31/03/2023
In light of how many photographers there have been at the Eventing and Showjumping competitions I've been to recently I'm considering again changing my pricing.
When I started this over 10 years ago I would sell photos quite cheaply! As I upgraded to more expensive gear that produced better quality photos, I began to increase pricing to cover these costs. There were times when I was beginning where my prices would most likely have undercut other photographers but over time I was able to line up costs that were closer to other photographer's prices. This made it fairer to all of us and competitors generally chose photos they liked better rather than simply choosing the cheapest option.
Travel and time spent after events processing photos has to come into this somewhere too.
Now that more people are taking up photography it is increasingly hard to compete with $5 photos and more often I come away at a loss (unless I've been invited).
What is a price point that people see as fair to cover travel, camera equipment, post processing time?
The last event I photographed, sales worked out to $8-10 per hour. For those I have been invited to and well supported it generally lines up to $18-20 an hour but is not common.
Sometimes I completely forego events where there are many others photographing simply because I know I will have no hope.
Others I have attended, eg. Kirkcaldy, simply for myself to take some nice photos (like the one below), and to compete with myself ie. How can I take a better shot, what can I do to improve. The sales would have been a bonus but I would really love to see some of them sold so they are not just sitting on my hard drive. I may end up printing some just for my own enjoyment of a good photo.
Here is my price list for those who are curious, which used to be similar to what other photographers charged.
https://horizonsphotography.photoshelter.com/p/prices
It now looks like they are too expensive for many so I am unsure of where to go from here.
This is why I am writing this, I would like to see what the consensus or opinion of the public is.
