The only way to truly compare photographers by price is to make sure they give you enough information to be able to estimate the “Out the Door” price.

One studio might advertise a very cheap sitting fee hoping that once you see the photos your emotions will take over and you’ll be willing pay their prices for the photos themselves. Another may be offering a package deal that includes the sitting fee and a certain number of photos. This option may seems more expensive at first and that’s why you need to compare the “Out the Door” pricing.

Make sure you ask both of them ahead of time how much they charge for photos, or in the case of a package deal-any extra photos, so you can plan ahead. If they won’t give you the info you need for estimating the “Out the Door” prices you might want to consider, well……heading “out the door”.

Be sure to ask what else is included in this price? How much time will you have with the photographer? How many proofs will you receive and do you get to keep them? Will you receive copies that you can put on your Facebook? How many changes of clothes are you allowed? How many different sets or locations can you choose?

Another set of questions should be asked regarding the number of poses you will receive. Most professional photos are “post processed” using a program such as Photoshop. This step adds to the cost of the final images. Some photographers have the cost of  a certain number of poses built into their package and will charge a fee for more. This helps to keep the overall cost down. What does this means?  For example, let’s say that your package deal includes 3 poses. You want to purchase 9 – 5×7’s.  You can buy 9 – 5×7’s but you can’t buy 9 “different” 5×7’s without paying an extra fee.  But you could buy 3 of one pose, 3 of another, and 3 of the last pose. Just be sure to ask how many poses do you get to chose? And what is the cost if you want to purchase more poses?

Just as a reminder you aren’t necessarily looking for the cheapest photographer. You just want do make sure you are getting the best deal possible and still have the experience and type and quality of images that you’re looking for. Your trying to stay within that budget you’ve already decided on. Remember you have choices.

Next time we’ll look at a few types of photographers/studios….