This is a question that photographers get ALL THE TIME, and honestly, there is a ton that goes into it behind the scenes that most clients may not be thinking about. For example, while your typical photoshoot may only take up an hour of your time, there are several hours of behind-the-scenes work for the photographer that has to be taken into account.  Let’s talk about your typical session timeline.

Before the Session: Your photographer is in the planning phase before your session. This includes talking to the client about the style, theme, and feel they want for their photos.  From there, your photographer will scout locations, help you plan wardrobe choices, and design and acquire any props that may be needed to enhance the photos.  Next, they have to choose the best equipment and shooting methods to create shots that you’ll love.  Then on the day of the shoot, your photographer will travel to your location, set up equipment, and prepare the site as needed to get ready for your session. They also need to be available to answer any questions you may have and give advice for things you should bring to make your session as successful as possible. 

During the Session: During your session, your photographer will use their talent and expertise to guide you through the process.  They will help you with posing that is flattering to give you photos that make you feel your absolute best.  They also focus on managing the lighting, the weather, and equipment to ensure that they are all working together to tell a beautiful story through your photos. 

After the Session: Your photographer will load your photos onto their computer and carefully assess all of your photos to choose the best ones for editing.  Next is the editing phase, where your photographer will spend hours meticulously editing your photos for color correction, contrast, cropping, removing flaws, and sharpening your pictures so that your prints are immaculate. The more time your photographer takes carefully completing these steps, the higher the quality of your photos, which means your images will become beloved art pieces.

So you see how a simple one-hour session could quickly turn into 8-10 hours of work for your photographer.  Now that you know why photographers charge what they do for session fees let's talk about the cost of prints.

Professional prints are NOT your typical prints from your local photo printing service.  A professional photo print is designed with the highest quality in mind.  Let’s talk about some of the factors that go into creating a high-quality professional print and why they are worth the cost!

The Paper- With consumer photo printers, you typically have two paper options, matte or glossy.  With a professional photo printer, you not only have a much higher quality paper in those two options, but you also have so many more finishing options such as linen, metallic, and lustre finishes. You also have a greater range of sizes available to you to ensure that your prints are exactly what you need!

The Printers- Professional photo labs will be using top-of-the-line, premium photo printers to create vastly better photos compared to your typical consumer photo printing service.  These printers deliver images that are sharp, clean, and as lifelike as a photo can get.

The Service- Your typical photo printing service is just that, a photo printer.  They take the files you send them and run them through their printing equipment, stick it in an envelope and hand it over.  Most of the lower-cost photo printing companies don’t even quality check.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had clients who sent their photos to one of these services and got back grainy pictures, the coloring was off, part of the shot was cropped off during printing, and a host of other issues that made their pictures look less than great.  With a professional print lab, you get the expertise of passionate people dedicated to delivering quality photos and working with photographers to create works of art.

So, as you can see, there is so much more to professional photos than meets the eye.  If you’re looking for images that are beautiful, thoughtful, and worthy of being displayed in your home, then the investment is absolutely worth it! 

If you're looking for beautiful photos that will capture memories for you to treasure forever, please reach out today to set up your session, and we will work together to create something truly incredible!