RE: The free economy quagmire in photography!
I'm not a photographer but I can relate to this. I started doing a small catering business on the side and ended up pricing myself out of sustainability in order to land jobs. The work was so exhausting that I gave it up within a year since it was hard to find people willing to pay for catering for the kind of ingredients I was using (organic, local, healthy - this was 12 years ago when this wasn't as popular where I live). I could have definitely made money if I downgraded everything but then it would have completely lost my interest anyway. It may have succeeded eventually if I was able to persist for a longer period of time without making much money but alas I didn't have that option. Best of luck on the photography, your work is beautifully done. You are right, people will pay if you hold firm to your own value.
@deanna2000, I relate completely. From a restaurant there's a Himalayan/Indian cuisine place down the road from me in Minneapolis. I've been going there since it opened. It was pretty affordable and the food was amazing. Over the last five years, their prices have gone up and up, however, they use all local, organic ingredients. I sort of got pissy because entrees that were $11 when I started going there in 2011 are now $16. I sort of boycotted it for a bit, or I'd only go to the buffet. Eventually, they cut the buffet down to only Fridays, making me even more cranky about the situation. In the end, though, their food is just too damn good to stay away from, especially out of spite. I cave about once a month now, whenever I get a big deposit for a shoot, I'll take my girlfriend and my son. All things being fair, that's also how I handle my career. I want to be the aspirational photographer most people can only afford to hire once every year or two. It's less work, more time dedicated to the shoots I do take on, and more money. Thanks for sharing. Sorry the catering didn't work out but I hope you still get to cook and prepare food often.
Mmmmmm, I know exactly where you're talking about. My favorite restaurant in town. :) The owners are friends of mine. They have stayed true to their commitment to using local and organic, but yes, ultimately the patrons must foot the bill, or they would have to yield and compromise quality. Fortunately they have cultivated a community which understands the true cost of such things.
I myself have been wrestling with similar concerns. My roommates and i were just speaking of it last night, in fact. Often times one must stand firm in their resolve to be paid a fair value for their efforts. With me it has always been difficult with friends, but at 40, my willingness to create clear boundaries is finally taking root.
Thanks for the timely post... More food for thought. :)
Yeah @lovejoy, Gorkha is so good I just can't quit it, but I haven't been as much of a curmudgeon the last year or two. It was just especially hard since I've been going since they opened. A lot of photographers charge $500 a sessions or less, so when clients email me inquiring about a shoot and I send them back a rate twice that, I'm sure it's jarring. Fortunately, I think I've gotten to a point in my career where they feel I'm worth it because I still get hired regularly. Glad this post resonated with you. It was a little hard to approach. Newer artists that haven't been struggling for 10 or 15 years can sometimes get defensive with this topic.