What is the true cost of photography in the Bahamas.

Voice – Hi I really love your work, and I love your facebook post as well. They are so creative

Me – Thank you very much

Voice – I know you talk about your work on youtube and the videos have helped me with my photography as well.

Me – Thats good, glad you got something from them.

Voice – Yeah I want to know what is your price for an outdoor shoot at Cable Beach, just a couple shoot for my birthday.

Me – Ok great, well happy pre birthday. Have you considered the date and time as yet.

Voice – yeah I would like Friday evening close to sunset.

Me – Ok great that is not a problem. Do you have a budget in mind?

Voice – No not really I know you do good work  and wanted to know your prices.

Me – Ok a budget would help me develop a personal package for you that way you would be comfortable with your overall experience.

Voice – Ok thats pretty cool but I’m not really sure. What is your basic package.

Me – Well for an hour, photo packages start at $150.00.

Voice – Wait…how much

Me – They start at $150.00

Voice – Wow ok um what do I get for that

Me – Well an hour time shooting on location and 10 Full res images fully edited and social media files for sharing online.

Voice – Ok no prints?

Me – Prints are included in another package or you can purchase prints separately from the product cart. Can I get your email so I can send you more information?

Voice – Um yeah, but why it cost so much ?

Its at this point that I knew for sure this is not going to work.  Wanting great photos but not being willing to pay for time and skill, not to mention other factors, is mind blowing to me.

There is, of course, more to  capturing great images than just pressing a shutter button. So there is some time and skill involved. So cost of photography in the Bahamas can vary depending on the photographer. Unfortunately there is not set standard for photography in the Bahamas so it makes it difficult for persons to understand the fluctuation in pricing.

So what is cost of photography in the Bahamas? Some persons may charge you $30 for a photo shoot while others can charge up to $350.00 per hour. The question you have to ask yourself is what are you getting in terms of overall look of the images along with technical and creative skills.

One way to look at it why would you pay $20.00 for one bag but $120.00 for a similar looking bag? Or why pay $50.00 for a pair of tennis and $200.00 for another. If you understand what im saying then you get the gist of the idea. Quality, brand and popularity all play a major role in the value of things. Photography is no different. What value do you really place on great images that you will have a cherish for virtually decades?

I must state however I have heard other photographers discuss why or justify their pricing and many of them point out the cost of their gear. I have a different point of view on this matter. The cost of my gear does not dictate the cost of my services. The cost of my gear is only a reflection of the the cost of doing business. They have nothing to do with my clients. They are there to be used as tools to get a specific job done.

My pricing concept is based on skill, performance and delivery of final product. Skill to capture great images of you, your product or family, skill to adjust in various conditions and problem solve issues. Performance to get the job done within the allotted time period and make the experience as easy as possible for the client. Then finally the ability to deliver final product securely to the client and in good condition whether it be digital products of printed media.

So why does it cost so much? Well that cost is relative to your perception of photography and really had very little to do with the photographer per say. The next time you find yourself questioning the price of a photographer because it may be too high. You may want to look within yourself and ask a few questions. How important are these images to me? Is this photographer able to produce the images I want? Will these images bring me enjoyment for years to come and finally is it a fair price that I am comfortable with and will not regret. The same goes for under priced photography services. Does the person understand what I want? Have they done this before? Can they deliver the product to me? and will I be satisfied with the images.

Consider these few things before you contact your favorite photographer. If they can meet your criteria then you have found someone to work and help make great images.

Take a look at the behind the scene cost of photography in the Bahamas pt 2