Can You Still Make a Living in Photography in 2018?

Last week, I had a photographer friend (hobbyist, but very talented) ask me if it was still possible to make a living in photography.
This coincided with a Facebook rant from a local pro about a small restaurant asking for free food photography in exchange for the dreaded “exposure.” There are really two questions here, but I think they tie in together nicely. The question, I feel, is this: if people are asking for free/cheap work and photographers are willing to work for free/cheap, is photography still a viable business?

This is an issue that’s discussed a lot online: complaints of a price race to the bottom, photographers with poor gear, photographers lacking skill, photographers working for free or charging expenses. In the UK, you can find event photographers working for as little as £50 a night, weddings being shot for £300, and portrait sittings for £30. At the same time, in my local area (Leicester, UK), there are wedding photographers booked out all year at £10,000 a day, event photographers who charge a day rate of £1200, and portrait sittings going for £800.
I feel that the common misconception in the debate is that photography has a set value for everyone. I always try to see it in the same way as food shopping. Some of us love to eat, we love to cook, we love to discover new restaurants. We spend a disproportionate amount of our income at local farmers markets, high-end supermarkets, and new openings. It matters to us and it’s something we want to invest in. Others want to spend their money on cars or clothes. That’s fine: they won’t be spending £200 on dinner, because they see no value in it. Photography is very much the same. If a client perceives the value of the event photography to be £50, then they are going to spend £50; a client looking for a £1200 photography delivery is not going to book a £50 photographer.

Photographers working for free or in exchange for exposure seem to provoke a disproportionate amount of rage from the community. The local restaurant who was asking for food photography in exchange for exposure, in my opinion, is perfectly fine to do so. They have no interest (or frankly, no available budget) in high-end photographs, and the photographer who chooses to take the job has no interest in high-end exposure. They will both give and receive proportionately. You get what you pay for. I am sure the owners of Harrods don’t start ranting and raving at the price-cutting that Pound Land do. They offer different services for different customers.

Would I work for exposure? Absolutely. If I felt the exposure was of the same value as my day rate and it was in my best interest. It isn’t something I have done for the last few years, but that’s not to say that I won’t do it in the future.

Back to the original question: if people are asking for free work and photographers are willing to work for free, is photography still a viable business? Of course it is. There will always be someone cheaper or more expensive than you. The important thing is not to compete against others in different price brackets. Rather, make sure that what you offer is competitive and of a high standard for clients looking to spend the amount you charge.

Source: https://fstoppers.com