A Google search for "event photographers in Melbourne" or "Melbourne commercial photographers" will lead to literally dozens of pages of results for photography service providers and it can be overwhelming sorting the wheat from the chaff in a saturated market.
These results will be from specialised agencies that deal with photography services (where the photographers work on contracts) right through to independent service providers such as myself.
As you search for the photographer best suited to your event, I'm sure you're asking: "what's in the price?"
Truth be told, there are photography service providers in Melbourne that advertise cheaper rates than I do. There are also many who, on average, charge more than I do. I price myself somewhere in the middle, which provides exceptional value to clients while ensuring a sustainable business. In most instances, my price points actually decrease for longer sessions, when compared to other providers.
What's actually in the price?
Many specialised agencies dealing in photography services don't publicly advertise their hourly rates.
With agencies, it stands to reason that the photographer generally gets paid less per hour than us independents (or the agency charges the client more per hour to make up admin costs). However, photographers hired or contracted by an agency don't, for the most part, have to deal with admin.
When hiring an independent photographer, you're not only paying for their labour of taking photos, editing and the images themselves; you're also paying for their costs of admin, marketing, website, etc.
On the contrary, an agency contracted photographer doesn't have to deal with these background costs; but they cede copyright and ownership of images to their employing agency. Even if the photographer at some point wanted to branch out and take on their own clients, they'd have no portfolio of their own to show for it as most agencies forbid contractors from self-promoting.
Many photography service providers also set limits on the number of images they hand over to their clients, or they charge an extra amount for more photos than the base amount. While that's fair, processing more photos is ultimately more time and labour that one should be paid for, I'm a firm believer that this should be included in the base rate.
My rates are inclusive of all digital inclusions at no extra cost, and with no limits set on the number of photos I hand over. On a small number of instances, travel is charged as an extra (at cost), while physical add-ons such as photobooks and flash drive delivery are charged as extras, usually at cost or slightly more.
All in all, you shouldn't default to the on-paper cheapest option or assume that the most expensive option is going to be the best. Instead, you should go for the provider who offers the best value for money for what you're after.
As an independent photographer myself, I'll always advocate for hiring independent photographers for events and commercial gigs as we tend to be more flexible in terms of what we offer; and as such offer the best value for money. Not to mention tailoring our service to your needs more efficiently.
In other words, as an independent photography service provider; you, the client, are dealing with me and only me. There’s no middle person.
Rest assured though, if I'm ever contracting photographers to carry out work on my behalf, the value for money and flexibility that I offer with my service will always be passed down.
In need of a photographer?
If you need a photographer for your event or a photographer to help promote your business and services, get in contact. I offer a range of services and can always arrange videography as well.
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