Colorado Photography by Chester Bullock

Was mostly an observer to an interesting conversation the other day. It centered around what your time is worth and then evolved into a quick discussion about microstock. In this case, it related to photography, but I can see how it applies to most anything we do. On one end was an altruistic sort who wanted to work for cheap. On the other was a seasoned veteran. Neither is a full time photographer at the moment.

The altruistic one was lamenting how to bring a quality product to the less fortunate, and yet still make a profit. It’s a noble thought, and one I have had where senior pictures are concerned. I think the real, underlying concern though was how do you cater to this market, and still get called for the high end shoots. If you put your pricing out there online, it’s pretty static, and one or the other demographic isn’t going to find it acceptable for their needs.

The veteran was pretty straightforward. Charge what you think your time is worth, and also charge for the demo you are targeting. You can’t target both and be respected by either was the gist of it I think. I tend to agree. Of course, I have my web consulting experience to fall back on. Charge low, and you get low-end customers who don’t have as big of aspirations (or budgets). Charge high, and the clients may be fewer and farther in between. Certainly a fine line to walk.

Come back tomorrow for the discussion about microstock.