I am struggling with which direction to take the business. As you know, almost everyone can get a decent DSLR and they all come with with auto mode. So really, anyone can pick up a camera and shoot an image. Then there is photoshop. While it may not be the Pro version, just about anyone can get some form of it and try to use it. granted, most people do not use it correctly, but if you are getting a freebie or a $20 wedding photographer, you have to know you are getting what you pay for. Don’t expect the exposure to be correct, auto function only does so much and often people will over edit it in photoshop to try to hide the blurry image or the over exposure.
I just finished doing my taxes. I am not gonna lie, it makes me mad that I pay uncle same a huge chunk of money just to be in business, then a chunck to business insurance, and a chunk to equipment upkeep….branding and packaging….. when little *Susie* in high school charges the same $50 for a mini session, uses auto exposure, shoots a million images burns them on a cd and gives them to her high school friend….and she fails to charge retail tax, doesn’t have a business license, or insurance (Lord help her when the wedding day comes and the equipment fails…..) and all by saying, “oh, its just a hobby”…… it isn’t a hobby if you take money for it, it is business. And when you take money for it and don’t do it honestly, it devalues those of us who have spent thousands of dollars on workshops, equipment, school, training…and purchasing the required legal work to run a business.
I don’t just set my camera on auto or some other programed function. I actually know what an fstop is, ss and proper exposure. I strive to get that in the camera and use photoshop as an enhancer, not a fixer. I try to do something extra special for ever single client. I try to capture what makes them special, not just a portrait, but who they are as human beings. fun, whitty, flirty, sweet, bad ass rocker people. So Yes, I do cost a little more than Susie. Yes, I cost more than the department store shops, but what I have to offer, you cannot put a price on. I cannot tell you what it is, I can only show you, and when you see it, you will feel it, because the truly treasured memories of your life are too precious to be sought after in the discount section.
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