Everyone Deserves Quality Photography

One of the goals I set for myself when I decided to venture into the world of paid photography was to be able to provide an affordable service for everyone. One of the things that really pushed me in this direction was the many Facebook pages of photographers who were charging really high prices for really low quality pictures. I never really understood how they even got work.

I have tried to stay competitive in my pricing without diminishing the value of my work. I feel that for now, the price of what I offer is in line with the quality that is received. When I improve on my skills, I will probably adjust the pricing to match. But for now I am content with what I offer.

Once in a while I will run into people who are struggling. They wish they had the opportunity for family portraits, but forego the experience because of limited income. I want everyone to know that I have been there.

When we got engaged, we had a good friend of ours take our engagement pictures. She was our saving angel because our budget was very limited. I had sold my first DSLR just to help with the wedding expenses. But lucky for us, our friend offered to do our photos for free. One of my favorite pictures is this one on the left.

When we got married we were super poor. We were so poor that in order to have a place to live, we had to house sit a house that was broken into many times. The house was falling apart. The alarm would go off constantly and one time it went off when someone was trying to come inside. It was not a pleasant place to live.

For our wedding, we had some of my wife’s friends take our photos for free. I am very grateful for their service but I wish I would have known what I was getting myself into. I did not research the previous work that these lovely ladies had done before. How could I? They offered to do it for free and beggars can’t be choosers. I look back at my photos and while I’m grateful that there were these angels who helped us by offering their free services, I wish that I had known the extent of their skills. After all, you only get married once.

So what am I saying here? Please don’t let a very limited income be the reason you go without great photos. This is an invitation. It is me giving you permission to approach me. If price is an issue, let’s talk it over and see what we can do. Every situation is different. Maybe you have a service you could provide that I am in need of. Maybe you know people you can refer to me. I am sure that we can work something out.

And yes, I know some of you might say, aren’t you afraid people will take advantage of you? And the answer is no. I have been taken advantage of before; I know what it is like. But I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. I want to live in a world where I still trust that there are good people who do the right thing. And if someone takes advantage of my kindness, it’s really their loss isn’t it? I know I would have a hard time knowing I tried to cheat someone. But the satisfaction I get from people being ecstatic after receiving their photos; families who have not been able to afford it, there is no price tag on that. And I believe that good deeds are not overlooked.

Dis