Atlanta Baby Photographer | Newborns, Children, Families | Portraits by Amanda Shoemaker

If you’ve ever wondered what goes into creating your portraits… this is another great article by Marianne Drenthe on the costs associated with custom photography.

A few comments I have about the article…

Time
Marianne uses the example of a photographer spending on average about 13-19 hours per client.  I’d estimate that I spend approximately 30 hours per client, start to finish… from the first phone call… to the personal delivery of their portraits.  Many people assume the bulk of a custom photographer’s job is performed at the session, however, that is only the beginning of the process!  So much more goes on behind the scenes after your session.  I don’t mind spending 30+ hours on each client… this is just the level of service I prefer to give, and it’s one of the biggest reasons I take on a limited number of sessions per month.

Costs
I don’t even want to think about how much I have invested in my business (though I have it all written down somewhere).  It adds up mighty quickly!  Cameras, lenses, computers, printers, digital storage, software, hosting, printed materials, packaging, lab costs, product samples, taxes, insurance, travel expenses, advertising, marketing, education and training, professional membership fees… the list goes on and on.

Read more at the Professional Child Photographer Consumer Guide »

I realize that a good number of my dear clients budget in order to afford their session and portraits, and I’m very appreciative of that.  It’s wonderful when you can work with people who truly see the value in what you do and the service you work hard to provide.

Thanks for your continued patronage!