Susan Wall Photography - Bundaberg & Sunshine Coast Family, Wedding & Portrait Photographer

Thanks for the support and interest over the past week friends, I hope you all feel as though you have got something out of it. In ending this special – and fun – week I would like to share a video clip with you. This is a selection of images from the wedding that I photographed 7th February for J and S. 

This is to give you all an indication of the start to end of a wedding session for me. Rather then a few of my personal images this is a bit more real I believe.

Happy Sunday

[vimeo vimeo.com/3406549]

“Why should I pay more for this photographer, when I can get it much cheaper down the road?”

With a lot of families on a budget it is understandable that some have to be more price sensitive then others. And photography after all is seen as a luxury item, not something we need to survive that’s for sure. Though I have to say it is something that can be loved and cherished for generations to come. One of my favourite images of my Mother means so much to me, if only we could get more of those lovely images to share with our grandchildren! {Here is a perfect example of why I encourage if you can to bring along your parents to your shoot – 3 generations really is a gift!}

Photography is something that you shouldn’t let price be your deciding factor. There are photographers that give it all to you for next to nothing, and then this can make it hard to go past. Though you can’t really compare price to price with photography. You need to compare quality to quality to see what you are really getting for your money. It might turn out that you are better off saving for a few months to get the better photographer to do an amazing job of your loved ones!!

My work is something that I take a lot of pride in, and I honestly do leave a part of myself with each order. By the end of the adventure each client feels like an old friend, one that I cherish! My products are of a very high standard, and ones that I use for my own personal use also. With these things you do pay a higher price, though photography is one area where you usually get what you pay for. The photographer down the road at $125 for a disk of images I am sure takes ok images, but if you want to get wonderful, priceless and timeless images then you may need to look around more, not based on price. 

As I mentioned yesterday photographers aren’t just charging you for the price of the paper they print on, there are a lot of other cost to go into this business. That is what determines ones prices, that and their skill.

I hope this helps some of you make a decision. I know that we all have our limits, and we have to respect our own personal situations. There are some things you can’t put a price on. A mother’s beautiful pregnant bump weeks before her child is born, two little sister cracking up laughing, that first kiss as Mr & Mrs. These things you will treasure for a long time to come. They are things you need to be right, a perfect moment needs to be captured by who is the perfect photographer for you.

Today I will share with you an image that I have of my 2 girls. Taken over a year ago and one that I still get so gushy over each time I see it *large* in our dining room. My own piece of wall art

Susan Wall Photography will be visiting the town of Yamba, NSW and is offering a total of four sessions during the following dates:

Thursday 9^th April, 2009 – 4:30pm to 5:30pm

Friday 10^th April, 2009 – 4:30pm to 5:30pm

Saturday 11^th April, 2009 – 4:30pm to 5:30pm

Sunday 12^th April, 2009 – 4:30pm to 5:30pm

Monday 13^th April, 2009 – 4:30pm to 5:30pm

Tuesday 14^th April, 2009 will be a combined viewing night with dinner and drinks. Here you will get to see your gallery (and those of the other families from the week also) and enjoy your beautiful family portraits. You will then have a private viewing with Susan to place your order.

To secure your preferred date a booking fee of $50 will be required, with 50% of your total order cost to be paid within 2 days of your viewing, and the remaining 50% once the order has arrived in Yamba. Please note the minimum spend of $350 per session (includes $50 booking fee).

Orders will be sent directly to Yamba to be distributed, in approximately 2/3 weeks after the orders are finalized.

Once you have paid your booking Susan will be in contact with you for your details and to email you further information about what to expect from your photoshoot.

To see examples of Susan’s work, make your booking, or to email any questions please go to:

Website:            www.susanwall.com.au  be sure to follow both the website and blog links to see examples and news!

Email:             susan@susanwall.com.au

Phone:             0408 030708

How beautiful is this little town? Here is an image of the sun setting over the river:

This afternoon I had a mission – we needed a photograph of these 2 precious girls for their Nana’s very special 6oth birthday! The girls were happy to go and see the ducks and have a play on the swings at the gardens! They were very, very cute and had me giggling at how they were so very individual and busy. I loved playing “where’s your nose” with little A, and hearing how much Miss M loves Dora (and Swiper!). Little girls, they are so sweet (and these 2 sisters are soon going to have another little sister to play with – so sweet!).

Looking forward to seeing you all again soon to get that special gift for Nana!

