Let’s talk about family photography prices. If you have been wanting to create memories for your family and book a Perth family portrait session, you have probably already looked at a number of Perth family photographer’s website and researched their prices. You would have most likely found that the prices between photographers can vary drastically. While you could hire one photographer for $300 who will give you a full gallery of images taken during the shoot, there are other photographers who are charging much more. Some photographers will charge over $3000 for a full gallery of images and you can spend much more for print products such as wall art and albums.
So, why this huge discrepancy?
While it is easy to understand why a handbag bought from Louis Vuitton will cost more than a handbag from Kmart, professional photography is much harder to compare and therefore harder to put a value on.
This guide is not to convince you to hire me, my explanations below are aimed at helping you understand how photographers price their services and products. Once you understand this, it will help you find the right photographer for your family portraits based on your own individual needs and budget.
My pricing is flexible and how much a client spends with me purely depends on their individual needs and budget, most of my clients spend $2,500 or more on average for a session, digitals and print products. I fully understand that my prices may be out of some family’s budget or that I may not be the right photographer for a family for various other reasons. I am perfectly ok with that as personally I love working with clients who are a good fit with me, who appreciate and love my work and the services that I offer.
While there are numerous costs of running a business, what a photographer charges ultimately depends on their skills, experience and the level of service they provide to each individual family.
Family photography entails much more than just the photoshoot. There is a process that happens before and after the actual photoshoot. Some photographers like myself prefer to take on very limited sessions over a period of time enabling us to spend more time with a family, getting to know them on a deeper level and provide a better, more customised service to that family. My sessions are limited to just 4 per month. Compare that to a photographer who perhaps shoots upwards of 30 sessions in a month providing a quick/standardised service to all families that they work with. There is no right or wrong here. Everyone runs their business differently to suit their own personalities as well as their ideal client’s needs and budgets. I prefer to take on less clients so that I can provide them with an amazing photography experience from start to finish.
Here are some of the things that set me apart from cheaper photographers in the market:
Professionalism
When booking a family photographer, great photos is not the only thing you should be expecting. As a client, your family deserves an amazing and professional service from your photographer. Apart from photography, professional photographers are continually honing their skills to provide their clients with a superior photography experience. For example, my process from the moment you first contact me to final delivery of your products is carefully planned and implemented to give you a 5 star stress-free photography experience. I have learned that paying attention to little things can have a huge impact on.
- Before you book a photographer, I understand that you will have some questions. With every enquiry, I arrange a time for a phone call to help you guide through the process and answer all of your questions so on the day of the session you are at ease knowing whatever vision you have for your family session, I have it covered.
- A super easy and stress-free booking process.
- After you have booked, you receive a detailed prep guide with information on everything you need to know about our time together. I have spent months creating this guide and it aims to answer all of your questions relating to your photo session.
- You receive updates and timely information regarding your session.
- Emails and phone calls are answered quickly and thoroughly.
- You get access to your very own client portal where you are able to see details of the session plus all important information relating to your shoot.
- You get access to a state of the art design software that allows to you to see how your family art will look in your home before you spend a single dollar, making purchase decisions easier.
- You get access to my ever growing client’s closet filled with outfits perfect for photo sessions.
Personalisation
Limiting the number of sessions I commit to each month, allows me to provide a better and more customised service to my clients. What does it mean for you?
Attention to detail
Every family is different, and so are their needs, wants and desires for the photo session. For every session, I love spending time with the family, to get to know their stories and understand their needs better. What are their styling and colour preferences? What is something unique about the family that we can incorporate into the photoshoot to make the images more meaningful for the family. If the family chooses to purchase wall art for their living area, what colours in the images will work seamlessly with the interior décor of that room. What location will be suitable for their session. These small details are important and often ignored by cheaper photographers as they simply do not have the time to pay attention to individual client stories and family dynamics
Planning and Preparation
After I have brainstormed ideas with a client for their shoot, I am with them every step of the way afterwards. I love visiting client’s home before the session to help them choose outfits for their session. If they don’t already own something suitable for their photo session, I will spend hours online and suggest some amazing options. I will location scout to find the perfect location for the shoot. I will find the right props. There are a lot of emails/ text message exchanges before the sessions between my clients and me so we are all fully prepared for the big day!
