If you have ever needed the services of a photographer and contacted them for more information, the first thing you probably asked was the price they charge. After hearing the price, you may have probably wondered how they can ask that fee if the only things they do are to take photos.

Do not feel alone. You are only one of many people who are under a misconception of what photography involves. It will suffice to say that a photographer is not just someone who takes photos; he is in fact an artist.His art is to use equipment and skill to capture your most precious moments.

Photography equipment

The photographer chooses his equipment according to the event and the location. A wedding in the evening will use different lightning than a children's party at the zoo. The light is different and so are the weather and the terrain.

If you are holding an event outdoors in summer in a province like Gauteng or Mpumalanga, you will always have the risk of rain falling down halfway through the event. Equipment is then needed that can take good photos in those conditions and additional equipment to prevent damage to your cameras, stands and other equipment.

To achieve the best shot and get a good quality picture, the photographer needs a good quality camera. Photography is one field where the quality of the camera directly affects the quality of the picture.

Many clients require props and other accessories for a photo shoot, which will also influence the price of the photo session. It makes sense that the photographer needs to cover these costs to achieve the best picture possible.

Photographic skills

Photography is not just about taking pictures. It is about taking the right picture at the right time to capture a moment. If the photographer is not worthy of his skill, that special moment will be lost, never to be repeated again.

A photographer also needs to know how to manipulate props and environment to create certain effects and surrounding to his advantage that will have a unique photo as result.

Most of the costs involved are to compensate the photographer for his skill and for the extra work he puts in after the shoot to edit the photos. All professional photographers edit out red eyes of people caused by the flash of the camera. Sometimes they need to edit the background of a picture to create a better effect, to name but two scenarios.Editing of photos with digital software is a time and skill-consuming task to ensure that the clients are completely satisfied with their photos.
Even in this era of digital photos, many clients and photographers stillprefer regular film photos to digital photos. This will also influence the cost of a photo shoot, as he need to do editing and manipulation of the photos on the negatives and develop it accordingly.

When you sit back, look through your albums, and recall those special moments and events in your life, you will be thankful that the photographer went that extra mile to immortalise that moment. That is something that money cannot buy.

31 Aug 2012