Art costs

I found a great fashion photography blog [link here] with tutorial movies.

That linked movie explains why a magazine photo costs money. A shoot means many weeks of preparation and a day with a cast of thousands.

And I found myself thinking: I wish I could do that, on those budgets. I did a beach shoot recently:

MVW_2545

But it was me carrying all the gear, the cameras, and the lightstand with umbrella, and it was me setting up the fill light. It was me doing art direction, setup, and everything else. The models had to do their own wardrobe and make-up.  No-one came and handed me pillows to lie on, either. The budget for the day was under $100.

The moral of this story is, I suppose, twofold. First, there is a reason a professional shoot costs professional money. Second, at a pinch you can produce on a shoestring, too. It’s just different work.

But, most importantly to me: as a professional photographer I want to do more bigger shoots. What I could do with that kind of budget! Recession, be over already!

0 thoughts on “Art costs

  1. How about if you have an even smaller budget? No external lighting, umbrellas etc. Just the photographer, model and a camera with a Speedlite attached to the hot shoe.

    In Thailand we have lots of beaches and lots of beautiful women. I want to try!

    Is it possible to do anything approaching professional quality with this simple a setup?

    Ian – a.k.a. The Bangkok Frugal Photographer.

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