1. What is custom photography?
Custom photography is ultimately about choice and experience. Custom photography is about finding an experienced professional photographer who will photograph your family, give you devoted one on one attention without worry of who is next ‘in line’ or the feeling of a crowded portrait studio.
- -A custom photographer will typically show you a fairly extensive gallery culled to only show the good images that meet the photographers’ creative sensibilities.
- -Often the images are fully edited, images-color corrected with blemishes and under-eye circles removed, and special touches are added at no extra expense.
- -Custom photographers are also known as boutique studios, offering a range of products and unparalleled service. Think Lexus vs. Hyundai, think Nordstrom vs. WalMart.
A custom photography experience should have you and your experience in mind.
2. Why choose Custom Photography?
Custom photography is something special and more of a luxury than your entry level cookie cutter department store experience. Custom photography is not for everyone; it is not in everyone's budget and can be something that families save for to splurge on from time to time to memorialize their children as they really are. There is a great deal of time involved in creating custom photography sessions for a client. The luxury of great service, better choices, and a superb product. The result of all this are heirloom quality images. The time invested at the session is only a small portion of the time involved in creating the end product.
Ultimately your choice of custom photography is because you are looking for a more personal experience, something that isn't an option with department store or franchised studios.
1. Why Does Custom Photography Cost More?
APPLES to ORANGES to BANANAS: Often times clients will mention to their photographer that X studio in the mall/department store only charges $19.99 for an 8×10 "sheet" or they may mention other things related to discount photography chains. The fact is those discount chains make their money on volume, not on customized 1:1 service. In February 2007 a company who has leased photography retail space in a rather well known discount retailer closed down 500 of their portrait studios across the nation. The reason it happened is simple, you cannot make money on 99¢ "professional" prints if you do not sell enough of them. Interestingly enough – those same studios that offer the loss leader packages often charge much much more for their a la carte pricing vs. many custom photographers (as high as $40-50 for an 8×10).
As a consumer, you don't have the benefit of 1:1 attention for 2 hours at your home where your child is allowed to explore, play and be comfortable in their home environment, nor do you get the experience that many custom photographers are known for as well as the lovely captures of natural expressions. You simply get a bare bones, "SAY CHEESE" experience.
However, with custom photography, the time spent per client can range from just under 13 hours to 19 hours – dependent on the photographer's level of service. This is time dedicated only to ONE session. When the photographer charges $150-$300 for the photo shoot (aka SESSION FEE) you are not just paying for the two hours of session time, you are paying the photographer for 12-19 hours complete time for your session.
