Why do businesses spend very little money on photography services?

in my opinion it’s not about not paying for good photography, it’s about undervaluing “art” or artistic talents/vision.  Of course they pay for advertisement, that’s concrete math they can understand as a business.  The sizzle or image used to accompany that sales pitch can make or break interest in a business. But that is the artistic part that is hard for people to value—-it’s subjective.  When we shoot any video or film I always hire an awesome photographer and save money for our favorite color correction guy (from Apache.tv).  I can do color correct myself, but he’s just better.  I’ve never regretted the decision. 

https://drive.google.com/open?...

Thank you Apple for telling the billions of iPhone users that you don't need to go to a studio or a Professional Photographer any more, as we have built him/her into our latest iPhone camera gadget that makes your photos look like you are a Pro! Don't take into account the experience and artistic eye of a seasoned Pro, just buy our phone and ditch the photographer is the expression, as you too can be a"SELFIE" expert!

Because they THINK they can get  just the same quality with a cell phone photo  OR they hire a kid with a KOdak Brownie Camera who charges 10 cents on the dollar for photos compared to the quote you sent to them !!!!!

It is our job to explain to our clients the value that quality photography. When people have the mindset that “all we need is a few cell phone pictures” they have not been educated the value of pictures in helping their customers get to know them and make them feel connected. Our skill is in lighting, camera work and application of the shots. Once they get the concept they will gladly see the difference. 

Because you need to educate them on the value.

As an artist, quality photography of my artwork is a must. It takes skill to be able to shoot accurate portrayals of two dimensional art. The shows & contests I enter require highly professional quality photographic images.

I think technology and the idea that ‘anyone can take great photos’ has diminished the recognition and appreciation of great photography.

 We have provided services for a lot of corporate clients. A number of these companies give bonuses and kickbacks if they save money or cut costs on spending. That’s only one of many answers, but keeping ultimate cost down makes an employee look really good. I don’t wanna play the blame game with camera companies but for years and years camera manufacturers have been promoting the fact that photography is simple and “our cameras produce great images”...  Kodak even had their infamous tagline “ you press the button, we do the rest”  of course that’s when Kodak would have you send the film to them and they would process it but still many companies follow that guideline to make the consumer more comfortable with cameras. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I still believe that a good majority is due to the automatic settings and the fact that a lot of people can grab a camera take a photo... not do any work and considerate a usable image for their business or function.  The positive, there is a lot of companies find out that  photos not taken properly are either not usable or have issues later on when they have to send the images to their graphics department. 

Photography is a specialized visual language. It takes knowledge, intuition and  expensive equipment in order to do it well. Find clients who respect and understand  and are willing to pay a fair project rate for how they will be able to use your images and engage their target audience. Running a photography business is like most businesses where we need to regularly update camera equipment, computers, phones along with rent, insurance, heat, advertising and the list goes on. 

In a world where everyone thinks they are a photographer, how can people distinguish between those who are excellent and those who are mediocre or worse? I can catch a baseball and I can throw a baseball, but there is just no way I am good enough to play for the Red Sox or even any of their farm teams. I can also write a decent letter, but that doesn't make me a novelist.  Photography and video are also only 1 aspect of implementing marketing strategy. If clients don't see an uptick in ROI, then no wonder they don't appreciate the photography when the real issues are elsewhere in the marketing plans. I know this is difficult, but try to get involved in the planning stages earlier with your clients. You can ask more questions and be a greater value to the marketing process and the planning of the visual solutions. You might even be able to bill for that time as well. If the client has an agency or design firm they work with,  they will find value in your input and enjoy the collaborative process with the goal of better results for the client.

I know nothing about photography to say the least and own a small business that has run since 1972.  I have not used a professional photographer, not because of money, but I just have not correlated how it will help my bottom line and improve customer retention.  Also, there seems to be very little outreach from the industry and the linkage to small business advertising.  In this world of volume to make a little, expenditures must be proven to show its benefit and absolute power to grow your business.  We all do not have the margins of the clothing and fashion industry.  Just some thoughts from a non-photographer.

gene

Because there lazy penny pinchers who think that a cell phone camera will do just fine. There's only certain things that you can do with a cell phone and if you or rather they are looking for a great picture then they should do there research on who can do the best job for a reasonable amount of money without sacrificing quality.  

It absolutely drives me nuts when realtors go in and take there own pictures and they have no idea how to light a room and they don't maximize a backed up landscape view of a room to help people get the idea of how a room looks. Instead they go around and do snapshots in portrait view and the pictures look like crap. 

I do real estate photography and geographically so i don't make them go broke I'll charge $40 to $50 which is way under priced because most people or photographers will charge anywhere from a $100 or more.