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It seems nobody likes the word “negotiation”. But if you Google the meaning of “negotiate” the first dictionary meaning that comes up is “obtain or bring about by discussion”. When hiring a photographer, some discussion is almost always going to be required, to ensure that you are going to end up with precisely what you want and need.
I understand the temptation and the desire to treat hiring a photographer like buying an easily defined, simple product, but wanting it to be that simple doesn’t mean it is. Think of it as slightly more complicated than getting a haircut and colour…some dialogue is required, the provider’s skill and experience make a big difference, and with photography timelines and post-production vary. It’s not that photography has to be complicated. But the reality is that there are different approaches to any photography project (even the smallest); so often, photographers quoting for the same client are not really quoting the same job. And it’s not because any one of the photographers quoting has decided that what they’re quoting is the only way to do the job.
Some photographers, knowing some clients “don’t speak photographer” will oversimplify service and product offerings as part of their sales technique. But if quality is a priority, or even a factor, I’d assert this is may not be a route to the best experience and product. You are not buying a fixed quality, fixed cost commodity; photography can cost more or less depending on precisely what parameters make sense and are possible for any given job and it’s to your advantage to spend a little time to try to get the right combo to get the best results for the budget you have.
If a provider of a service with flexible parameters (like photography) submits a proposal with an invitation to respond with feedback and an offer to address that feedback with an updated quote, assume they mean it (not that they were over-quoting and are willing to back down if you confront them, yuck, and not that the estimated total cost is indicative of anything without reference to the breakdown).
It is not a win when a job with undefined parameters (many creative projects) is quoted with an invitation to circle back and confirm the parameters that make the most sense and will result in the best client experience and final product, if a cheaper quote ends the discussion (or worse, if there wasn’t even another quote and the job is just cancelled over cost). Examples of the outcomes are everywhere (eg. not great photos that the people in them are not happy with).
What’s missing is that rather than the budget being tighter than the first quote (which it may very well be), the cheaper quote is almost certainly for a different looking job. In other words, the first quoter may not even be more expensive (or much more expensive) than the second one…maybe Photographer A quoted a full day and Photographer B quoted a half day. And if this has happened, it’s not that the second photographer is a faster shooter. Any photographer can shoot fast. And any pro will tell you that rushing, if it’s not necessary to do so, is not the best path to an excellent experience or results. That same pro will also understand if it’s the case that there just isn’t the time or the budget for a more time-consuming shoot.
Just a quick note on why I keep referring to both the experience and the results: In the case of photography of people, it pretty much goes without saying that the more pleasant the experience the better the photos will be. Something to keep in mind.
When quoting a project (ie. a photo shoot), especially for clients who either haven’t hired a photographer before, or don’t know what their budget is, or don’t know how much time they’ll be able to make subjects available for their sessions, etc. (these are some of the undefined parameters) the photographer has to start somewhere, so based on whatever info they’ve been able to get they’ll prepare an estimate, often with an express invitation to discuss, because they know they may be quoting apples to oranges.
Nobody wants to take days to nail down a quote by going back and forth. So as I’ve advised before, pick up the phone. It is almost always more efficient and productive to talk about creative jobs, than it is to limit exchanges to e-mail.
Back to the example above, let’s say a client asks “how much for 10 headshots?”. Photographer A, a very good, experienced pro, might offer their expert opinion that in an ideal world they’d get 30 minutes per person, so they quote that with the caveat that if that doesn’t work for the client’s team (time- or budget-wise), they can revise the quote to better fit the circumstances once more about those circumstances is known. Photographer B, whose work is OK, is used to never having any time to shoot so they quote 10 minutes per person. (There may also be other things about Photographer B’s style and methods that aren’t the same as Photographer A’s, including the level and quality of retouching.
Photographer B’s estimate is going to be way cheaper. But at what cost?
The cost of shooting “slower” is more $. The cost of shooting faster may be that some of the subjects just don’t have time to get to their calm, happy, confident place, and attention is not paid to details like wrinkles in clothes, hairs out of place, etc. Another cost may be your time as the organizer, if you have to chase down everyone’s selects for retouching (when Photographer A built in time to choose selects with the subjects during their sessions.)
Maybe the client’s team really only has 10 minutes each to spare. If so one might want to find out what Photographer A would charge for this much shorter shoot. It may turn out the price is now much closer to Photographer B’s. You could actually hire the better photographer for not much more money than the cheaper one.
The point is that the question that should always be asked is “are the photographers quoting the same thing?” because I guarantee if the quotes are significantly different they are not. Either the parameters are notably different, and/or the quality of the work is not going to be equal. (It’s worth keeping in mind why you are getting professional photos in the first place…and that while good photos support brands, bad ones can actively do the opposite.)
Don’t be afraid to negotiate, ie. discuss, if you are invited to do so… especially where there are potentially unfixed parameters within a project. Every job is different and the goal is to get the best results possible within the allowable mix of time, logistics and budget. You may be able to get a way better result by going back to the quoter once you have a better idea of these things than you will by just going with the cheaper quote. Negotiation does not have to be complicated or take much more time. And the cost of not bothering may be a significantly less great experience, and less great product.
Experienced pro photographers know how to work with clients to provide them with the best experience and the best results for their budget, so trust the process, give the not-cheapest photographer the opportunity to help you get you what you need, and here’s to always getting the best photography possible!
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kathryn@hollinrake.com
