How do I know how much I should charge for my photographs?

Question

I am in contact with a gallery who might be interested in showing my work on consignment.

However, they want me to submit photos with prices and I have no idea how to charge or what to charge? I dont want it to be too cheap or I wont make money, but if it is too expensive no one will be interested. HELP!! How do I decide what the right price is?

Some of you have asked to see the photos. I dont have them posted anywhere on the internet. If you'd like, I can email you some to see. I dont have any other way of showing you.

Answer 1

i would be honest with the gallery and tell them that you haven't really sold any before and you aren't sure what to charge.

they should have someone there who can appraise your work and help you decide on prices.

be sure to take into account in the fee:
-cost of your time to take photo
-any modeling costs
-any developing costs
-any paper costs
-any framing costs

so, take these things into consideration and that should give you a starting point.

take care and congrats!

Answer 2

Keep in mind the commission charged by the gallery, usually around 15%, and whatever costs associated with the display, frames, easels, hangers, etc. Just starting out can be quite confusing, but the gallery should have someone on staff that can assist you with your pricing, giving you a guideline such as previous works displayed by other artists which they sold. I would also visit this gallery and make sure it does display your pictures to your satisfaction, and there are sufficient visitors that are likely to purchase...called demographics..... If there are no previous artist displays before yours I would ask for a reduction in their fees, even though you are new....sometimes when the gallery will not reduce the fees, the amount of time displayed can be upped to your benefit. I would also either be on hand to answer any potential customer's questions or at the very least furnish a description with each purchase, including an email address, telephone number, or a way to contact you. Remember that these customers are potential future customers too and can sometimes be willing to hire you to do portraits of their events such as weddings and family portraits, etc. if you are interested. Make the most of the opportunity
...jj

Answer 3

You have two issues in your question:

First - what is your time, out-of-pocket cost, and effort worth?

Second - What is the subjective market value of the art you have produced?


So, FIRST:

You should try - and may not always succeed - in at least getting back what it cost to produce the photos. You can price your own time in comparison with what you might have been paid for a job you are qualified to do, whether it's minimum wage, $15 an hour, or more. Even with digital photography, there is still out-of-pocket expense - amortization of your equipment, cost of making prints, cost of mounting and framing, and so forth.

Try to put a realistic value on the tangible results using this method, and then add 20% for your return on investment.

SECOND:

You are a newcomer in the business. You have not yet established a name and a marketplace. So you must rely on the quality and presentation of your photos to attract buyers.

Most galleries add a mark-up (sometimes a multiple of YOUR price) to what the artist expects to receive from sale of a piece. Anticipate that your have to consider what the real artist's price is, and that it is less, than whatever the gallery is charging for other works by newcomers whose general style is similar to yours.

Then, between the "production value" of the photos, and the "art value" you see in others' works, you can come to a comfortable average for your own prices.

Make sure the gallery understands that if you become quite popular and your works can be priced higher, YOU are also taking a share of the increased prices. The gallery might just decide to REALLY increase the sales price and only pay what you originally asked. NOT fair!

Finally, try to publicize your exhibit when it is about to be presented. that could help a lot in establishing you.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Is there any way you can compare your photographs with others in the gallery and price them accordingly? Or perhaps you can go online and find other photographers' prices to compare. Start out a tad lower than you'd like to charge and if they sell, the next time you can "up" the price. Congratulations, it's good they are showing an interest. If the gallery likes your work, they might suggest that your prices are too low or too high and you can take their advice and make a change.

Answer 5

If I was on your place I would ask a help for a photographer agent.
I've learned either models and photographers the agent is the real key because they have the right connection's and they know how to make an evaluation not allowing galleries or magazine takes advantage of you or screwing to your career.
On this business the right step is the most essential and on this case the agent.(that's why sometimes we see a Snoopy poster for example has a such great value, because the people behind that knows how and who to present it) Exposing your work for the wrong gallery or crowd will lead you to wrong critics that can causes you problems.
A picture on a right place with the right people to appreciate it will gets you the biggest value and recognition that will provide support to your career.
The agents do have a high fee but unfortunately it is essential on a start. In the future when you already have the connections needed and had learn how the business's work you can get a cheaper agent whom having you as on of its client its a deal too.

Answer 6

I was really disappointed ito read the "prostituring my work" comment. A professional photographer is just what the term says it is: a profession. If your work has value, someone should be willing to pay for it. An artistic sense and eye takes time and effort to develop, just as the talent in any other profession.

Be proud of your work. If a gallery is willing to offer you space to showcase your images, it means that someone there recognizes the commercial potential. Gallery space is like commercial real estate. It needs to produce revenue, or else it's wasted.

I read someone's suggestion that you go to other galleries and get a feel for what similar photographs are priced. Don't be tempted to undersell your work Price yourself somewhere in the median range. Consider, also the type of paper and printing process used in processing your images. Archival paper and fade-resistant inks are essential. No one will want to pay good money for a photo that will fade in a year or so. Remember, the images people buy from you will not be tucked away in some album. They will be hung, sometimes in a sunny area. This will fade your ordinary drug store prints.