Thanks for the emails I have received from those saying they are enjoying this week with me very nice to hear! But don’t feel too shy to comment here!

Today is the topic of “If a 5×7 only cost you $1 why do you charge (insert amount)$$?”

This is something that I have been spending a lot of time on of late. As I have been redirecting the attitude and direction of Susan Wall Photography  this has been on my mind a lot. It is the hardest part of this business for me personally. How do you know what to charge? I just want to take photographs – that is why I am doing this. In fact I do it as I CAN’T stop taking photographs, I love it! But, of course on the flip side this photography  takes up a lot of my time, takes me away from my family and is a very expensive business to be part of. 

I like to compare it to a few things I have done/experienced this week in other businesses. On Monday I took both my girls to the dentist – a regular (6 montly) check-up. They were in the chair for say 40 minutes, and the cost was $96, and yet all they used was a tiny mirror and some air puffer thing on the girls. Why did they charge me $96 for an activity that gave us nothing but a bill (and also an indication of how their teeth were going). Their expenses is exactly what I had to pay for – oh and also the all important wage that makes the dentists turn up to work each morning. In that $96 are their running fees, the practice, the equipment, telephone, electricity, cleaning fees, advertising, business cards, pens, paper, uniforms, training and education, receptionist etc. It adds up very quickly when you think about it! 

That my friends is why you have to pay a lot for a lunch out also! My husband and I went to a little eatery today for lunch. I got a (very delicious) sandwich and a can of drink, Don having a BLT burger and a milkshake. $25 later and we were very full. Why did we pay $25 for something we could have had a home for $8 if that. The experience, the location, the time together and the change is what made us go and spend the $25, and the food was very yummy I have to say again. We didn’t just pay the business owner $25 so she could make a $17 profit from us, she has to take her expenses out of that $18 remaining. You almost start to feel like you aren’t paying enough when you think about it!

Being a photographer is my full time job. I am not shooting full time, but I am always researching, reading, learning by attending workshops (that cost too). I do all this to better improve my skills and offer new things to my clients. This is time consuming, as is the time I spend preparing your gallery and the order for you. My girls laugh when they see me with a large mount up to my nose, checking every last millimeter has been well printed. When you pay a photographer for that 5×7 there is a lot of work that has gone into producing it to that level. There also once again are all the “hidden” cost to produce that piece of art. 

I have been very fortunate to have clients that appreciate my passion for their photographs, for the passion I have to see them with an image that can be passed through generations to come. Some photographers call images an “investment” as they see the money you spend as an investment into your own, personal piece of art and history. An interesting way of looking at it for sure! This is why I am now offering mostly wall art (see day 1 for more information), I want you to see your images, large on your wall. Something to be very proud of.

I hope this has helped explain a bit about why there are costs to have your beautiful family photographed, and after all there is no price to put on freezing time in a beautiful piece of art. It  is timeless and priceless!

Chat to you all tomorrow x

How was yesterday’s entry? Did you follow my thoughts? I’d love to hear what you all think!

Today as I said I am going to chat about “If I had a good camera, I could take those shots too.”

Some people don’t understand why photographers need to charge what they do, I mean they just have a “nice” camera afterall. Hmmm not so sure about that.

Photography really is an art form, it is seeing the photograph before you even take the shot. It is knowing what to do with that fancy camera, how to position (or not!) your subjects to convey the message you have in mind. Then on top of all that comes the hard part. Dealing with the natural elements. How is the weather, how is the light (this is what makes or breaks a lot of images), what is my location and background like?  You also have to consider what shutter speed you may like to get the chosen images, what aperture and what settings you need your camera to be on to make that all come together and be possible. This isn’t something that even the most fancy cameras are able to do for you. This is something that photographers have had to learn about for quite some time to perfect. 

Photography takes up a lot of time and most of that time is about learning, perfecting your style and challenging yourself to attempt new situations. Photography is about having a style that is you – yet still being flexible to offer what your client is after. It is about knowing how to use the gear that you have to get what you want. 

The very well made, and very smart cameras on the market today definitely can aid to make a great photograph. But it isn’t the camera who makes the image fantastic – it is the photographer who has controlled the situation that makes it this way! And friends, don’t even get me started about learning the software to enhance images, or to make albums etc…. I have had a long day today – all day today was spent researching album suppliers and using a new viewing program. 

