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How much to charge for a photo session
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Jul 28, 2015 15:45:26   #
skinFNP Loc: Michigan
 
I'm starting to take photos for graduates, families, etc. and uncertain about how much to charge. I've gathered some information and kind of have an idea, but I would be interested in hearing from the group. Do you charge by the hours, does it depend on # of locations or # of dressing changes, etc. Please advise and thank you.

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Jul 28, 2015 15:53:30   #
LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field
 
I would start with calling a local studio or two and getting their "rate sheet". You will not necessarily adopt this rate structure, but it should give you an idea of what the going rate is in your area. The difficulty with getting accurate information from "the HOG" is that rates vary greatly by location: urban, rural, East Coast, West Coast, big city, little city, etc.

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Jul 28, 2015 20:42:28   #
jim quist Loc: Missouri
 
Can we see some of your work?

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Jul 28, 2015 22:07:25   #
CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver
 
I have seen the work of photographers for whom $5.00 for an 8x10 was way overpriced and seen work for which $200 was worth every penny.

It is impossible to give you a proper answer without a TON more info. One thing is for you to calculate ALL your costs - equipment, vehicle costs, print costs, software, insurance (both equipment and liability), how much you want to pay yourself per hour, and on and on.

THEN there is the question of the quality of your work.you have to balance how much you NEED to make with how much you are worth. I think it is reasonable to assume you will lose money for two to four years before you turn a profit.

As a good starting point, it i pretty much a given that unless you are charging around $80-$90 for an 8x10, your are most likely loosing money with every sale. As you build your client base, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Show us 4-6 images that you think are representative your best work.

There are all kinds of ways to charge, flat fee, hourly, per outfit, etc.
FWIW, I charge a flat fee and I don't care how long it takes or how many outfit changes = the longer we go and the more outfits, the more they usually buy. But prints are extra and are expensive. I do not sell digital files unless they buy the corresponding print. That saves them from making a stupid decision.

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Jul 29, 2015 06:14:24   #
Pandylou Loc: The Levant
 
I charge £250/hour studio £350/hour location. Clients receive low-res/watermarked proofs on disk. Clients choose 6 shots which are PP'd and printed onto archival paper. (8x10 or A4). Extra prints can be supplied @£20 with price breaks for higher quantities. Hope that's of some use........

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Jul 29, 2015 06:17:39   #
DVJ
 
My advice is this as a way to start: Charge a bit more for your photography than you are getting for your regular job (plus expenses). If you charge less, you will soon learn to hate what you are doing. If you charge too much for your market area, you will not get many sales. Which will also discourage you.

If, after a while, you are getting more work than you can handle easily, then begin charging more. The ideal situation is finding that ideal pricing where you are making good money but not turning potential customers away. And if you cannot make good money, then maybe you should try something else.

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Jul 29, 2015 07:24:57   #
Jcmarino
 
It depends on your location and other factors. In the US your bigger cities can charge more than rural Appalachia.

Do not sell yourself short. Check out other photogs in your area. Figure your time, equipment, insurance, travel, printing, packaging, etc Whatever you do, dont work for less than min wage.

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Jul 29, 2015 08:14:01   #
d2b2 Loc: Catonsville, Maryland, USA
 
DVJ wrote:
My advice is this as a way to start: Charge a bit more for your photography than you are getting for your regular job (plus expenses). If you charge less, you will soon learn to hate what you are doing. If you charge too much for your market area, you will not get many sales. Which will also discourage you.

If, after a while, you are getting more work than you can handle easily, then begin charging more. The ideal situation is finding that ideal pricing where you are making good money but not turning potential customers away. And if you cannot make good money, then maybe you should try something else.
My advice is this as a way to start: Charge a bit ... (show quote)


Great response! Eons ago - when Ansel Adams and I were just young'uns - a partner and I started a fledgling photography business. Most of what we were doing was custom B&W printing and developing. But we started doing some industrial photo shoots, as well. Since I was the sales end of the deal, I got the bright idea of underpricing the competition initially, just to get some volume of work going. We almost went out of business! It seemed that people equated our low prices with low quality. After a few months of starving, I raised the prices to competitive levels and immediately got work. Now, the public appeared to think, our work was worth something!

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Jul 29, 2015 08:54:19   #
Erv Loc: Medina Ohio
 
Well my first question is, are you happy with the work you have done so far?? Do other folks like your shots. Taking pictures of things that are really important to folks is pretty scary if you don't know how to use your camera. They are counting on you to get the shots right. If you think you can do this then I would look around on line for photographers around you. And see if they have their prices for different things listed.

I did weddings and other things back in the day. Now I just like to play. I still do second shooter with a friend that does weddings. I could not support the family with two growing boys back then. But it was fun for about 15 years!!!




skinFNP wrote:
I'm starting to take photos for graduates, families, etc. and uncertain about how much to charge. I've gathered some information and kind of have an idea, but I would be interested in hearing from the group. Do you charge by the hours, does it depend on # of locations or # of dressing changes, etc. Please advise and thank you.

Reply
Jul 29, 2015 09:54:48   #
DWilling
 
skinFNP wrote:
I'm starting to take photos for graduates, families, etc. and uncertain about how much to charge. I've gathered some information and kind of have an idea, but I would be interested in hearing from the group. Do you charge by the hours, does it depend on # of locations or # of dressing changes, etc. Please advise and thank you.


I recently purchased a "photo shoot and one high quality photo print" at a charity auction.
The declared value was $575. I "won" it for less. She and I met on location for preview. Then she set 8 am for good light. Took a lot of pictures, then suggested moving to another site and did more. The result was some nice shots. I chose the one for the included print, then ended up buying 20 more small prints in a small album for about another $700. I can purchase repro rights to those shots, giving credit, for an additional $100. I went to her home to review on computer and choose. Have not yet seen final products.

I would never have done this on my own, but thought it was an excellent marketing device that brought in extra work to her.
DW

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Jul 29, 2015 10:25:40   #
rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona
 
skinFNP wrote:
I'm starting to take photos for graduates, families, etc. and uncertain about how much to charge. I've gathered some information and kind of have an idea, but I would be interested in hearing from the group. Do you charge by the hours, does it depend on # of locations or # of dressing changes, etc. Please advise and thank you.


Generally, I charge 100USD / hour. Price breaks for blocks of 4 and 8 hours. I also charge 25USD / mile for mileage over 10.

Best I do is Custom Motor homes for sale photos. Same price as above if the motor home is listed by more than one agency.

If only one agency, the one for whom I photograph, I shoot at no charge. At time of sale, 1% of the sale price.
--Bob

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Jul 29, 2015 10:57:50   #
Kuzano
 
But above all... Remember this one crucial law of economics, learned from a professor in business school.

"THE LAW OF PERCEIVED VALUE"

If you undervalue your work and shoot too low, to try and capture business, you will not succeed in any business. Business is valued by customers based on the perception of value. Goods that are under-priced, are perceived to be of less value, and often NOT purchased by discriminating buyers.

Price markets are local. We cannot help you unless we live in your demographics area, or similar.

Your local market prevails. What are discerning buyers paying withing 200 miles of your location?

Starting out too low will cost you business ultimately, and raising prices other than moderately over time will drive your cheap business away.

You are asking the right question. It's important that you start out as near right as possible and compete with quality, not price. And price should reflect the local market.

And, in accordance with the "Law of Perceived Value", you should value your own work properly.

Also, for many years I purchased this book. Published every year, I used to get it every couple of years. Many of your questions will be dealt with here, including shooting for stock, and submissions for publications.

http://www.amazon.com/2015-Photographers-Market-Burzlaff-Bostic/dp/1440335672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438182162&sr=8-1&keywords=photographers+market+2015

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Jul 29, 2015 12:05:46   #
4ellen4 Loc: GTA--Ontario
 
It really is hard to advise someone on how much to charge for any given situation.


check out online any of the photographers in your area to see their prices.
When I first started as a working part time photographer, I would charge my hourly rate +$5.00.

