A new hairdo. {Photography+Haircuts}

 

Several weeks ago I headed to the local hair salon to fix my roots and get a fresh A-line cut for Maui. While sitting in the swively chair starring at myself in the life-size mirror I began to think about photography and haircuts.

On average a woman will get her hair cut and colored every 8 weeks. Per year that is about 6-7 times she will pay for her hair. The average haircut+tip ranges from $150-200. We could go to a  place like Great Clips or Supercuts for $20 and though it is not horrible, the price matches the experience. We want to look and feel beautiful and be pampered in the process. So, we pay for it. Therefore, I would consider this a luxury expense and I know very few women who will give this luxury up. Women LOVE to spend a day in the salon getting pampered and beautified.

So in a year the average women spends $1,000-1,400 on haircuts.

The average time of a haircut and color is 2-3 hours. That means in a year 19-22 hours are spent in a salon with their stylist

Hair salon breakdown: 19-22 hours a year=$1,000-1,400.

I am a boutique photographer. From initial contact with client until final images are delivered I spend, on average, 15-20 hours.

Those hours include: consultation time, driving time, shooting time, uploading images, culling images, editing, blogging, ordering, packaging, and delivery.

The way I have structured pricing the average client spends $700-1300 for their session fee +final products, disk or prints.

Boutique photography breakdown: 15-20 hours=$700-1,300.

As I did the math and began thinking, it dawned on me. When women enter the salon they have no problem paying the hairstylist because they value the stylist’s time spent with them. They don’t mind investing money to feel beautiful.

In the same respect, choosing to invest in boutique photography is more than just pictures. You can go to JcPenny’s or Sears and have simple pictures taken. My goal however, is not just amazing images, it is about an experience to have a woman walk away feeling beautiful and cared for.

Where I have failed is I have not informed my clients how many hours I spend on them alone. Because if they knew I spent 15-20 hours on their session, I believe they would value my time as much as they do with their hairstylist.

Much Love,

Katie

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts.