Pricing Philosophy
This can be a contentious topic. The price of freelance and studio work can be overwhelming to someone just looking to get a little photography work done. The pricing for some studios to do a portrait or commercial work done for a small business are out of reach for many people and a few of the studios will play a varied shell game indicating that you get a package for one low price, but then by the time you've walked out of there you have spent many times more than what you were planning or had budgeted.
That being said, photography is expensive. There is a lot of photographic equipment and peripherals that must be paid for such as studio lease, utilities, expendables, marketing, website maintenance, software licensing, and ultimately something a little less tangible; the time of the photographer for taking the pictures as well as their other activities like lighting setup, post processing of photographs, printing, etc. The price of equipment can reach tens of thousands of dollars. In many cases the camera must be replaced every few years either to keep up with advancing technology or simply because it's starting to wear out.
Because I approach photography more as an avocation instead of as a full time profession I am able to price lower than many photographers who make a living at the craft. My goal is to make enough for my avocation to pay for itself. This means that sometimes I am able to give price breaks to an individual or a group on a case-by-case basis.