**Author’s note:  I originally wrote this as a note on my Facebook biz page.  It was very well received so I decided to post it over here as well.  There have been a few tweaks added that I thought of after the fact**

Luckily, this has not happened to me – my clients are pretty darned great. It has, however, happened to several friends of mine, including another one very recently. What is “it”? Bargain hunters. Plain and simple, people who want to negotiate pricing.  Pricing of a session fee, or prints or packages.

When you use a professional service, do you bargain with them on the pricing? When you get a teeth cleaning do you tell the receptionist that you’d like to pay the amount the dentist down the street charges instead? With the plumber do you say that you can’t afford the entire repair and can you just pay for the drain snaking part? When you go to the clothing store do you tell the cashier that you would like to pay less than what the tag says?

Get what I’m trying to say?

If not, think of it this way. You work. You are paid a certain amount. What if your boss told you that they’d like you to do the same amount/caliber of work but they don’t want to pay all of the salary that was agreed on. Would you do it? I doubt it.

When you hire a photographer to do a session for you, they are no different than any other professional service out there. NO their prices are not negotiable. NO they will not price match Joe photographer down the street. NO they will not give you a special break afterward because you have realized that you can’t really afford them. Like every professional you would hire, know the pricing ahead of time and be willing to pay it if you hire them. It is rude and, honestly, insulting to ask someone to work for less than what they are advertised as. Whether they sell their 8×10 for $20 or $200 that is their pricing. That is THEIR salary. Please don’t insult them by trying to get them to give you their work for less. Photographers are professionals, too. 🙂

And a quick note about bartering because I have done this before and I thought of it after I initially published this.  I, personally, never mind when people approach me with bartering options.  (Example I have a future client whose husband will provide me with accounting services, or will when we finally set it up)  As long as it is a fair trade of service exchanged, that is the key part.  If there is something of value that you can offer then I don’t see a problem offering for something of equal value.  But again, don’t offer something that would be worth MUCH much less – that gets back to the insulting part.  (While we’re on the subject though, any local good massage therapists out there needing some photos??  😉 )