HELP!! First "professional" portrait sh

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

06/02/2003 03:58:27 PM · #1

I have been throwing out the idea to many friends that I want to try to build a portfolio of portraits, and maybe try to make a little extra on that. One good friends wife is going to get some done for Father's Day (which I have no problem with), and I am only going to charge them for the price of getting them printed (on DPCPrints).
My problem (and nervousness) comes from a friend of hers that just called, and wants to get some done to send to husband in Iraq. The thing I am nervous about is, that, I am unsure what I should charge them. As I said, I would like to build a portfolio and get a "by mouth" reputation going, so I have alternative motives for it also. Of course, I will charge them for the prints. anyone have some insight on this? What do think could be fair? I kind of thought of like $50, or something, since I don't think it will take more than an hour.
Oh yes, this is going to be informal and outdoor shots. I figured on using a nice little park that has lots of trees and open areas, a lake, rocks and shrubbery, and meeting them about 6pm there. The sun is going down here around between 7:15 and 8pm. And I figured this would give me a little better light to work with. It is forecast for thunderstorms the rest of this week, but that usually yields decent light also. Any other thoughts?
I think I am just spewing a bunch of nervous rambling, but anything will help from my trusted DPC'ers.

thanks
tracy

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

06/02/2003 04:16:25 PM · #2

If I had initiated this as a way of getting portfolio shots, I would do the shoot itself for free (or maybe just expenses), in exchange for having ownership and a full release to use the photos.

If you were to be paid to shoot photos at their event, you run into the sticky ownership/copyright issue of "works made for hire."

If you shoot it for free for your portfolio (you could even pay THEM a purely nominal modeling fee), you'll own the photos, and you can charge them a fair(er) price for the prints, to make the total cost something you are both comfortable with.

Jak

Fujifilm FinePix S602Z

06/02/2003 04:30:31 PM · #3

Tracy: labour is honourable and should be paid for. If one does not value one's own time, no-one else ever will. While the creation of a portfolio is a value in and of itself and thus could justify free shots, when one is called out of the blue for a "job" I think a reasonable charge could and should be made.

timj351

Sony DSC-F707

06/02/2003 04:50:17 PM · #4

Outside shots are certainly beautiful but you may want to consider learning indoor studio shots as well. In the latest issue of Popular Photography & Imaging there is an excellent article titled 'Portraits Made Easy' which discusses some simple but very effective lighting set ups using 250 to 500 watt tungsten lights. I am very intersted in going this route as well to enable me to create controlled portraits in my home for both photographic prints as well as references for my traditional pencil portraits. I don't have the money for the really nice pro gear but I should be able to get some 250 or 500 watt lights cheaply and hand craft my own type of softbox. A gold and silver reflector should also be easy to make very cheaply. The beauty of using tungsten lights as apposed to strobes is that what you see is what you get and it makes it much easy to set up and control the lighting. Some of these setups, like the ones discussed in the article, can be very portable and can be used for the outdoor photography as well. As for the pricing, if your friends are receiving the photos than you should get some compensation as apposed to you strictly doing the shots for own practice. It can be minimal, between 25 and 100 dollars on top of the costs, but it shows that you can't just give away services for free but that you require some compensation. Good luck.

T

MikeO

Fujifilm x100

06/02/2003 04:50:40 PM · #5

While its nice to be able to mix buisness with pleasure i would decide which you want the most. You need the experience of taking portraits but you also need to lay down some ground rules for yourself. $50 an hour sounds ok to me.

bushfrenzy

Fujifilm FinePix S1 Pro

06/02/2003 04:52:37 PM · #6

so this is a friend of a friend. i would charge a fee. you may just be starting out as a professional, but you need to act professional and get what your worth. only you can determine that. but look at other pro's in the area and find out what their portrait packages are worth and go from their. all your work should be compesated for, from sitting fee (your hour to 2 in the park), to post processing (possibly a few hours), to getting the prints, and finally delivery. i'm new to this as well, but pro's charge a digital capture fee just like a film fee. so i would go 75 or 100 at least. but it also depends on where you live (i live near NYC).

also, why not buid up your portfolio by getting paid? friends are great for a portfolio. and if your trying to do portraits for your portfoio, be diverse. do athletes. children. business man. go to anyone. look at photographers online to get ideas. say you walk into a candy shop. ask the owner if you can get a portrait of him making the candy or with his equipment. offer him a print or 2 for his time. there you have a free model and its unique.

good luck.

timj351

Sony DSC-F707

06/02/2003 05:01:09 PM · #7

Some advice on pricing. I've done this and it has been extremely useful. Sit down and determine what you want to charge per hour and/or what you will charge for each size print and then print out that inforamtion on a wallet sized card or 8x10 paper so that you have it to refer to and to show your customers. This shows real professionalism and shows that you are not just pulling random prices out of your head. Even if you are giving someone a deal let them be aware of your pricing structure so they are aware of what they are getting. Often times when you are giving a friend a deal and they are aware of the full prices they will be inclined to give you a little more money if they are real happy with your work. Start professional right from the beginning and it will go a long ways.

