Pricing Photography:
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, But Less Than a Thousand Dollars.

"I looked all over southern Colorado for a cheap commercial photographer.  I found one but he's nowhere near as good as R. Michael Babnick"

As much as I love photography I can't do it for free.  One professional level camera costs $4,500 and that doesn't include the lens!

I'm not expensive but I'm not cheap either.  I don't have prices set in stone.  Instead, I have starting points and take each job into consideration to make adjustments as seems necessary and fair.  I just want to focus on making something fun or beautiful that you are very happy with.

By the way, most of the money you spend with me goes right back into the business to provide a wider range of tools and equipment for your future photo shoots.

General Pricing Guidelines

Studio Fee:  midpoint of my prices range is $50 per hour depending on the type of photography.

Portrait Guarantee: if you are not pleased with your photos and you don't order any prints or digital copies I will refund your studio fee.  Fortunately nobody has had to take advantage of my guarantee.

Commercial Photography: because of the potential complexity of commercial assignments pricing must be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The two examples on my commercial photography page cost around $150 to $175 each to produce.

Stock Photos: most stock photos are $25 but I take into account the content and quality so some go as low as $5 and others as high as $40.  I make package deals for large quantities.

In some cases I can also supply even higher quality, 16-bit versions of stock photos at additional cost.  These are most useful for large print applications or when heavy digital alteration is planned.