Frequently Asked Questions About Photography

FAQ 1 : Why does photography cost so much? with the price of camera equipment going down shouldn’t photography be cheaper?

Now I get this question put to me a few times a year from clients and students- and the answer is…. It doesn’t cost that much- If you think about all the cost involved into running a professional photography business, professional camera equipment, retouching, public liability, studio rent etc. What a client pays for a day rate isn’t that high and photography fees haven’t change much in 10-20 years.

Photography Equipment is getting cheaper but that doesn’t mean quality is improving. Quality Cameras such as digital medium format still cost over $10,000 not including lenses.

One of the reasons why photography services hasn’t risen so much is because the industry is very competitive. It’s a lot more easier today to take up photography because shooting digitally takes out a lot of technical skill shooting analogue film. 10-15 years ago if you shot a roll of film you wouldn’t know if you got the shot until it had come back from the film lab.

If I was a client I would want someone who was professional and could provide outstanding service.

Ivan Lee
Principle Photographer at IJ Productions
Commercial Photographer Melbourne based.