That is it for this topic, and tomorrow I shall be back

Firstly my huge apologies for not getting to this yesterday, I have excuses (good ones too!) but won’t bore you!

Today I am going to chat openly about the following:

“Why wall art, what is it?”

Here at Susan Wall photography I have made a very recent decision, I am not going to be offering “loose” prints except for the 5×7’s. All other images are to be wall art. By this I mean they are going to be mounted, and ready to be hung on your wall. When you think about it, it  is a lot of effort for a family/couple to go through for their shoot. It usually starts with the most important decision of WHO will do your photography. Then, what do I wear? What color looks good on me, and goes with the rest of the group? My hair, make up (mostly only the girls do this!). Then there is the discussion with your chosen photographer about location, time of day and what you are looking for in your photo shoot. Drained yet? the hardest part my clients alway tell me is choosing the images to order!!

So that is where the wall art comes into play. All this effort, and you don’t want to put those beautiful images into an album or scrapbook them! You want to show off how amazingly beautiful your family is, to be captured as you are on a special afternoon just being you. Your own family is now a piece of art, and a very personal one at that!

My mounts usually start at an 8×12, and I am offering up to a very impressive 30×40 mount for that WOW image you have to have as part of your furniture. Sometimes people get concerned with the sizes of the mounts, but I am here to help with some suggestions on which images would suit which sizes better. I also love to see how excited clients get to see a new beautifully mounted image when their order arrives. And to go home and hang it straight on your wall is such a buzz!

So that is the reason behind my decision to offer mounted prints, and I am sure once you pop over and see my samples you also will fall in love with this great product. Stay tuned for tomorrow when we tackle “If I had a good camera I could take those photographs too.”

Little I was only hours old when I got to meet him for the first time in hospital. Then over yesterday and today I got to spend more time with him once again (yesterday he thought sleep was a joke!, and yeah he kept that feeling again today!). It was so nice to sit and watch him while chatting to his most caring and loving Mum and Dad!! It is like making a new friend every time I have a shoot!

My I honestly would be the most alert and strongest newborn baby I have ever met in my life. His Mummy J is full of life and very bubbly and I am wondering if he might be the same beautiful personality You all are such a caring and lovely family, and I have enjoyed every minute with you all. Can’t wait to see you soon!

Today was a sad, reflective today. The day of national mourning to remember the (last I read) 209 people who were tragically killed in the Victorian bush fires 2 weeks ago.

7 February, 2009. My G turned 6, it was a lovely day here and we had no idea of what was going on. I photographed the most beautiful wedding, their lives starting a new beginning. Happy times. It breaks my heart at times to know that while one person experiences sheer joy another experiences sheer heartache.

Today I sat in the lounge room playing “babies” with my girls. It was fun, it was great to have a break from my work. As we played away happily a few tears rolled down my face. “I am Australian” was being sung, and I felt so, so saddened to watch the service. I hope that somehow these people can move forward, but as a beautiful friend once said to me after a tragedy “you don’t move on, you just learn to live a new life”. It is true isn’t it? When you loose someone you love, or you are faced with hard times you don’t ever forget them, you just have to keep breathing. Sometimes each breath physically hurts to take!

My offer of all booking fees being donated is still running, so please consider this for the months of Feb and March! Thanks to those who have donated already, it is a lovely gift to give. In light of the mourning I won’t share any of my “education week” topics today. Be ready for tomorrow.

Finally, I am going to share this image of myself. I don’t know who to pray too, I am not 100% set on religion. I just hope that when I ask in my head “please help those in pain” that someone out there hears me and please, please makes a difference!

I have declared this to be “education week” my friends. Through out this coming week I would like to share some of the reasons why I do what I do. I will cover the following and more:

“But a 5×7 only cost $1 why do you charge $xx?”
“If I had a good camera I could take those photographs too”
“Why wall art, what is it?”
“Why should I pay more for a photographer, I can get it much cheaper down the road”
“You only have to own a camera and you are a successful photographer”

Why am I doing this I hear you all ask? I am doing this as I come across these questions from time to time and I have been wanting to educate you and potential clients about what is involved. Almost like an insight into the business of being a photographer. I don’t want to say *ever* that I have all the answers, I definitely have had to learn through some bad decisions!

I will kick this off tomorrow for you all, and hope that you come in daily to give me your feedback and opinions (and yep, each day I’ll share a new image!).
Happy weekend