Why Is Boudoir Photography So Expensive?
““It’s all worth paying for because they are beautiful and actually make me feel so good about myself. Thank you again for making me feel like this.””
There’s no denying that Boudoir Photography is pretty expensive to the average person on the street.
We understand why people say this.
After all, remember when we first saw prices for mobile phones hit £1000, we couldn’t believe that anyone would pay that kind of crazy money. (Our Nokias only cost £50. what more did we want from a phone?)
The big difference between a Boudoir Photoshoot though and a £1000 phone is in it’s inherent VALUE.
You see what something costs and how much it’s actually worth to you are often two very different things.
The cost of your £1000 phone is derived from a variety of things such as the millions of pounds it cost to research and develop the technology, the raw materials (retina screen, computer chip, camera lens etc etc), the marketing (again, many millions of pounds ) and of course the servicing costs, not to mention overheads added by shop rents, staff wages, etc. We see the physical value of our £1000 as justifiable because we’ve been conditioned to believe that this is how much these things cost and they’ve become such an important part of our daily lives that they’ve almost become a necessity these days.
However, when it comes to ‘value’, we see the value of our iPhone depreciating everytime we use it, as it gets a little scratched and as it becomes obsolete and replaced with a newer model with better camera and newer features.
A Boudoir Photoshoot, like an iPhone, also has a cost and that cost is derived from a variety of things such as the hundreds of hours of training and experience the photographer must put in to develop the skills to photograph the art of Boudoir proficiently, the cost of the professional photography equipment, computer and software needed to process your images to a professional standard and of course, the cost of running the studio with wages, overheads, marketing etc. Plus the raw material costs of the products such as books and wall art. (Ours, for example, are printed and made in Italy and wall art is manufactured from the finest materials and made to last beyond a human lifetime.)
However, unlike a £1000 phone, when it comes to ‘value’, your Boudoir Photoshoot, will only ever increase in value as you grow older and realise that the feeling of empowerment you got when you had the photoshoot returns whenever you look through your book of beautiful images or whenever you come home and see your amazing pictures hanging on your wall. The increased confidence you feel when you realise you ARE GOOD ENOUGH and you ARE WORTH IT everytime you look at your stunning pictures.
Remember also, that an iPhone is hardly a bespoke item. Everybody has a decent phone these days and despite the fact that you may have it in an unusual colour, there’s no getting away from the fact that this is a mass produced product. Your Boudoir pictures, however, are truly unique works of art. No one else in the world will have the same pictures as you do, with the same styling , outfits, locations, meanings and memories as you do in your Boudoir pictures.
We all see the cost and value issue differently depending on our personal world view.
An iPhone is certainly worth £1,000 to those who have the money to spend on a phone and the Mona Lisa will cost you close to a Billion dollars (according to it’s current insurance valuation) if you were ever fortunate enough to purchase it but that’s hardly a reflection of the materials it’s made from.
An average person wouldn't know what's involved in producing a boudoir photography session. Why would they? If they are thinking about doing a boudoir session for a anniversary or wedding gift, women are often a bit surprised at some of the pricing they receive. After all, its only a couple of digital photos, right? It really doesn't cost anything to press a camera button, does it? So why the big price?
At the end of the day, only you can decide what your Boudoir Pictures are worth to you.
If you see some stunning work in a photographer's gallery, and its something that you can envision yourself being part of, you will be paying for the talents of that photographer to produce that unique photographic look for your photoshoot. If you really want to look your best and you feel your worth it then you will pay a premium for premium talent. Boudoir Photography is as much about how you value yourself as it is about valuing the photographer’s craft.
As it turns out, the "boudoir session" is only one small part of an entire photo project. Typically, there is time invested before the boudoir session, and a considerable amount of time spent after a photo session, organising, editing, post processing and getting the project completed. This "hidden" time spent is all too real work for a photographer, but in most cases goes unnoticed by a client.
Think of your session as "the tip of the iceberg" - for what you see on the surface...below the surface lies a much larger amount.
The pricing of boudoir photography is a reflection of the dedication, expertise, and artistry that photographers bring to each session.
Beyond the tangible costs, clients are investing in an intimate experience that goes beyond the ordinary, capturing moments of empowerment and celebrating the unique beauty of every individual.
While the cost may be perceived as high, it is an investment in an art form that encapsulates elegance, sophistication, and the timeless allure of boudoir photography.
