Our Aerial Photography Pricing – it’s no secret!
When it comes to pricing professional aerial photography services, we are often asked – “can most people really afford it?” – and the simple answer is usually “yes”, provided they perceive true value in the products and services in which they receive. NEPA Aerial Photography has spent over 20 years providing professional aerial photography services to the same clients, year after year, throughout northeast Pennsylvania. The #1 reason for this is simple – better matters. Better pictures – Better Video – Better Service – Better Pricing.
The cost of aircraft has skyrocketed since we began in 1996 when the average hourly operational cost was about 65.00 dollars – add a commercial pilot and the average aerial photographer (non-pilot) was already dishing out over 100.00 dollars per hour to their local airport. If we roll the film ahead to today, that average cost is well over 200.00 dollars per flight hour – it’s no wonder the popularity of aerial photographers has fallen by the wayside, that is unless, they have turned to drones. We all know that drones are here to stay because they serve a unique segment of the market. The question that has to be answered is “what will their new perceived value be?” Just in our local area alone, there seems to be more and more new drone photographers popping-up almost daily with a very confusing pricing structure… it seems to depend on who you happen to call and what they think their services happen to be worth on that particular day – not the best way to represent one’s self as a true professional service provider. Please don’t get me wrong here – everyone has the right to work in any field they desire, including professional photography, however; a fair and reasonable pricing structure must be a strategic part of anyone’s overall business plan. Surprisingly, it’s rare to find a professional aerial photographer that provides up-front pricing. It shouldn’t be a secret and with all of the new drone operators, one has to wonder how they arrive at their price for aerial services.
We love drones too and have quickly adjusted to the way in which we do business making sure that our clients receive the same level in quality service they’ve come to expect from aircraft. Up front aerial photography pricing with no surprises – in fact, NEPA Aerial Photography has a complete price list for specific aircraft and drone services… and it’s available to anyone. We learned this a long time ago while scheduling weekly flights to areas serving our clients and providing an attractive pricing structure that would be consistent and acceptable to those clients. No one likes surprises and as a professional photographer there should be rules, especially when it comes to the pricing of services. For example, we routinely fly several hundred miles each and every month serving our construction clients such as FedEx, Invenergy and Cushman & Wakefield, to name just a few and because of our ability to combine these projects into a single flight while in the same vicinity, our aerial photography pricing policy has proven time and time again, to provide real and true value. As a commercial pilot and professional photographer with 2 aircraft available, I have eliminated the need to rent expensive aircraft and hire pilots. I am the pilot… I am the photographer… and I fly to more places, more often than anyone in the area. We love drones but in short, they are not always the best choice in aerial photography services and when it comes to perceived value, our clients will quickly let us know.
So, “Can most people really afford it?” – you tell us – our current base rate for professional aerial photography services starts as low as 95.00 dollars for our realtor friends and 195.00 for regular projects when within the same vicinity as other scheduled projects – whether from a drone or an aircraft. We think this is a fair and acceptable pricing policy, considering the costs associated with drones and why we offer the best pricing possible.
Better Pictures – Better Video – Better Matters
