How much should I charge?

Question

I have a friend at church who wants me to take black and white photographs of her and her family. how much should I charge? I already know that im gonna have to borrow a 35mm camera cause my digital will not do black and white and im gonna have to buy the film and then make time in my schedule to take the picture and pay for the film to be developed.

i havent really charged anything for my pictures other than what they want to pay me but I already know that this friend doesnt know what she wants to pay me she wants me to give her a price but I dont have any clue what to tell her..

she asked me to take them and she said that she wouldnt let me do it without paying me to take the pictures and take time out of my schedule and get all the equipment

40.00 sitting fee (I will take 24-72 pictures so that you can have a bunch of pictures to choose from)
+20.00 equipment fee
60.00 after session

dependent on how proofs come out and what sizes you want
10.00 per 11x17
8.00 per 8x10
5.00 per sheet of 5x7 (2 pictures)
3.00 per sheet of 4x6 (4 pictures)
1.50 per sheet of wallet size (8 pictures)

total price will be
60.00(which I need after session)
+ price of photo size selection after seeing proofs and deciding which pictures you want.


^^ does this sound reasonable??

Answer 1

Your sitting fee is reasonable, depending on the size of the family they're actually getting a deal. Most retail studios like Sears and Penney's charge about $10 per person just to have their picture taken and then anywhere from $5 to $15 for an 8x10 sheet (1- 8x10, 9 wallets, 4- 3x5s, 2- 5x7s, whatever). The problem with most retail studios is that they can usually only hold about 6 adults and a few children in the camera room.

When I was beginning my studio, I did all my business through wal-mart of all places! I had to charge a little more for my prints, but thanks to the one hour lab I could get the proofs back to them the next day, or even an hour after the shoot if it was someone I knew. Now, I still get 4x6 prints from walmarts one hour because it's cheaper for me to do that, but I found a local photographics service that I get all my other sizes from.

My sitting fee includes my time and travel expenses, and the cost of the proofs, and I take that payment up front. I number the proofs and have the client give me the proofs and a list of their order. I charge $10 per 8x10 sheet because I can get my prints for cheap. I make sure that I get half of the order price at the time of the order, and the other half when I deliver. That way, just in case I blow the sitting fee on new equipment I still have money to pay for the prints and a little left in my pocket.

Don't be scared to tell them what your prices are and stick to them. If you're gonna charge one person $20 for an 8x10, you need to charge everyone you shoot $20 for an 8x10. The great thing about splitting up the payments is it takes away from the initial sticker shock. When you tell your client their total order is $300, that's a bit scary for both you and the client because they may turn around and change the whole order. But when you explain that you only need half of that now, and then in a few weeks you'll be back with the prints and they can give you the rest then, it soothes their nerves.

A helpful hint, don't just concentrate on the family together. Depending on your situation you have tons of different groupings. Take some shots of the family traditionally posed, then in some more natural positions, and then maybe some shots of just the parents in several different poses and some of just the kids. If either parent works behind a desk, it would be great for them to have a picture of their spouse and the kids for their desk. And then just to make yourself some extra cash, maybe get one parent with one child and the other parent with the other child. That makes a wonderful wall grouping, or if you're handy with photoshop - a great collage. Also, if you have something like photoshop, you can change your digital images from color to black and white very easily, or the place you plan on having your prints done might be able to help you with that. Just remember that the more megapixels you have the better quality and the bigger you can make the print!

I think this is a bit long winded, but I hope it helps!

Answer 2

Are you doing it to make money or more to help her out?

What you could do if you are just doing it to help her out is just charge her for your expenses: gas money, film, developing, prints or proofs, etc. Then if she wants to pay you something for your time on top of that, then she can.

If you are in it to make some extra money, I would take her financial situation into consideration. If she is fairly comfortable you might charge as much as $100 which would be a bargain if the pictures are good. If they really dont have a lot, you might consider just doing it to be kind.

Answer 3

Call around to some photo studios (including Sears and Penneys) and ask what they charge for a sitting and for x number of photos. Average the figures they give you, then discount that number by 30 to 40 %. You should make out well, and your friend will consider it a bargain.

Answer 4

After you figure out all your expenses, film, developing, proofing, your time, etc.add 100% as your profit.