Print Pricing / Customers expectations :)

04/13/2010 01:01:02 PM · #1

Good morning everyone,

Do you ever get anyone asking you "do you offer packages or sheet pricing?"

I have gone 2 years w/out having this, and now all of a sudden I've had 3 customers this week ask me. Just very curious if this is a new thing. I understand I can easily say "no ma'am, I do not offer sheet pricing / Packages it's all as it's stated on my site that you apparently liked enough to book me for and read", but I just wanted to get the opinions of all of you. I keep quite a bit of business for this to be an "on the side" business, but there are a number of other photographers in town that have popped up and are offering lower print prices as they get started. (nothing against them, good friends w/ some of them and they do good work)

My print prices are as follows. am I way off line here?

-=Print Prices=-
4x6s: $10.00
5x7s: $15.00
8x10s: $25.00
11x14s: $45.00
16x20s: $85.00
20x20 : $100.00
20x24 : $115.00
20x30 : $130.00
24x36 : $150.00
30x30 : $150.00
30x45 : $185.00
Wallets : $20.00 (sheet of

I guess i'm just looking for opinions as I move forward. It's been working very well for the 2 years(ish) I've been in business, but just wondering if there have been some out there hit with lower priced competition coming in and possibly changing the expectations of the local market / clients.

Thanks in advance. (no offense meant if said local photographers happen to come across this ha)

04/14/2010 08:25:45 AM · #2

any takers today? ;)

Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD MACRO w/Canon Nikon mount

04/14/2010 08:38:19 AM · #3

is that per picture?? seems fairly high to me if it is

04/14/2010 08:46:46 AM · #4

Yes, that is per picture. I've had them set at that rate for a good while now, and they tend to be quite a bit lower than some of the established shops in bigger cities in the area, but around what the other shops in town are charging. They are a bit higher than some of the new photographers that are popping up around Magnolia, but seem to be right in the middle. I really appreciate your input/any input at all!

Thanks!

Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD MACRO w/Canon Nikon mount

04/14/2010 08:50:26 AM · #5

well my thoughts on it are if the new business are getting more business or hurting you a bit in sales, then lower your price a little, just a dollar here and there. As for the packaging, I would consider it.

have you seen what the other shops are providing to their customers?

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

04/14/2010 09:25:07 AM · #6

I was charging $25.00 per 8x10 back in the 1970's for cripesake. It's hard for me to believe people think it's too much now...

R.

Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD MACRO w/Canon Nikon mount

04/14/2010 09:36:55 AM · #7

I am not saying his work does not entitle him to that price. He can charge whatever he wants.

I was looking at it from a customer point of view.

I am a single Mum with 3 kids, walk into his shop and see the price list. He may well be the most amazing photographer in the world and cover all 3 kids in pure gold sprinkles. But as a Mum, I would go next door for my portrait shot of my kids if it was cheaper. People are now shopping around, not just going and getting things done right away.

I think now in this economic time, when Sears and Walmart etc have a portrait package for like 20 bucks most (not all) people are going to go there. Granted they aren't the best at all. But it IS price that determines a lot on what families pay for these days.

I am not trying to be mean or slam anyone, I am just looking at it from a customer point of view, versus a photographers point of view. Does that make sense?

kashi

Nikon D60

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G

04/14/2010 09:40:52 AM · #8

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

I was charging $25.00 per 8x10 back in the 1970's for cripesake. It's hard for me to believe people think it's too much now...
r
R.

When they can get an 8x10 for less than $5 at WalMart, they're definitely going to balk at $25, unfortunately.
I've found most people don't actually believe there is a quality difference.

Kelli

Canon EOS-D60

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

04/14/2010 09:46:22 AM · #9

I have to agree with Juliet. Most parents are looking for a package because they have family they want to hand out picture to. Most places that do kids portraits offer packages for between $20 to $45. Those are the ones they hand out. The places usually make their money on the sheet prices after that which is usually around $20 to $25 a sheet. Of course, they usually have the volume to do this. You have to remember just how many people have digital cameras now. They can take 400 shots, pick out the one they love and have it printed at Walgreens for 4 bucks for an 8x10 and 25 cents for a 4x6.

geoffb

04/14/2010 11:00:01 AM · #10

It's hard to say what you should charge, as most of us won't be familiar with the Magnolia, Arkansas market. For those that are gasping about his prices, however, Bear has it right -- those prices would have done fine in 1970, let alone today. If you want Wal-Mart prices, you get Wal-Mart quality, too. Not just of prints and products, but quality of service, too. And to those who think $10 for a 4x6 or $25 for an 8x10 is too much, that's fine -- photography quality isn't of the same priority for you as it is for those willing to go somewhere better than Wal-Mart. If, heaven forbid, your kids were gone tomorrow, however, would that $25 for an 8x10 seem so bad? Sure, the Wal-Mart shot would document them, but the inks would be green and magenta in 5 years, the poses would be static and uninteresting, and the photographer would not draw their personalities out to be immortalized in print.

As for

jerowe, I'm curious about your mindset in pricing your prints. Why is a 16x20 $60 more than an 8x10? I'm sure you put the same amount of work into creating the image no matter what size you print it at, and yet I doubt your COGS for a 16x20 is $60 more than the 8x10. If you price your work as pieces of paper, you'll get people like in this thread comparing you to Wal-Mart.

Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD MACRO w/Canon Nikon mount

04/14/2010 11:13:26 AM · #11

I completely agree with you Geoffb.

I know as a photographer that his prices are okay, I know he will have better prints, quality, I know the time and effort he would put into editing a shot. His website is gorgeous.

But as a customer, wanting value for money. Most people are going to go to Walmart, or print their own.

In this economic time, I believe that people think the photography business is a luxury, an expensive that they can not spare, when every relative has a point and shoot, get it for free, or go to Walmart. Remember people looooooooooove a deal., and going to Walmart and getting sheets and sheets of photos for $20-30 bucks, to THEM seem like a deal , versus getting 3 4x6's

It is tricky right now, lets pretend he turns around and says 'No I do not do packages" those 3 customers may go somewhere else, may not recommend him to friends and family. So he could lose out on a lot of business.

So lets say he still says no, but then chimes in and says, well next week I am running a special on friends and family. I will do this package for you and then give 6% off overall of any prints your family would like to buy, and if any of your family come in and have a session, I will give you 3% off you pictures that you buy.

Myself, as a customer< I would jump at the second choice, whilst as a photographer, I would lose a tiny bit of money compared to all the recommendation and pictures that I could be selling to friends and family.

Message edited by author 2010-04-14 11:14:44.

robs

Canon EOS R6 Mk II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

04/14/2010 11:23:10 AM · #12

This got longer then I intended and I ramble around :-)

Not sure why all the discussion of prices... because I don't think that is the real question. If you try to compete on price with Walmart/Target/Sears/Whatever they will kill you.... Don't try is the only way to survive. If these customers are looking at you like Walmart then to be honest they are not clients (those words have different meanings to me) and they are not customers you really want either.

To me the question is one of perceived loyalty and that intangible "Value for Money" thing.... If they really are clients (meaning they can see the extra quality/service/style/e.t.c. and don't want just the cheapest passport style) not customers shopping on price then the package question is really will you cut me a break if I spend more $ with you to show I am important. [As an aside... There is some great discussion out on the ether on why manufacturers put out base model products... it's to sell more of the mid range models not because they expect people will buy the base model]...

It's too hard to say and you have to make the call on what the local market and your services can hold but what about increasing the base prices BUT adding packages so that if they buy - I dunno just throwing out an example as there is many ways to skin this cat and you would need to know your average sales and what not to do this - after you buy half a dozen the the next 1/2 are 50% off. Or - Buy a large 16x20 and get 2 8x10's free.... You get the idea.... Your incremental costs are lower for more sales of the same images and thy get a cut and feel like a client not a customer....

04/14/2010 11:44:19 AM · #13

Originally posted by robs:

very well said, thanks very much! great ideas here

04/14/2010 11:45:50 AM · #14

Originally posted by JulietNN:

Makes perfect sense, and gives me a great base for a median price. Thank you very much :)

LindaLee

Canon EOS-40D

04/14/2010 12:19:42 PM · #15

Some interesting articles that discuss the downside of lowering your prices, among other things related to how you do your photography BUSINESS -(yes, this discusses mostly wedding photography, but it pretty much applies across the board):

Pricing your photography: Black River Imaging/Digital Buzz

Are you really a pro photographer: Black River Imaging/Digital Buzz

And you call yourself a professional: Photofocus - Scott Bourne

You certainly may not agree with all of it, but they make some very good points about the danger of de-valuing yourself.

LindaLee

Canon EOS-40D

04/14/2010 12:21:41 PM · #16

And I meant to add:

It shouldn't be so much about "customer expectations" as it should be "customer education" for professionals these days .

Message edited by author 2010-04-14 14:10:14.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

04/14/2010 02:04:26 PM · #17

Great information here, everyone...this is helping me out a lot. Thanks very much!

EL-ROI

Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi

04/14/2010 02:37:55 PM · #18

Just wanted to offer a personal experience about packages.

I've had the "opportunity" to purchase two sets of portrait packages since my daughter was born last year...

We got a gift club membership to Sears where we were entitled to attend any day of the work week and upon presentation of the card receive a free 8x10 portrait with the sitting fee waived. Well, my wife and I had absolutely no time to use this gift but we decided we would get a christmas picture done so we used the gift given to us. Well let me tell you when I had the pictures taken for Christmas, they didn't care a thing about my club card and when all I wanted was a CD of the pictures so we could go make our christmas cards they wanted to charge me $300 for the CD but, they would throw it in for free if I bought the bronze package at $190.00... $270.00 later after they failed to waive the sitting fee with my club card I got my CD and a package of prints, half of which I didn't like. But in the package I got something like 10 sheets including:

1 10x13, 4 8x10, 2 5x7 and 3 sheets of wallets.

And they actually had the nerve to have some pre-printed calendar pages which I never asked for when I went to pick up the prints 10 days later and told me I could by them for $25 a sheet. Talk about pick pockets!! Never again going to Sears!

Second opportunity was at Day Care where she had her picture taken and they printed out 10 sheets of pictures of various sizes for about $70.00 (Which I didn't think was a bad price after dealing with Sears) and if we didn't want them we could send them back. I honestly felt that having the prints pre-made was kind of a dirty trick. I mean who wants pictures of their kids floating around out there??

Anyway, that's my little rant and next time I am saying no to my wife and spending the $340.00 on a light kit so we can have unlimited sittings at no fee and pay $1.99 per sheet with professional quality prints from Smug Mug!