Think Our Portrait Studio Is Pricey? Think Again – Here's Why…
Price, price, price. It all comes down to price! We receive dozens of inquiries every week, and for those we’ve not yet had the pleasure of working with, price often becomes the biggest hurdle.
YES! You'd love to treat your guests to a stellar portrait experience.
YES! You’d love to send them home with a personalized gift, BUT you have to go back to your boss, your client, or your significant other and let them know that this photo studio is three times the price of the one you had last year or the one at your friend's wedding.
But you know what? Our price is actually CHEAP!
What? How in the world does that work? Well, here’s a bit of math to bring it all together. Let’s dive into pricing for photography…
We asked the almighty ChatGPT for its thoughts on the average price of a photobooth in California, and this is what we learned:
To summarize:
Basic Photobooth = $300
High-End Photobooth = $1,200-$2,500
Specialty Photobooths = $2,500-$5,000
On average, our clients spend about $4,750 on their event…
SO, if you believe that ChatGPT is not hallucinating, our services are at least on the highest end of a specialty booth, or at most 15x the price of the least expensive photobooth! Or at least 3x more expensive than a high-end booth. Holy, good gosh, almighty!!! How can we be charging that much!?!
Well… as we like to say… don’t call us a “booth.”
Our portrait studios are… well… actual, not photobooths! Instead, they are fully functioning, fashion-inspired portrait studios. They are not machine-operated, not mechanized, and not automated. We offer curated photoshoots guided by expert photographers who create fun, energetic, and beautiful artwork showcasing the subjects in front of them while the rest of the team supports the experience with warmth and hospitality.
So, now that we’ve clarified what you get with our portrait studio, how do we compare to OTHER similar services? You know… other portrait studios! Apples to apples, ya know?
Going back to our good friend, ChatGPT again… What is the average price for a headshot in California?
Let’s keep this on the conservative side: a headshot would run you $150 per person. (This is actually what we charge for headshots as a service when we photograph groups.)
Let’s say a “typical” event has 150 guests, so some quick math… 150 guests x $150/guest = $22,500. Woah!
Okay, okay, you’ll say, “Well, not everyone gets a ‘headshot’ at an event. There are groups, like families, co-workers, etc.” And we would agree! So, let’s do that math…
ChatGPT… What is the average price of a family photoshoot in California?
Again, I’ll be conservative and use the $300 price for a family. The average family in California is 3.5 people. Let’s take that 150-person guest list and figure out how many family photoshoots we need to serve that number of people. 150/3.5 = 42.8. Okay, that’s 42.8 family photoshoots! 42 family photoshoots x $300 per photoshoot = $12,600. Dang! Still yikes! And guess what, did you read the fine print? “Digital downloads of the selected images, with prints available for an additional fee.”
Gah! Well, we need to add prints back into the equation because EVERYONE gets prints with The Vanity Portrait Studio.
Back to ChatGPT… What is the average price for a matted 5x7 print from a professional portrait studio?
So, being conservative, we’ll again use the low end of the pricing range, or $50/print.
From July 2023 to June 2024, on average, we gifted 197 matted prints per event. 197 prints x $50/print = $9,850.
Let’s add it all up… $12,600 for the 42 “family” photoshoots and $9,850 for the prints is a grand total of $22,450—only a $50 difference from the headshot pricing above. I am even surprised when I write this.
So, when you compare our average price of $4,750 to hiring a photographer and gifting prints to 150 people outside of an event, we are more than 4x cheaper! This is all to say that bringing a portrait studio to your event will pack a TON of value for your guests.
We know, we know… but what about the TIME the subjects receive? A family photoshoot is 30 minutes; my guests will only get 2 minutes in the studio. What do you say to that?
In response, I’ll share a famous anecdote about Pablo Picasso:
“One day, Pablo Picasso was sitting in a café when a woman recognized him and approached with excitement. She asked if he could sketch something for her on a napkin. Picasso, known for his talent and creativity, agreed and quickly drew a simple but striking sketch.
When the woman asked how much she owed him, Picasso responded, "That will be $10,000."
The woman was taken aback and said, "But it only took you a few minutes to draw this!"
Picasso calmly replied, "No, it took me a lifetime."
And there you have it. Don’t let the price tag fool you!
We are quite a bit more expensive than a “booth,” but compared to services that produce similar results, you will find our portrait studios deliver unparalleled value to your closest friends, family, co-workers, and clients!