Why You Can’t Sell $10 8 x 10′s and have a real business

All Businesses are in business to make a profit and all businesses have costs.  If your photography business doesn’t make a profit or you make less than minimum wage working in your business, what is the point of all the stress, worry and time investment?  You could get a job at the local convenience store, work you shift and make more money.  And while money isn’t the end all/be all of a business- it sure helps when people want to get paid for doing the necessary services for you to have your business or you want to eat.

This website has a great cost calculator to help you get real about what a photography business costs you to run and to pay you a salary.  It is a worthwhile exercise.  When you have finished that exercise, go one more step and figure out how many photo sessions a day you’d like to do.  Divide the amount of money you have to make every day by the number of photo sessions you want to do per day and that is the average amount you have to make every session.

Now I hear either:

1. I’m not good enough to make that much money for each session OR
2. I want to serve the people that can’t afford those costs.

The answer to question 1) is: postpone your business until you get the education and experience you need to charge the kind of prices you need to in order for your business to be profitable.

And the answer to question 2) is: Other people’s budgets are not your job, you have to cover you’re costs.  When you establish a profitable photo business, you can give a portion of your profits toward projects in which you believe.  Until then, your job is to build a sustainable business that provides a valuable service.  The people that value what you do will find a way to pay for it.  The ones that don’t are not your clients.

I also understand that there is a huge psychological component to charging the prices for your work that your business requires to stay healthy.  These are issues you need to work on yourself,  or you need to keep your photography as a hobby.  Tough Love?  Maybe.  But it is advice from someone that has been there.