T

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

06/02/2003 05:19:47 PM · #8

that is a great idea timj. Have to try to figure it out. These people are well aware that I have not done this before and that I am trying to "collect" photos to show around, etc.
the figuring out what to charge an hour is the tough part. The prints and time for post processing I think I can reason in without much problem, just that how much an hour. I have seen $150-300+ around, and for me at this time, do not think is very reasonable.

rll07

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

06/02/2003 07:04:16 PM · #9

I just charge by the sheet, do all digital work and then charge $40 per 8x10 or 2 5x7's. You are good and worth your time and expertise to get it done.

BigSmiles

Canon EOS-10D

06/02/2003 07:49:37 PM · #10

I think unless you're a professional and well established that $40 for an 8X10 is a bit expensive. The professionals I have talked to (with the exception of one) charge $17-30 for an 8X10 with most charging around $22. What I like to do is if I"m doing a portrait session to charge a flat rate for up to X hours and include one 8X10 or 2 5X7s (same pose). This way people will get a better idea of the total cost, and once they see all the other shots they will likely want to purchase more.

KarenB

Canon EOS-70D

06/02/2003 09:07:36 PM · #11

I have begun to charge $20 for an hour to shoot which goes toward their purchase, but then at least pays me for my hour. I thought of increasing that to $40, however. Then, I charge $15.00 per sheet (any combination of sizes), and they have to be full sheets, in other words, they cannot buy a half a sheet leaving me with a useless half (i.e. one 5X7 instead of 2). If they buy 6 sheets, they get a price break. I just did a shoot in April (Client), and they are purchasing quite a bit. :0) I am happy to be finally selling portraits on my own :)
It is a start.

Canon EF 90-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM

06/02/2003 09:51:08 PM · #12

Karen, I like the way you are doing it. Sounds great!
I am leaning towards Karens style, I am thinking I would charge $25 an hour, min. 30 shots, and $10-15 a "sheet," and a free preview CD sent to them (to plug the relatives with and of course in 72dpi at about 600x400)
but here is the other I have thought of.
$50-min 30 shots (don't care on # of poses)-1 hour (give or take 15 min). Get 5-4x6's of fav poses. And 2 credits (1 credit equals just one of these -- 1-8x10/or 2-5x7/or 4-4x6/or 8 wallets), and a preview CD.
Ya know...I think Karen's way is looking the sweetest. Get payed for the hour(s), but then if they don't like any of them...basically fair across the board (for now! Not when I am WORLD FAMOUS!! LOL). And then when they want more or extras, they know how much.
THANKS ALL!! Appreciate all the comments and help. I am feeling a bit less nervous now

aussie

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

06/02/2003 11:10:23 PM · #13

Tracy, I too am building my portfolio in Portrait Photography. The photos that I mainly take are of my friends, however, they still pay for their own prints if they wish to purchase any. I usually take about 50 photos all up and they can pick which ones they would like to purchase. I also burn the photos that they have purchased (if requested) onto cd and charge a little extra. Thanks for posting this thread, because I too was a little baffled as to what prices should be charged. I have some of my portrait shots in my portfolio if you would like to view, some are taken outside and some in my home studio.

inspzil

Olympus E-510

Sigma 50-500mm f/4.0-6.3 EX APO RF HSM for Olympus

06/03/2003 05:06:06 AM · #14

Tracy - If it were me, I'd charge like $30 "sitting fee" and that would cover one place. If you wanted it done in another location, another $30 for the pain in the butt moving all your stuff around. Nudes are complimentary :)

For prints, I'd charge them about 2 to 2 1/2 times what you are paying for them on the prints site. I'd do the basic cleaning up and retouching for free, and maybe one 8x10 processing. You might consider charging extra for anything bigger than that because the processing there may become more extensive if you have to resize & resample something 20 times to get it big enough. You probably won't make a lot of money in the print part, but hey "$10 is $10" - Getty Lee, "Take off To the Great White North"

I'm still personally in the free stages of my portraiture, but I have been thinking about it

Bob

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

06/08/2003 02:31:07 AM · #15

Whew!! Done with the shoot. It all went pretty well. The family ended up really loving the pictures. They even asked me if I would shoot a wedding next summer. YIKES! Don't think I am ready for that type of pressure. Got payed for the hour. They are deciding what pictures they want to get. I guess the more they like, the more I can profit on it, since I did a $10 sheet. WOOHOO!
Wouldn't mind a little DPC input on the photos. Portrait Shoot
It was just a casual shoot. And I would like to stay that way. Some of the pics, did not come out the greatest, so I tinted, and messed with em a little bit, not sure if they would like it or not, but it is a little variety. Anyone with other ideas? Thanks

tracy

Message edited by author 2003-06-08 02:33:42.

BigSmiles

Canon EOS-10D

06/08/2003 09:46:34 AM · #16

They look great! You did an awesome job.. I really enjoy the shot of the 3 women beside the stream.

Sonifo

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

06/08/2003 12:45:27 PM · #17

Nice work!!! Did you use any filters. I think you did great for you first time Tracy!

Inga_fang

06/08/2003 01:32:03 PM · #18

really nice photos:) , I just shot my first wedding...it is soooo hard..I liked the outcome but now my printer is down, so I have to tell them I canÂ´t give them the album until the printer has been fixed...then I could always go and get them developed by professionals...if u decide on shooting the wedding, good luck, it is one of the most challenging things out there, it really is a lot of work but also a lot of fun too