If charging hourly depending on the driving time to get to someone's home--as soon as you get out of your car you are on the clock--right up until you get back in your car. Setting up and taking down an equipment is part of the job!

Setting up for a large group takes a lot longer--placing people so that everyone car be seen

Factor in the wear and tear on your car and camera equipment,gas, car insurance etc. And the computer + time spent on doing any touch up editing--it is all part of the job.

And then there is the cost of having an image printed--unless you have a pro printer and are really good at printing leave it to a good lab.

I used to be that I would charge 1 price and included an 8 x 10 image. Any other prints were an extra charge. With at least a $10. charge added to the other print depending on how big it was.

hope some of this helps

take care

Ellen

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Jul 29, 2015 13:08:39   #
gemlenz Loc: Gilbert Arizona
 
Well, you can quote whatever you want. Whether you get it is another story. You're not going to get much when you just start out. As you build clientele and gain experience, you may be able to get more for your efforts.

I figure out my hourly rate for photography services and charge by the job accordingly. Seems to work for me.

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Jul 29, 2015 14:50:54   #
Elliott Design Loc: West Tennessee
 
Photography is no different than any other profession when it comes to determining an hourly rate. There are some good online forms that will help you find out what stuff you HAVE to charge for in order to cover your overhead, then you add a profit margin for what you need to make a living from the work. What the shooter down the street charges, should not be used to set your price, they may have very low overhead or may have higher expenses than you. Too many people start a business thinking they can charge just a little more per hour than what they are currently making at their regular job only to find out that they now have ALL the expenses coming out of their pockets and are soon broke and can't understand why. You also need to figure in the time it takes to "run" the business not just the hours you spend at your photography. I have ran a graphic design business for 47 years and I can tell you out of a 5 or 6 day work week, you will spend about 8 to 12 man hours just doing the business routines of bookkeeping, ordering materials, taking phone calls and a thousand other things that crop up in order to keep your business going. Most cities/towns have a local Chamber of Commerce, contact them to see if they have a business mentor program, your mentor doesn't have to know the first thing about a camera but they can give you some invaluable tips on how to create a rate sheet and run a successful business.
Here's some food for thought:
In a 'normal' job you work 40 hours a week, with a two week vacation and a few days thrown in for sick days. That relates to about 49 weeks per year, so multiply that by 40 and you work 1,960 hours per year. If you now spend 10 or more hours per week 'running' your new business that's 490 hours or more off the top of that 'normal' year of work that has to be paid for by someone (your clients) or else you're taking money out of your own pocket to operate a business and that's not a successful business. I would say for the first couple years your 'running the business' hours will be much more than when once you get established, lots of things to consider.
Now, if you're just going to be shooting part time, charge what the customer is willing to pay to put a little spending money in your pocket every now and then, but if you're serious about a career in photography, you need to learn business management as much or more than learning to push a shutter button or you'll end up hating your job.
Sorry to have gotten off track on your original post, but to answer those questions, you should charge by the hour starting out to get a feel for the number of hours for the different type shoots you do. Once you have an idea of the amount of time for certain type shoots you could do them at a set price for the initial shoot plus extra for prints. The only problem I see with doing shoots at a set price, the customers usually want to start adding demands for shots that you didn't charge for, you'll have to be a very slick businessperson to be able to stop their demands before they get out of hand and without making them mad. As long as the customer knows they are paying 'by the hour' they are a LOT more aware of not tying up YOUR time, if it's by the job, they have a tendency to be late, take forever changing clothes, wanting to stand around and talk or waste your time talking on their cell phone.
skinFNP wrote:
I'm starting to take photos for graduates, families, etc. and uncertain about how much to charge. I've gathered some information and kind of have an idea, but I would be interested in hearing from the group. Do you charge by the hours, does it depend on # of locations or # of dressing changes, etc. Please advise and thank you.

Reply
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