I can no longer offer free sessions... This is why.

 I have never actually had a client ask for a free session. But a few years ago when I was just starting I wanted to be the photographer that took amazing photos of my friends and family and they didn't have to pay some crazy amount! When I first started I thought photography prices were outrageous! I would think to myself "heck, I take photos for an hour, come home edit them on my free internet editing program. Why is everyone charging SO MUCH?!"... Well, because it is a real FULL TIME job! I am going to tell all of you what goes on during my (and every other photographer) day. Just letting you know that I am not on a rampage and I am not going to shoot anyone... Well, I will with my camera, but no guns ;)

The first thing that has to happen is a client. Where do I find my clients? Friends, facebook, word of mouth, search engines, phone book, personal website, etc.  I have to be an extreme people person to do this! No shyness in this profession. I don't seek out my clients, they all contact me, and for that to happen I have to get my work out there for them to see and make sure everything people say is positive! One negative remark equals 10 potential clients going somewhere else.

 After my client has contacted me, I need to talk with them and find out their personality, how many kids they have, what kind of session they are wanting, etc. Find the location that suits them. Which means I will drive around town and find something new. I always try to have a new location with each client unless they are wanting one that I have used. I then ask for permission to use the property. They are most likely to be on private property. After I have found the location I will call or message to see if they are ok with it. Finally, we shoot! We are usually shooting around 1+ hours depending on the type of session.

NOW the editing! When I get home from the session, I immediately import the RAW files to my computer. Those are big files, and my computer isn't super fly so it takes about 30 minutes. Before I even look at your photos I back up the photos on an external hard drive. That takes about the same time as importing them on my computer.  After that, I import them into my editing programs, (Lightroom3 and Photoshop CS5) I sort through them and delete all duplicates, closed eyes, etc. Then I work on cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, etc. When I am finished editing the photos I export the edited photos to my external hard drive.

WHEW! Do you think I am done? nope! When the photos are finished I write a blog post about the client with their photos. It takes me a while because I am not very good with words and I don't want to sound like a ding dong like I do right now... So when my nice little story about the client and their session is over I post it and share it on facebook. After that I post a few watermarked photos on my facebook fan page and tag my client in their photos. (this is the best way to get new clients) When I am finished with that I load the whole album to the clients password protected online gallery.

Once your photos are on your online gallery, I will message the client their password. Usually the client orders their prints immediately. Their order comes straight to my phone. I then order the prints and have them sent to my house. Unless the client is out of town. When the prints get to my house I package them into a nice gift box with a ribbon. Put a sticker on it and deliver it to my client. I usually keep the clients photos on my site for about 2 weeks. Then I take it down for newer clients to take their place.

So that is the work I go through for my clients. How do you think I get all of my equipment? Out of my own pocket. Because the $150 session fee is definitely not going to pay for all of my equipment. DSLR cameras usually start at about $500 and can go up to $8000! Is a camera the only thing I need for my business? Not so much. I need Lenses to go with my camera (which start at $150 ish and can go into 10's of thousands of dollars), gas, a computer to do my editing on, the editing programs, my website (thankfully I design my own), lighting equipment, backdrops, props, memory cards (not as cheap as you would think... $100 a card), studio rent (coming soon), utilities for my studio, insurance, and.... taxes! It is NOT cheap to be a professional photographer. It is one of the least paid professions. Why do I do it? Because, It fuels me! I thrive to be better every day!

It takes a long time to brand my business. I need to get my name and logo into people's minds. It is VERY time consuming! First of all I need to design and order thousands of business cards, design my website and blog. I keep my website and blog updated with each session.I am constantly handing cards out to wedding vendors, and local businesses. 

No more whining ;) I am so in love with my job! It is so gratifying. To see my clients so happy when I deliver their beautiful photos. When they come back to me each season so the world can watch their kids grow. I have become great friends with so many of my clients. What a blessing it has been. This blog post isn't trying to tell everyone that I want to be paid more, but for everyone to realize that I put my heart and soul into my job and it is very time consuming. Time that I am taking away from my babies and hubby. I hope you understand, and thanks for listening :)

Katie Landers