Studio

I sign the lease on my studio tomorrow.

This is a huge step for me in my business, and in my faith.  When you take on another lease, it's stressful.  Nate and I weren't so sure we could handle the financial burden of it at first.  We analyzed our budget, discussed if it was going to be worth the expense, and tried to figure out if we would be able to break even every month.  After way too much stressing and worrying, I finally told Nate "If this is where God is leading my business, then He is going to make it happen.  We have to trust Him to provide."

And provide He did.  Literally the next day, we started to see everything fall into place.

So here I go!  The next couple of weeks I'll be working on making the space my own.  I'm moving stuff in that has been crammed into my little house for entirely too long, painting, decorating, and organizing!  

Get Busy Booking!

Hello Monday morning :)
Mondays are always my productive day.  Yes, I know to have Monday=productive seems like an oxymoron.

Anyways...




I wanted to give everyone a heads up on scheduling.  It seems crazy to be talking about Christmas photos in the middle of the summer, but this is the time you all need to start thinking about them! 

As you can see, I have already blocked off dates for family and vacation time, and many of my weekends are already booked up.  My last day to take photos for Christmas cards and gifts will be November 10th.  After that, I will still be taking appointments for other sessions, but if you expect to get your proofs back before Christmas, make sure you book a session early enough! 

Why Does Wedding Photography Cost So Much?!

I have a hard time determining how much to charge for wedding photography.  It's a tough thing to do, and even harder to justify to those who don't know just how much goes into it.  It's kind of like how people ask why wedding cakes cost so much.  It's just flour and sugar after all, right?  Wrong. 

I understand that there are plenty of newbies out there that are willing to charge you next to nothing for your wedding photography, and if you are up for the uncertainty in quality, then go with them!  I got my first wedding jobs just like that!  There were those brave people that had enough faith in my blossoming talent to trust me with their weddings!  In my mind I thought they were nuts, but hey, that 500 bucks they were willing to pay little old me was worth the experience!

Now that I'm older, wiser, more experienced, and have MUCH better equipment, I feel it's only fair that I am paid more.  You wouldn't want to work at the same job for 6 years for the same minimum wage, would you?  I worked for LESS than minimum wage.

So let me break it down for ya.  I'll outline all of the little costs that are associated with wedding photography, the amount of time I have to put into each wedding, and how much I actually make.

If you want to skip the outline, scroll on down to the bottom where the text is yellow.

_____________________________________________
The time I put into your wedding isn't just the 8 or so hours I spend with you on the day of.  It starts the second you send me that email, or give me a call.  So here's a time breakdown:

• Initial emails, phone calls, and consultations to discuss details and book the date: 2-3 hours
• Engagement Session, including booking, shooting, editing, creating online gallery, fulfilling prints and disk orders: 6 Hours.  
• Add that same engagement time for any additional shoots, such as Bridals, Boudoir sessions and "We Did" sessions.  That can come out to an additional 18 hours.
•  Communication before the wedding to solidify details, confirm times, and set up schedule for the day of the wedding: 2 hours
• Preparing the night before the wedding (charging batteries, testing equipment, gathering materials, confirming details with assistant): 2-3 hours
• Wedding Day Coverage:  8-10 hours
• Downloading, sorting and editing of all images: 12 hours.  Keep in mind, the time required for this step is not all in one sitting!  It takes approximately 6-8 weeks to complete this, as I always have other sessions to work on simultaneously!
• Uploading all images to online gallery for viewing and purchasing: 1 hour
• Creating albums and books: 5 hours
• Follow up, order fulfillment: 2 hours 
• Total travel time: Varies, usually about 1 hour in town, longer for out of town (obviously)

If my math is correct, the time I put into your wedding can be anywhere from 30 to 65 hours!

Now, I see that if you divide the base wedding fee ($2500.00) by the number of hours I spend, it still seems like I'm charging out the wazoo!!  But there are other factors you must take into consideration as well!

MY expenses:

Replaced about every 5 years

• Tripod: $150
• Camera bags: $200
• Two Speedlight Flashes: $900
• Lighting Sets: $800
• Ladder, extension cords: $75
• Vehicle+maintenance: We all know how much that costs! 

Replaced about every two years: 

• Cameras and Lenses: $3500 minimum, and new lenses are always being added.Wireless Triggers and Receivers: $80
• Laptop: $2000
• Back-up hardrive: $250
• Desktop Computer: $1500
• Printer/scanner/copier: $150
Software: $800

Yearly Costs:

• 4 Camera Batteries plus chargers: $400
• Memory Cards:$300
• UV Filters for all lenses: $80
• Smart Phone to stay in constant contact: $150
• Insurance for equipment, vehicle, and business
• Taxes!
  
