGRAPHY IS DIFFERENT. PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOT JUST A SERVICE INDUSTRY, IT IS A SUBJECTIVE ART. IT IS ALSO A CAREER THAT ANYONE CAN DO BY SIMPLY PURCHASING A CAMERA, OR THESE DAYS EVEN AN iPHONE. THERE ARE NO EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS, NO INDUSTRY STANDARDS FOR QUALITY, NO SAFETY STANDARDS, NO UNION...NOTHING TO HELP CONSUMERS TRULY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE PAYING FOR WHEN HIRING A PHOTOGRAPHER. GRANTED, ANY PURCHASE COMES WITH RISK, BUT LET'S FACE IT, THE COST OF PHOTOGRAPHY SERVICES VARIES WILDLY AND SO DOES THE QUALITY.
I GET MANY INQUIRIES EACH MONTH THAT DO NOT RESULT IN A BOOKING BECAUSE OF THE COST. THIS IS TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE AS EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT WHAT PHOTOGRAPHY MEANS TO THEM AND WHAT IT SHOULD COST. FOR ME, QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHY IS A LUXURY ITEM. IT'S AN INVESTMENT IN BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES THAT WILL LAST GENERATIONS, AND I WILL PAY FOR QUALITY. THERE ARE PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO CHARGE $75 FOR TWO HOURS OF WORK AND THERE ARE PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO CHARGE $20,000 FOR TWO HOURS OF WORK. GERMANY IS AN EXPENSIVE PLACE TO LIVE AND I UNDERSTAND THE FINANCIAL LIMITATIONS OF MANY IN THE MILITARY. I TRY TO KEEP MY SERVICE FEES REASONABLE TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL, BUT I WORK TO HELP SUPPORT MY FAMILY AND NEED PROPER COMPENSATION.
THERE IS MUCH MORE THAT GOES INTO 2 HOUR PHOTO SESSION THAN MOST UNDERSATND. SOME PHOTOGRAPHERS DON'T PUT THE TIME INTO THEIR SESSIONS THAT I DO. I ADMIT THAT I AM A PERFECTIONIST AND WANT MY CLIENTS TO HAVE THE BEST IMAGES I CAN CREATE FOR THEM. I TAKE HUGE PRIDE IN MY CLIENTS BEING HAPPY WITH THEIR SESSION AND THUS PUT A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY INTO MY EDITING PROCESS. I ALSO CONTINUALLY STRIVE TO STREAMLINE MY BOOKING PROCESS, ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES TECHNOLOGY HAS OTHER IDEAS. AFTER BEING IN BUSINESS 12 YEARS I AM CONSTANTLY LEARNING HOW I CAN IMPROVE MY BUSINESS TO BETTER SERVE MY CLIENTS. IF YOU ARE ON-THE-FENCE ABOUT MY SERVICES, OR ARE JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THE WORK I PUT INTO MY SESSIONS, I HAVE OUTLINED MY PROCESS FOR YOU BELOW.
1. Booking
DEPENDING ON THE CLIENT, BOOKING SESSIONS CAN TAKE SEVERAL HOURS. ANSWERING QUESTIONS, DECIDING ON LOCATIONS, LOCATION SCOUTING, CREATING FORMS, SIGNING DOCUMENTS, COORDINATING OUTFITS, DRESS FITTING APPOINTMENTS, COORDINATING ACROSS FAMILIES, HELPING TROUBLESHOOT DIGITAL ISSUES, PRINTER QUESTIONS, AND SO MUCH MORE. ON AVERAGE, I SPEND ONE TO TWO HOURS ASSISTING EACH CLIENT BEFORE AND AFTER THEIR SESSION.
2. Shooting
THE DAY OF YOUR SESSION REQUIRES SOME PREP-WORK. IN THE MORNING I CHARGE MY CAMERA BATTERIES, COLLECT MY MEMORY CARDS, MAKE SURE MY CAMERA IS IN ORDER AND MY CAMERA BAG IS PACKED. I DRIVE FROM BAD HOMBURG SO LOCATIONS IN WIESBADEN AND FRANKFURT ARE 30-60 MINUTE DRIVES. I TRY TO ALWAYS ARRIVE EARLY TO SCOUT THE LOCATION WITH LIGHT, PEOPLE, EVENTS, ETC. A 1-2 HOUR SESSION ACTUALLY TAKES 4-5 HOURS.
NEWBORN SESSIONS TAKE APPROX. 4 HOURS TO PREPARE FOR; WASHING BLANKETS AND PROPS, SANITIZING THE STUDIO, COORDINATING WITH CLIENTS REGARDING PROPS AND THEMES, DESIGNING THEMES AND SETTING UP THE BLANKETS, RUGS, BUCKETS & BASKETS WITH MATCHING OUTFITS, ETC. I CAN SPEND UP TO 6 HOURS WORKING ON A 1-HOUR MINI SESSION, AND UP TO 8 HOURS WORKING ON A FULL SESSION. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE EDITING OR BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ASPECTS.
