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Prices & Pricing Structure

There are a lot of things that make this business unique. If you are new to Serravision, the pricing might be the most startling!

The way I set up my pricing is so revolutionary that I find people need a little tour through my through process before it clicks.

Please read this brief introduction. You will be intrigued by my philosophy! My clients are people who like to understand why things cost what they do. Does that sound like you?

Here’s how most photographers set up their pricing structure:

They don’t want to scare people off with sticker shock, so they say, “Why don’t you pay me a little bit up front to hold the session – maybe $200.” We’ll call it a “session fee”. It will cover my “time and talent” to take your photos. But it won’t cover my time to edit them, plan with you, or run my business. We’ll get to that later…

Now you’ve see the $200 number. Your expectation is set. And expectations don’t like to be messed with.

Here’s the catch. It isn’t possible for a photographer to make a living at $200/session.

I literally could not make the numbers work as a one-person business doing everything by the books, with insurance and taxes and all the costs of doing business factored in. I really tried for the sake of this article, and there was no scenario in which I could take on enough clients at that rate to make a profit. Literally Zero. So why is it so common to see photographers offering $200 sessions? How do they make it work?

The answer is simple. They make up the deficit by charging ridiculous amounts for products, and then they spend a lot of time trying to convince you to buy them even though you both feel awkward about the fact that this canvas you could buy for $50 at Costco is being sold to you for $600. They charge such ridiculous fees because they know they won’t make a profit on the session fee alone.

So you’ve paid your $200 and gotten your photos. You love how they came out! But now both you and the photographer are stuck in this awkward sales relationship. Suddenly, it becomes clear that if you want to take any of these beautiful images home, you’re going to have to pay a lot more than $200. It might be a few hundred for 15 digital files, and more for the whole collection. It might be $50 for an 8×10 print, or $1200 for a hard bound album.

Does this sound familiar?

Typically, you end up spending at least $600 and feeling like the photographer is disappointed that they couldn’t get you to buy more. Because you weren’t thinking about this additional cost when you signed up, it feels kind of like a bait and switch.

When this happens, you walk away feeling kind of icky.

And now, every time you look at those photos, you will remember that icky feeling. You might feel hesitant about doing it again. You might decide to try a different photographer next time. You want to work with someone who you trust. You don’t want that icky feeling again.

Maybe that’s how you ended up here, reading this text, in the first place.

I’m being pretty transparent right now because I believe in Why.

I want you to understand that, although my prices may seem arbitrarily high at first, the real difference is in the philosophy. The difference is that you are actually paying me for my time up front. Which means I am not motivated to sell you any products. I don’t need to make any additional money off your session. What a weight off!

Saying goodbye to ridiculously inflated product prices allows me to chuck that awkward “sales session” out the window. I always hated sales, anyway.

When you hire me, it’s because you love my point of view. It makes sense to you. You feel refreshed, and you want to dive in. You know that I will treat you like a friend. You know that I will help you every step of the way, tell it like it is, and that I won’t limit our playdate. This level of personal attention—this authentic relationship—is a big part of why my clients love me!

My pricing structure is different. It is designed to encourage longevity.

I want you to invest in our relationship up front. I want to know you are in this with me for the long haul. Because I am. I want to provide you with the best product I possibly can, and I can’t do that if people try one session and move on. To encourage this investment,

The cost playdates for returning clients goes down.

1st Playdate: $1875
Returning Customer Playdates: $1475

Want to see how this looks in real life?
Check out this case study.