In this digital age where everyone has cameras, scanners, and home "photo printers," we hear this all the time: How do professional (or personal) photographers charge $X for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drugstore? Simply put, the customer is not just paying for the actual photograph; they're paying for time and expertise.
The average one-hour portrait session
First, let's look at the actual work involved:
    •    Travel to the session
    •    Setup, preparation, talking to the client, etc.
    •    Shoot the photos
    •    Travel from the session
    •    Load images onto a computer
    •    Back up the files on an external drive
    •    2 - 4 hours of Adobe® Photoshop® time, including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, and backing up edited photographs. Proof photos are also ordered.
    •    2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment, and ship.
    •    Possibly meet clients at the studio to review photos and place order. Meeting and travel time average 2 hours.
You can see how a one-hour session easily turns into an eight-hour day or more from start to finish. So when you see a personal photographer charging a $200 session fee for a one-hour photo shoot, the client is NOT paying them $200 per hour.
The eight-hour wedding
A wedding photographer typically meets with the bride and groom several times before and after the wedding. And it’s not uncommon to end up with 1,000 - 2,000 photos, much more than a portrait session. Many photographers spend 40-60 hours working on one eight-hour wedding if you look at the time that is truly involved. Again, when a wedding photographer charges $4,000 for eight hours of coverage, clients are NOT paying them $500 an hour!
(Don’t forget that the photographer runs the wedding day to some extent. A comfortable, confident wedding photographer can make a wedding day go more smoothly.)under $1,000, taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.
Most personal photographers take years to go from buying their first camera to making money with photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera, there is a mountain of other equipment and software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website, etc. And don’t forget backdrops, props, rent, utilities, insurance, etc!
In addition to the financial investment, photographers actually have to have people skills to make subjects comfortable in front of the camera. Posing people to look their best is a skill by itself. You could argue that posing is a more important skill than actually knowing how to use the camera. A poorly exposed photo can be saved, but a badly posed photo cannot.
The chain store photo studio
Chain stores do have their place. For a very cheap price you can run in, shoot some quick photos, and be done with it. But you get what you pay for.
Consider the time and effort that a personal photographer puts into photographs, compared to a chain store. Store sessions last just a few minutes, while a personal photographer takes the time to get to know the people, makes them comfortable, makes them laugh. If a baby is crying at a chain store, they often don’t have the time (or the patience) to wait because everyone is in a hurry.
The truth is that many chain store studios lose money. In fact, Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios in 2007 because of the financial drain. What the chain stores bank on is a client coming in for quick, cheap photos…and while there, spending $200 on other items. They are there to get you in the door.
The real deal
Professional, personal photographers are just that—professionals. No different than a mechanic, dentist, doctor, or electrician. But a personal photographer often becomes a friend, someone who documents a family for generations with professional, personal photographs of cherished memories.
Maybe we need to help clients look at it this way: A pair of scissors costs $1.50 at the drugstore. Still, most people will gladly pay a lot more to hire a professional hair dresser to cut their hair.
The added attention and quality that a personal photographer gives is worth every penny.

Windows on the Water at Frogbridge

I am so happy to say that I work with Scott a great guy and head man at Windows on the Water at Frogbridge in Millstone Township.
The main room was recently renovated and is very elegant and refined.
The view over the lake is magnificent.
The food is top notch with service that cannot be beat.
Windows on the Water is a one event at a time venue.
It will surpass your expectations!

A sales pitch from an amateur photographer

Hi,
Getting married is one of the most important days in your life, so why not trust it to someone who is willing to work from free to cheap?

I have had a slr digital camera for a few good years now and I can take great pictures of landscapes and flowers.

I am wiling to do a few free weddings then I will be charging only $250.00 to spend all day with you.

I do not have insurance or backup equipment.
I do not have many different lenses and lighting equipment like the professional photographers have so I can do your photography much cheaper.

I also have not paid lots of money for training courses so I do not have to make the money back on that (beware that most of these photographers take continuing education courses every year keeping there skills up to date and learning what is new and trendy, but it is you the customer that pays for it).

Most professional photographers have lenses that cost as much as $1500.00 or more, and they have more than one.
I know the lens that came free with my consumer camera and a couple of others purchased cheap from Ebay do just as good a job!

Anyway I have not photographed any weddings before but I have been to many of my friends weddings so I know how it works and I need photos for my portfolio so I can start charging.

If you are interested please email me at letmepracticeonyourbigday@hotmail.com

If this interests you you might try a high school student or someone who was just laid off from a long career having nothing to do with photography.

But it is true you most certainly get what you don't pay for.

Well it has been quite a while since I placed a scoop.

Hello everyone,

It was a crazy time for us. Judy and I moved our location from Willow Pointe to a wonderful new place at 800 Tennent Road in Manalapan. We are located on the second floor right above the Brace Place. This location is just at the intersection of Tennent Road, Gordons Corner Road, and Route 9.
Our new location has warm cozy feel and everything is neat and uncluttered.

Over the winter our beloved bernese mountain dog Maxwell passed away. He was ill for awhile.
He died peacefully in his sleep.
We still have our two cocker spaniels. Callie and Knickerbocker they are wonderful and great fun.

ALYMALI'S Fantastic Bat-Mitzvah

4PM Events Puts on The Vera Wang Bridal Show

Vera Wang Bridal Event

It was so exciting for me
to be invited to photograph
the action at a "bridal event"
at the
Vera Wang Salon
in Millburn, New Jersey
on March 25th!

Thanks to Nancy and Sheenah
at 4PM Events
and The Wedding Salon!

Vera Wang Staff - Millburn, NJ

Annemarie (at right)
and some of the staff
at the Vera Wang Salon,
Millburn, New Jersey

Martine from Inside Weddings Magazine

Martine Aerts-Niddam
of Inside Weddings magazine
shared insights with the brides
on current wedding trends.
Many questions were asked
and all of the brides
were excited to hear
Martine's answers!

Metamorphosis Make-up Artistry

Metamorphosis - - -
the hottest name in make-up artistry!

Dayna Pappalardo (in blue)
and her staff
demonstrated and explained
everything a bride needs to know
to keep her looking beautiful
on her wedding day.