Sucess may take some time. Be patient. Meanwhile practice your craft. Keep educating yourself and work on improving the the product.

Once you have sent the gallery the first samples of your photographs, don't be afraid to tell THEM you are just beginning to show your work. They can offer good advice about printing, papers and pricing.

Another piece of advice. If you are also selling prints on your own, outside the gallery, don't undercut their prices. They are trying to help you develop your business. Be fair to them, They can reach markets you may never see on you own.

Congratulations and good luck!

Answer 7

Maybe people asking your for your pictures think the pictures are of you.

All I can tell you about is a "consignment" dress shop...they owners of the shop choose the best and in-style clothes and display them. The prices on them are dirt cheap so that people can walk out of there with armfuls of clothes. Then the shop keeper gives you like cents on a dollar, or never gives you anything and never calls you back to tell you that. That's what "consignment" means to me. Means they get a cut and you get very little.

I would think your photos would do better if they were submitted in contests to try to win a prize.

I know when I go to galleries I go to just see the display and get ideas.

Why not just make a visit to see what the other people are charging for their pictures.

Answer 8

Keep in mind the commission charged by the gallery, usually around 15%, and whatever costs associated with the display, frames, easels, hangers, etc. Just starting out can be quite confusing, but the gallery should have someone on staff that can assist you with your pricing, giving you a guideline such as previous works displayed by other artists which they sold. I would also visit this gallery and make sure it does display your pictures to your satisfaction, and there are sufficient visitors that are likely to purchase...called demographics..... If there are no previous artist displays before yours I would ask for a reduction in their fees, even though you are new....sometimes when the gallery will not reduce the fees, the amount of time displayed can be upped to your benefit. I would also either be on hand to answer any potential customer's questions or at the very least furnish a description with each purchase, including an email address, telephone number, or a way to contact you. Remember that these customers are potential future customers too and can sometimes be willing to hire you to do portraits of their events such as weddings and family portraits, etc. if you are interested. Make the most of the opportunity

Answer 9

Good for you! I was a photographer agent for a while and was able to get my 1st client a job at a major airline for their tourist catalog; how? By sheer luck and perseverance! This was before almost everything was on the Internet, so I made phone calls; I think in many cases, people miss that "personal" contact; You obviously must be good for a gallery to want to sell your wares; do you have any friends in the art field? ask them how much they think your work is worth; also, do massive research on line; figure out how much each photo actually cost to produce(your time, cropping, framing,cost of photo itself and add an appropriate mark up; how much commission is the gallery going to take? Where is the gallery and are they going to advertise or is that up to you? What city is it in ( a major city like NYC or LA will usually command a much higher price); are the photos one of a kind or will you have a "series" of them/limited number of? Don't be afraid to ask the gallery what they're worth; call a couple of "agents" and ask them to look at your work and see if they'll represent you (another commission, but maybe you can at least invite them to the show and talk business later); don't be afraid to send invitations to various "artsy" venues in your area; the 1st time is always the hardest....

Answer 10

i am having the exact dilemma. a friend at work asked me to photograph her wedding based on the photographs she has viewed of mine. i too, own a d60 and am not a professional but i will say, my photographs look better than alot of professionals that i have seen. i just had my first paid family photo shoot in which i charged 100$ which included a disc of the edited images. i was unsure if i should have even charged that much considering that i wasn't a "professional". i shot for about an hour and a half. after deleting the bad ones i ended up with about 90 images that were worth framing. it ended up taking me about 8 hours to edit them! from that alone i learned a little more on the work that is involved. doing a wedding is on such a larger scale. if you think you are capable of documenting the wedding in the way that they are hoping i would definitely do it. i would also definitely charge atleast a few hundred dollars. computer work alone is worth that. i do agree, have something written up that protects the fact that you are not a professional. if this is a low key wedding then it's a great way to expand your photography and you will gain experience as well. i went back and forth trying to decided if i was going to commit to this and i have decided to go for it. i would like to work toward building a career in photography as well, and you do indeed have to start somewhere. hopefully you have time to prepare. the wedding i am doing is not until june so i will have plenty of time. we are meeting tuesday to go over everything including price. i am going to charge 1,000.00$ that will include complete coverage of the entire wedding day through the entire reception. i am going to give her a book with her proofs as well as an edited cd. after the time i spent editing 90 photos i can only imagine the hours i will put into a wedding but i know i will regret this oppurtunity if i let it pass me by. just don't underestimate the long, hard work that it will be. don't feel bad for charging something. and just a little tip-for my family shoot i had looked through other photography websites to get posing ideas as well as thinking up unique ones of my own. i had typed them all out and went over and over them so i wouldn't be scrambling for ideas when the day arrived. have an assistant on hand and do your very best! good luck!

Answer 11

That's cool that a gallery is interested in showing your work! Congratulations! I would suggest to show your pics to some friends and see what they think they should be priced at or you can call a photographer and asks his opinion. Also make sure that if they tell you that one of your pictures should be priced for 20 dollars, and is originally one of your best photos and has the precise focus from the apatear then I would price it for over 45 dollars if it has the necessary light and focus on the object (or objects you were photographing) Thanks and good luck!

-onechicklett