Scroll LinkedIn for five minutes, and you’ll probably spot it.
“Looking for a photographer… but nothing that costs an arm and a leg.”
It’s usually followed by a long list of requirements. Professional. High quality. Multiple looks. Fast turnaround. Flexible. Easy to work with.
Just… cheap.
And this is where things start to go wrong.
Because cheap photography is rarely cheap.
It just delays the cost.
Buy cheap, buy twice
We all know the phrase. It gets rolled out for tools, clothes, cars.
But it applies perfectly to photography.
A cheap photoshoot might feel like a win in the moment. You save money. You tick the box. You get some images.
Then you start using them.
On your website. On LinkedIn. In proposals. On speaker bios.
And something feels off.
The lighting is flat. The expression is awkward. The images don’t quite represent you. They don’t hold attention. They don’t build trust.
So what happens next?
You replace them.
You book another shoot. This time, hopefully, with someone better.
You’ve now paid twice. Once for the photos you didn’t use, and again for the ones you actually needed.
Turns out that “cheap” decision wasn’t cheap at all.
It just spread the cost over time.
People know the price of everything, and the value of nothing
There’s a big difference between price and value.
Price is what you pay on the day.
Value is what something does for you over time.
A strong portrait can work for you for years. It shapes first impressions. It helps people take you seriously. It makes your website feel credible. It can quite literally influence whether someone decides to work with you.
That has value.
A weak portrait does the opposite.
It creates doubt. It lowers perceived quality. It makes you (much) easier to overlook.
That also has value. Just not the kind you want.
And yet, when people go looking for a photographer, the first filter is often price.
Not outcome. Not consistency. Not experience.
Just cost.
Which is how you end up with images that were affordable… but expensive in every other sense.
“Reassuringly expensive”
There’s a reason one of the most successful advertising campaigns in history leaned into price rather than hiding from it.
Stella Artois built an entire identity around a simple line: “Reassuringly Expensive.”
It ran for over two decades in the UK and became iconic, deliberately positioning a higher price as a signal of quality rather than a drawback.
It was a bold move.
Instead of competing on price, they reframed the conversation.
If it costs more, it must be better.
And it worked.
The campaign helped transform perception, turning a potential weakness into a strength and driving significant commercial success.
Now, I’m not suggesting you choose a photographer purely because they’re expensive. Even reassuringly expensive.
But the principle holds.
When something is priced properly, it often reflects the time, skill, experience, and care that goes into it.
You’re not just paying for the hour with a camera.
You’re paying for judgment. For consistency. For the ability to create something that actually works.
That’s what people are really buying.
Cheap often means compromise
Photography looks simple from the outside.
Turn up. Take photos. Send them over.
But good photography is anything but simple.
It’s understanding light. Shaping it. Controlling it.
It’s guiding someone who feels awkward in front of a camera and helping them look confident and natural.
It’s knowing which frame works and which does not. And why.
It’s editing with restraint and intention, not filters and guesswork.
When the price drops, something has to give.
Time is cut. Attention is reduced. Experience is limited. Corners are taken.
You might still get something usable.
But you’re unlikely to get something exceptional.
And exceptional is what actually moves the needle.
Your photos are doing more than you think
This is the part most people underestimate.
Your photos aren’t just sitting there looking nice.
They’re representing you when you’re not in the room.
They’re shaping how people judge your professionalism, your credibility, your attention to detail.
Before you’ve spoken. Before you’ve written a word.
That’s a lot of responsibility for a “cheap” decision.
Because if the photos aren’t doing that job properly, they’re costing you opportunities you will never see.
And that is the most expensive outcome of all.
If you’re going to invest, invest once
If you’re thinking about new portraits, take a step back before you look at prices.
Ask a better question.
What do these images need to do for me?
If the answer is “just something cheap for now”, you already know how that ends.
If the answer is “I need to look credible, confident, and worth paying attention to”, then the decision becomes clearer.
You don’t need the most expensive photographer.
But you do need the right one.
Someone who understands what the photos are for. Someone who can create consistent, intentional work. Someone who knows how to get the best out of you.
Because when you get that right, you only need to do it once.
If you’re ready for portraits that actually earn their place, not just fill a gap, I would love to work with you.
Take a look at my work, and schedule a short call. We will figure out what you need and create something that reflects it properly.
Not cheap.
Incredibly valuable.