• Bulbs for Lighting Kits: Replaced as needed

Monthly costs:

• Website Hosting: $50 per month 
• Business Cards: $50 per 100 cards
• Studio Rent

Per-Wedding Expenses:

• Miscelaneous office supplies (paper, ink): $40 per wedding
• Lithium batteries for speedlight flashes: $40 per wedding
• Gas: Varies, but usually about $100 including travel time to meetings and gathering supplies.
• Cell phone bill: $50 a month for business related calls and emails
• Assistant costs: $300 per wedding
• Base price for all prints, disks and albums: $500 (varies) 

Now, what I have done is divided all of these costs per wedding, assuming I have two weddings per month.  I took the cost of equipment every five years and divided it by 120, which is the average number of weddings I will shoot in that five year period.  I went down the list and did the same (adjusting the time of course).

So you don't have to sit and do the math, I've done it for you.  On average, I will spend about $1800 for each wedding I shoot.  That is a LOT of money!

That leaves a measly $700.  Divide that by the number of hours I spend on your wedding, and I'm averaging about 10 bucks an hour.  That's not much more than minimum wage these days.    

Then I have to factor in my actual living expenses, which are none of your bees-wax :) But you all know how high the cost of living is right now so you get the picture!



I think these numbers speak for themselves, so I'll just leave it at that :) 



For another photographer's point of view, and a great explanation of the talent side of the equation, please visit Brian Powell's blog on the subject.

Put Some Clothes on, Girl!

Boudoir sessions don't have to be revealing to be beautiful, or...dare I say it? Sexy.

I did a session with my very best friend, Amanda, yesterday.  I asked her if she would be willing to work with me on her outfits so that I could have some to use on my website, just to freshen it up!  She isn't necessarily a "modest" person, however she is deeply involved in her church and wants to continuously set a good example to the young girls in her church and community.  She brought a few outfits that were going to show off her gorgeous shoulders, yet still be appropriate.

I've got to say, I'm beyond pleased with the results.

Many women worry that they have to bare it all to be sexy for photos.  Obviously, you don't!  So quit worrying, find that little black dress and your favorite heels, and give me a call!  You will be glad you did :) 

Renewed, Restored and Refreshed!

I thought being without my camera for a few weeks was going to be the end of the world.  I was at the end of my summer boudoir special when suddenly my camera started to fight me.  I would take a few shots, then suddenly I would get an error message and it would freeze up until I took out the battery and turned it back on.  After quite a bit of back and forth, I completed my last session (thankfully she was a good family friend and was very patient with me!) and then my camera totally STOPPED.  "Fabulous", I thought.  I'm going to have to send this stinking thing to Cannon.  I checked my schedule, and by some miracle I only have a few sessions the next couple of weeks.  I went ahead and canceled those, which I hated to do, because I almost never cancel shoots.  The only times I have canceled on a client was when I was so sick I couldn't get out of bed without fainting, and when my Mimi and Papa were in the hospital and passed away at the beginning of this year.  Needless to say, I felt terrible. 

I spent my "free time" working on editing several sessions, visiting family, and going back to some very neglected projects that needed finishing!  I also got around to having some t-shirts designed.  If you haven't seen the fantastic design that Jennifer Johnson of Century Graphics in Midland (which happens to be where my hubby works), let this tickle your optical taste buds:

 

Yeah, that's me :) I'm a sailor girl!  Cute, huh?  Jen even put my tattoo on my foot for me!  You can order your very own Mari Annelise Photography shirt here!  This is your only chance to choose your color of shirt, by the way.  After July 20th, I'm placing the shirt order, so after that you are out of luck!  And you should seriously think about getting one.  Have you ever heard of Taylor Swift?  Yeah, I'm sure you have.  Well, along with doing my design, Jen did the graphic art for her TOUR BUS. 

Um, hello.  If that's not awesome, I don't know what is. 

So yes, you should get a shirt.  

I think the break from shooting was really good for me.  I don't know why, but I'm always surprised by how God knows just what I need.  He knew I wasn't going to take the break on my own, so He forced me to!  I'm so thankful He takes care of me.  I was getting burned out, frustrated, and overworked.  Now I have a renewed passion and desire for photography!  

My NEW camera is supposed to arrive tomorrow.  I have my fingers and toes crossed that it gets here on time because I'm ready to get after it again!