Skills & Experience
A professional, highly skilled in their field will understandably charge more for their services. The same is true for photographers. Photographers like myself have spent years learning, experimenting and mastering many different elements of portrait photography. We are in the business of not just clicking photos but creating customised family heirlooms that will last for generations. We create stunning images that are decades in the making (and not as in it took a decade to take the photo.. it’s simply how long it takes to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for it). What value does it have for you as a client?
Perfectly posed images and client comfort during photo shoot
Over the years, I have mastered the art of posing. I provide gentle yet intentional guidance throughout the session so clients are never left hanging, but my posing is also client/ family-led and never forced. I understand it can be super awkward for many people to be infront of the camera, so your comfort is always a priority. This delicate balance of directing yet allowing the client to freely express and stay relaxed, happy and comfortable infront of the camera is a skill in itself and takes years to master. A family photographer’s job is to set the perfect scene and then follow the family’s lead for authenticity and connection within that family. What works for one family, may not work for another family. It is never my goal to construct and direct the entire session. My aim is to observe and document the energy and connection between you as a family. I am also very aware of making sure that the camera angles are flattering for mums. There is nothing that I love more that a mum saying to me – I love myself in these pictures!
Light & Location
Beautiful dreamy light can elevate your family pictures to another level. Working with light and achieving a beautifully lit portrait takes years to learn. You will find cheaper photographers often missing the mark with lighting which is a cruial part of an extraordinary portrait. Similarly, location can have a huge impact on the final pictures. If you love the dreamy and whimsical feel of my images, shooting at a regular park will not result in those vibes. That is why I spend so much time scouting the right locations for family and children photo shoots in and around Perth.
Retouching
My editing style is clean yet vibrant and dreamy. Every image from your session is hand edited with love to ensure stunning and high end finished product. The image below is a great example of how the right retouching can turn an average photograph into a masterpiece and a family heirloom. The objective of editing a portrait is to take the distractions away and allow the viewer to focus on the people in the photograph. Many cheap photographers do batch edits to save time and apply filters to all of their images. Hand-editing each photograph is a time consuming process and the results are well worth it; I spend over 10 hours hand editing a single family session. A photographer who shoots 30 sessions a month can not possibly spend 10 hours editing each and every session.
Design Service
High quality printed artwork is my passion and I want each one of my families to enjoy their family photos for many years to come. How good is family photos on a computer hard drive or a USB? I understand busy families don’t have the time to search for the best suppliers, design albums or work out what artwork would look best in their homes. Sadly, family photos end up staying on the USBs and never printed. Moreover, unless you are a professional photographer, you wouldn’t have access to highest quality printed artwork that is only available through a professional lab. I provide a full design service helping you design beautiful artwork for your home. I will all the boring, time consuming work for you. All you have to do is look at the stunning possibilities during your viewing appointment and make decisions on what options is best for your family.
By meeting clients to view their images – I am able assist my clients with a number of things:
- Assisting clients with choosing their favourite images – If you are having a hard time deciding what images should go on display on your walls and where, I can help with an objective and expert advise.
- Wall Art Design service – By utilising the design software, I can show my clients exactly how an image will look on their wall. The software automatically scales the sizes to your chosen wall and you can even apply different frame colours and finishes to suit your taste and style. Let’s say, you have planned to display your most favourite photo from the session on the empty wall space above your couch in your living area. With the help of the design software, I am able to show you exactly how that image will look in that space. We can try different sizes and finishes or a collection of images to create the perfect family photo gallery to suit any of the empty/ lifeless spaces in your home. It takes the guesswork out of decision making. You know exactly what you are buying and how it will look in your home. I also bring frame samples and finished framed prints and canvasses so you can see the exact quality that you are purchasing.
- Sample products – Apart from framed wallart, I offer a number of other stunning Australian made keepsake print products such as albums, folio boxes, timber display boxes, iceblocks and desktop framed prints. In your viewing appointment, you are able to see, touch and hold all of the beautiful options available today to protect and display your family heirlooms and pass them down over generations. Print products from professional labs are a class apart to cheap options available online or through retailers like officeworks and Harvey norman. By having the ability to touch and hold bespoke print products, you can see the difference and make an informed choice for your family. Heirloom albums come with a full design service so you don’t have to worry about a thing and waste time.
