(**This is the last post from my old blog. I thought I should at least make it the first Official Post here. Really, this is where it belongs**)
Ok. Let me say first up: this is only about ME and my experiences, and how I feel about my Business, and the Wedding Photography I have done. I am not criticizing anyone else. I am writing this just to share my frustrations, and ultimately how it has broken me.
I like to think I’m a creative type. More so than a Business person. I do what I do for the sheer love of the craft. Taking photos is the way I want to express myself, and the idea of making money from it came along as an accident. I fell into it, and never really chased it. It evolved that way, naturally, and never forced.
Things were looking good, and the business was growing nicely. At my Peak, I did 51 shoots in a year about 4 years ago. I haven’t been able to recapture the success of that year.
What I've noticed since then is the type of client I was attracting was changing. I consider myself to be a Mid-Priced Photographer. With Very basic, short packages starting from $1000, and my larger one at about $3200. I have had these prices for the last 4 years of so, and what I have noticed in the last 2 year, is that I simply Can not charge these prices any longer. It seemed that no one was willing to pay these prices. Now what do I attribute this to? Was my service changing? Were the images less showy? Was I offering Less? No. No, and No.
What I was hearing from the Potential clients that were coming to my home for meetings was that “Photographer x” was able to Offer what I could for $750, or sometimes I was hearing cheaper prices.
Now, I am always investigating other Photographers. Checking out the work, their Pages, and yes, even their Price lists.
There is a growing trend of Facebook Photographers, that is, Photographers with no other web presence than their Facebook Page. Just type in Perth Photographer, and there is no Shortage of “Facebook “ Only Photographers.
Why should I care? Shouldn't I just do my own thing? Well, yes……and No. I care because it seems that anyone and everyone with a camera is setting up a page, and offering wedding Photography from as Little as $20 an hour. Yes! I recently saw some one post on Facebook that this is what they were charging, and guaranteeing the pics to be fully edited in 24 hours.
These Services are not the same as My services. I am insured, have an ABN, I’m a registered business, and pay GST. Chances are most of these Cowboys are not.
It seems the only ones doing well, are the Established High end Photographers, and now, these Low End Bottom feeding Skill Free Digital Cowboys.
Now, this isn't, my only gripe. I blame the customers as well (up to a point).
Photography just isn't as valued as it used to be. There are more mobile phones on the Planet now, than People. So essentially, the whole world is in surplus of photographers.
And I hate to say this, But there general attitude to Photography (again, from my experiences and insight) is that most people think photography is an easy gig. And why on earth would they pay a lot of money for something that everyone seems to be doing. Easy. It isn’t. It Just ISN’T.
And then there are the weddings where I trim my price to get the client. And then I show up on the day to do my Job, and I see Money that was wasted and poured into tacky stretch Limos, and overly “Stylized” Weddings.
It seems that rustic jars filled with baby breath flowers everywhere, and an vintage limo, and bicycle ice cream vendor has more importance than photography.
Brides melting down over ribbons not matching in arch ways, Flower Colours being in the wrong order, their hair not being done correctly, so they insist that it gets done over (chewing into precious photography time).
Weddings have turned into a narcissistic affair. Where Styling seems to be taking dominance in the list of what’s important.
Photography isn't at the top of the list, or that important anymore. “Bride X” needs to have her wedding Look better than her friend’s wedding. Making it more vintage, or more Trendy than the last wedding is what is important. So this is where all the Money goes.
And what’s left is a few dollars for photography.
My prices from 4 years ago are prices that I simply can no longer charge.
Most of the emails I get from Potential Clients has a variation on: “We don’t have a big budget for photography, so what’s the Best Price you can do?”
My best price is my Top Price. That’s when I’m at my Best. Why should I discount my Price? Why?
But I do, and it makes me feel like a desperate whore.
So the last 6 months has been an impossible time for me. I have not been able to lock in a single booking, and up to that point it was looking good for me. 2014 was a good year, and it looked like it was growing at a nice pace.
Getting email after email and not being able to lock in a single wedding gets more than a little disheartening. There comes a point where I have to decide to stop running my Google ads (they cost money, you know).
I have finally made that decision, because I would rather stop whoring myself out, and try and enjoy the photography for myself.
I started shooting for myself in the beginning, but got lost in the business of it all.
So. No more weddings. No more bowing down to people just to get their approval and patronage.
No more of any of this because it’s made me a little bitter, and even feel a little contempt for some of the clients I have.
I bow out on my terms, and I feel all the better for it. Maybe some time soon, I will start to enjoy photography for the pure art of it. I’m to broken at the moment to truly enjoy it.
I’ve done so many things that I haven’t wanted to, just to get a Client, just to get The Business moving ahead. Just to make a name for myself in the wedding Industry.
If I thought you valued photography, I would maybe keep at it. But it seems you don’t. So why should I keep trying?
