Photography Tips From PhotoWhoa

It is a fierce inner conflict for every artist, but especially photographers. How can you remain true to your art and still continue to earn a living? How can you place a value on a commodity that is primarily emotional and subjective? Unlike other goods and services, there is no clear value placed on artwork. Yet the time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears you put into your work deserve value, respect, and support.

When it comes to boudoir photography tips, it’s not hard to learn how to make your photos stunning and seductive, to keep improving your craft. But it is almost impossible to find meaningful guidance on the awkward topic of pricing.

A new eBook called 'A Pricing Guide For Boudoir And Portrait Photographers' aims to do just that.

We know what you’re thinking. 'How can anyone give me step-by-step instructions on how to price my work? They don’t know anything about me! How could anyone tell me what would be an appropriate price?'

And you’re absolutely right. Every photographer is a complex amalgamation of needs and talent. Artists differ in terms of personality, equipment, living situation, income, and in other ways that are infinite and complicated. In fact, it’s fair to say that each individual artist differs from all others just as much as Pablo Picasso differs from Ansel Adams.

Far from handing you a simplistic and formulaic pricing guide, the book serves as a tool which empowers each photographer to evaluate his or her own work as objectively as possible in order to negotiate a fair price for it.

The book thoroughly clarifies a little-known fact about pricing artwork: the reasons for making a purchase are emotional, not rational. While you may think that pricing is purely a matter of logic, this is not the truth. The pricing process is, in fact, a complex mix of emotion and logic. Buyers and sellers both experience a complex range of emotions as they negotiate numbers for their artwork. But if you have prepared adequately for the practical side of the negotiation, the emotional side of it becomes less chaotic.

To that end, the book comes with a handy 'know your numbers' worksheet to give you some foundation in navigating the pricing landscape. But this is only a small part of the complex picture. More important is an honest assessment of the profit that you need to make in your specific and individual situation.

As a professional boudoir photographer, your position is already a unique one. Besides the hurdles that other photographers face in finding exactly the right equipment and editing software, boudoir photographers must also attend carefully to their workspace. They must strive to contrive an environment in which models and/or customers are comfortable showing their sensual side.

Furniture, lighting, and overall décor are all important elements to success. Orchestrating all these components takes time, though, and a workable budget. This has to be considered as part of a boudoir photographer’s pricing structure.

When you spend so much time creating beautiful and sensual photography, it can be frustrating and discouraging to encounter customers who seem reluctant to pay for it. But a realistic understanding of the process that goes into effective pricing can help you understand the true worth of your highly personal genre of art.

Photographers often need help in subjecting their artwork to the practical lense of monetary worth. If you struggle with this, this collection of helpful boudoir photography tips may be your saving grace.