If you’ve never hired a professional photographer before, you should know about some of the key differences that exist. There are basically 2 business models: all inclusive and in person sales (or service).

All Inclusive

All-inclusive photographers have one price for everything, which is nice because you know what your’e going to pay. This type of session is usually less expensive but it may also lack a more personal and custom experience than the other model provides. This “one fee” usually includes just the digital images that you choose from an online gallery, but this varies with the photographer. Some may also offer print products as upgrades.

However, the biggest problem with getting digital images remains to be that most people never do anything with them.

All-inclusive photographers likely will have a busier schedule because they have to make up their income in volume. Since they usually charge less for their digital only sessions, they need to take on more clients and work harder to run a sustainable business. Oftentimes, these photographers end up getting burnt out because they have to work much harder than they should.

Why do they charge less in the first place you ask? Well, when digital photography came along, it opened the floodgates for anyone with a camera to set up shop. This in essence drove the prices for photography way down. There’s no set pricing with photography so you’ll see photographers charging as little as $10 per digital image to $300 and up per digital image. Those with the lowest prices likely aren’t running a legal business and paying taxes.

Sadly, the value of a “digital” image is not what it used to be. This makes it very difficult to run a photography business and earn a decent living. The general public doesn’t see all the time invested, hard work and expenses that go into running a photography business. This has created a huge discrepancy between what people think photography should cost and what it actually costs. Therein, lies the greatest struggle for photographers – but I’ll get off my soapbox now.

In Person Sales

The second type of business model is called IPS (or in person sales). This is actually nothing new and it’s how photographers used to operate their businesses. They charge a session fee to book and have a separate ordering appointment after the session. The session fee is only a small part of the total you’ll pay and secures your date for the session, pre-consultation with your photographer to plan your session (wardrobe, location, details, etc.), time during the session itself and your in person ordering appointment. This type of session is usually more expensive because there is a lot more customer service and hand holding involved throughout the entire process. The photographer works with the client’s specific needs to custom design and order wall galleries, albums, etc. Rather than just getting the digital images, clients walk away with professional quality artwork that will last for generations. For IPS photographers, their goal is to give their clients the best experience and for their clients to have tangible memories that they can enjoy and hand down to future generations.

So, yes, you’ll pay more, but you’ll get so much more in return also. Those digital images won’t just exist on Facebook or on your phone or computer. Your family’s story will exist in albums and on your walls. Your children will have a newborn album they can look back on. When your memories fade, all you’ll have left is photographs – printed, tangible proof of your existence. I think that’s pretty invaluable, don’t you?

So, there you have it. There are definitely pros and cons to each, so in the end, you’ll have to decide what services matter to you the most. What do you value? As in everything in life though, you get what you pay for.