billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Coworker. Do you plan to go professional? If yes, the going rate is 3 times your cost minimum. No, hourly charges are for pre assigned work, not after the fact.
Cover your costs and add enough to buy you a drink after work. It's a cell phone photo after all.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

First off, friends, co-workers, etc do not get a discount... Family maybe. I would charge no less than $50/hr plus material. In this case, $61 rounded to $65.

Price yourself to high, loose business, too low, loose money....... It's a hard decision. You have to decide, what is your time worth. This is a skilled profession..... Look around your area and see what people are charging....

http://www.roshsillars.com/much-photographers-charge/

Collhar Loc: New York City.

If this coworker is more than that make a gift of the print Or perhaps he/she buys lunch. If this become at work, more than a one time deal with other co workers than consider your options.

ELNikkor

the $25 sounds right on, being it is not a main source of income, and it is for a friend.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

👍

sbohne

I'd give it away before I would sell it for$25. That way, if you decide you ever do want to do this professionally (or semi professionally), you don't have to justify the price you'll need to charge to earn a REAL profit. You are applying the retail markup known as "keystoning," which is marking up approximately 2.5 times. Photography is not a commodity, and should not be priced as such. A three times markup has been mentioned here. A professional photographer will normally markup 5 to 7 times cost.

I've been retired for 15 years, matted 16x20 print was $195 when I retired.

Hip Coyote

Co-worker? Do it in exchange for a lunch.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

You seem to have a very different relationship with your friends than I do! Honestly, I could never charge a friend anymore than cost of materials. More likely, I would simply give it for free. And for a co-worker - someone I know fairly well and see every week at work - I would feel embarrassed to ask for more than minimal labor costs.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

So far, Cliff provided the only business-wise answer.

So far, this is the only answer that makes sense, business-wise that is.

If you are NOT doing photography as a full or part-time business- professionally or aspiring to or contemplating a career in the photograhy BUSINESS, my answer would be simple, "do whatever you feel like"- add a few bucks to you costs for pocket money or give it away depending on o you relationship with the recipient. It ill be a well-appreciated gift or favor.

If, however, you want to start a successful business you have to such as X times costs plus labor or whatever are only random starting points and may not really pan out- there my be no profitability at the end of the day.

Pricing and everyrthing else relating to your business have to be based on a business plan- from scratch! Once you become self-employed or are depending on a part-time enterprise to yield benefits you must generate enough revenue to pay yourself (you are your most valuable and indispensable employee), cover the costs of running your business- this is called OVERHEAD expenses, and cover the costs of materials and outsourced labor or services (like lab fees etc.) that go int each product or assignment- that is called COST OF SALES.

I can't write a detailed tutorial on creating a business plan in this post but here's the concept: You need to add up all your personal expenses- what you need to maintain a normal lifestyle and determine your salary for operating the business OR at. leat the profit you wish to derive for a part-time business. You must include all your expenses- rent, mortgage payments, food, utilities, insurances, entertainment, automotive expenses... the works!

Next, you have to add up all the expenses of operating your business. Even if you work from your home you should list a portion of the rent/mortgage, utilities, and maintenance based on the space utilized. Other expenses are the Internet, equipment repairs and maintenance, office expense, depreciation of equipment, insurances, automotive usage, advertising, website maintenance, and fees, professional association dues, ongoing education, and AGAIN, THE WORKS. If you don't know all of the theses exact figures, you have to do the research and make projections and estimates.

Once you have a grasp of how much income you need to keep things afloat, you can begin to construct a price schedule for your products and services. You will know the costs of sales for any given item or service, how much money you must draw for yourself and what kind of profit margin you need to accomplish this. The missing factors, however, are how much of your overhead expenses you must assign to each job or item and you must project the volume of work, that is, how many sales or assignment you must set as a goal to put all of this together.

Weh you have this concept in mind and have crunched the numbers, only then can you set your own formula. It may indeed to work out as 3 or 4 times cost or whatever but it will be based on a scientific and business-like approach and the accompanying data.

You need to be aware of the so-called "going rates" and competition in your marketplace but should not base your price structure on someone else's business- lifestyle, needs, and quality.

Marketing: What are you selling?- Art, photofinishing services, professional services? How is your product or serve perceived by your potential clients? If you are selling photofinishing services, all you can do is figure out your costs and overhead and tack on a modest profit. Unfortunately, you are competing with the "drug stores" and Cosco and a few mass-production labs. Even as a custom lab, you can't charge all that much and your profit will come from volume- if you can handle it.

If, however, you are offering ART or PROFESSIONAL services, you are operating in a different category. CLIFF said it all- it has to do with how good the work (and service) is and how much people will pay! If you need to charge more than your competition to make a go if it, you work and serve has gotta be a hell of a lot better or different for the run-of-the-mill to command a desire for your work and the price you need to get for it.

More good news- After you determine your finances and your marketing approach, you need to do the marketing research and determine whether or not there is a market for what you do in your geographic area. This has to do with the economy, the socioeconomic conditions, the buyg habits in your community and what is needed to break into the market and overcome any deterrents or negative issues. Oftentimes it takes some aggressive and innovative marketing.

Remember- you potential clients usually don't care about pixels, materials diffraction, mirrorless cameras or DSLRs or PhotoShop. They will judge you on your finsihed product, your performance, and your personality. Folks won't spend their hard-earned money with folks they don't like- BE NICE! WORK HARD!

dick ranez

The easy solution is to print it and give your friend the print. Let him worry about the work/expense/time of framing to his personal tastes. If you provide the print, matted and mounted, $25-50 plus the price of the frame, if any, seems reasonable.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

If you are only going to charge $25 you might as well just give it away. At 16x20 it’s going to take a prominent spot on some wall. $85-$100. Maybe $75 for a friend. If your friend won’t spend that then their interest may be more casual than you think.
...Cam

Bullfrog Bill Loc: CT

I sell un matted prints on 13X19 for $250 and $125 for friends and family.

woodworkerman Loc: PA to FL

I always charge 3 times my costs (materials and time considerations). So costs of time ($50/hour - say your time was 30 min) and materials $12, would be $37 times 3. Now if you are "starting" a business and want more word of mouth recommendations, you might temper that a little until you are established. Anyway, that's my 2 cents on the subject.

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

I think it all depends on how good of a friend he or she is. Just make sure you cover your costs and make sure they know what a deal they are getting. lol

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

I think it all depends on how good of a friend he or she is. Just make sure you cover your costs and make sure they know what a deal they are getting. lol