CAKE SMASH SESSIONS ARE AN EVEN LARGER INVESTMENT OF TIME. A BALLOON GARLAND CAN TAKE UP TO 3 HOURS, CRAFTING THE SIGNS CAN TAKE A FULL DAY, PUTTING THE BACKDROP SET TOGETHER CAN TAKE A FULL DAY, THEN ADD IN THE COST OF PROPS AND ANY ADDITIONAL PROPS I MAKE FOR THE SESSION. THESE SESSIONS CAN TAKE UP TO 20 HOURS TO PREPARE FOR, NOT INCLUDING THE EDITING OR BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ASPECTS.
3. Editing
EDITING IS MY BIGGEST TIME INVESTMENT, OTHER THAN THE SET-UP FOR NEWBORN AND CAKE SMASH SESSIONS. MY PROCESS CONSISTS OF FOUR STEPS; THE IMPORT AND EXPORT OF IMAGES INTO PROCESSING SOFTWARE LIKE LIGHTROOM AND UPLOADING TO YOUR GALLERY, CULLING THE IMAGES IN LIGHTROOM, EDITING IN LIGHTROOM, AND FINALLY, EDITING IN PHOTOSHOP.
I
LIGHTROOM CULLING
2 HOURS
II
LIGHTROOM EDITING
2 HOURS
III
PHOTOSHOP EDITING
4 HOURS
IV
before & after
THE FINAL RESULT
COST BREAKDOWN
THE FAMILY SESSION ABOVE WAS A €375 SESSION
30-60 MINUTES PREP TIME
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BOOKING, EMAILS, COORDINATION, EQUIPMENT PREP
2 HOURS OF SHOOTING
-
DRIVE TIME, GAS, PARKING FEE, 1-2 HOUR SHOOT
8-9 HOURS OF EDITING
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UPLOADING IMAGES, CULLING, EDITING, GALLERY UPLOAD & PREP
ADDITIONAL EXPENSES
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TAXES TO GERMANY & THE US
(20-40% OF EVERY SESSION GOES TO TAXES, NOT INCLUDING GERMANY'S ADDITIONAL 19% VAT)
GERMAN INSURANCE & ANNUAL GERMAN BUSINESS FEES
WEBSITE HOSTING, ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM, PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE, IMAGE BACKUP SERVICES,
CAMERA & STUDIO EQUIPMENT, PROPS, SOFTWARE LICENSES
STUDIO RENT, GAS, PARKING FEES, CLIENT CLOTHING, GAS, CONTINUING EDUCATION
STRIPE FEES (3% + 30 CENTS FOR EVERY TRANSACTION)
QUALIFICATIONS
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MBA IN TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS
ASSOCIATES DEGREE IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS & PHOTO JOURNALISM
3 YEARS AS AN AIR FORCE PHOTOJOURNALIST
12 YEARS EXPERIENCE AS A PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER
ANNUAL CLASSES ON SHOOTING, EDITING, NEWBON SAFETY, STYLING, ETC.
Not included in my list above...
THERE IS ADDITIONAL WORK NOT SESSION RELATED THAT PHOTOGRAPHERS ALSO NEED TO HANDLE. CONSTANT WEBSITE MAINTENANCE, ADVERTISING, STAYING ON TOP OF SOCIAL MEDIA, BUSINESS TAXES, ESPECIALLY HERE IN GERMANY WITH VAT FORMS, MONTHLY TAX REPORTS, QUARTERLY TAX PAYMENTS, AND ANNUAL TAXES. LOCATION SCOUTING TO FIND NEW AND UNIQUE LOCATIONS FOR CLIENTS. COORDINATING WITH OTHER BUSINESSES TO USE THEIR PROPERTY. HANDLING EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AND FAILURES. GETTING AND KEEPING AN HBB APPROVAL WITH THE WIESBADEN GARRISON...THE LIST GOES ON.
I LOVE WHAT I DO AND AM GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET ALL THE AMAZING CLIENTS I HAVE MET OVER THE YEARS, BUT MY PASSION IS ALSO A BUSINESS. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR ALL OF YOU WHO SUPPORT MY BUSINESS WHETHER YOU ARE ACTUAL CLIENTS, SHARE AND LIKE MY POSTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, REFER MY SERVICES TO OTHERS, OR TAKE THE TIME TO LEAVE A REVIEW. SUPPORT COMES IN MANY FORMS AND DOESN'T NEED TO COME WITH A PRICE TAG. YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL!