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09/18/2010 10:25:40 AM · #1 |
hi all ..
i've been getting more requests to do various family portraits and related stuff ..
firstly i charged by the hour but its not working as one woman for example chose the shots she wanted me to process and told me how she wanted the finished work to look .. but after i'd done the editing, which included overlays and changing backgrounds etc, then went on to ask if i could put a person from another shot into the image .. she had similar requests for three images after i'd completed the editing .. that takes time .. in the end her job took me about 20 hours for 8 photographs ..
it starts to sound like more than anyone would want to spend when the printing alone can be over $50 per image depending on the size .. & i dont want to scare ppl off .. :)
i'm feeling that a flat rate would be more the way to go but i'm not sure how much i should charge ..
my question is how do ppl charge for the work they do ..
taking into account travelling, if applicable, the time spent taking the shots and the time spent processing them afterwards ..
how much should i charge for images that have very little work and look like photographs and how much when i spend hours to get a result that's more like an artwork ..
also printing .. should i get the printing done myself or give the clients the images to print themselves ..
:)
i've also been asked to design the home page of someone else's website .. how do i charge for that .. ?..:)
:)
Message edited by author 2010-09-18 10:27:55.
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09/18/2010 10:55:33 AM · #2 |
Bah, just bill a flat rate of 5,000 per shot... We all know that's the going rate for your work these days.. :)
Seriously though, just set yourself an hourly rate that you want to make, account for the unexpected by including a 5-10% margin for error, and bill accordingly.
I don't know that there is any advantage to bid/hourly rates, but you might find that both can be applicable, some customers won't care what it costs as long as the result is great(hourly customer), and some are on a budget and have a set amount in mind that cannot be exceeded (bid customer)..
*shrug*, I'm sure many people with much more experience than me will weigh in with more valid advice. |
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09/18/2010 11:00:36 AM · #3 |
| This may be of interest - Freelance Fees Guide. Some interesting points. It's UK based so remember to convert of course. |
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09/18/2010 08:21:23 PM · #4 |
Well it's a lot of questions and a lot of awnsers for those :)
For that kind of job I think the best aproach is to have a "sitting fee", that will cover for the time of the session and other expenses involved like traveling or studio rental. for example you could charge a sitting fee of 100$ and that will include 2 hour session and web based online proofing. It will cover the time of the sooth and 2 hours of minimum editing for the proofing. Just an example. Make you rcostumers understand that TIME IS MONEY, and you're spending time with them!
then you can charge the prints on the side, or the photo files. Remember that if you do a shootong for a family, let's say 4-6 people you could sell more that one copy of each print, but if you sell the files you will only sell ONE file of each. Your price should take that in to consideration.
When I'm doing wedding albums I say to the bride and groom that the album design is taken in to consideration in plire and up to 3 changes that they ask. After that the editind and design i s payed by the hour. |
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09/18/2010 08:36:03 PM · #5 |
Hi Roz
I could possibly help you with the printing if needed. I am having an Epson 7900 printer delivered on Thursday (yes Firsty I will put the jug on Friday morning). I am starting a small printing business and am looking at being able to send images out to both clients and photographers using a number of different paper mediums.
Cheers
Fiona
PS Congratulations on the award and magazine spread - I am picking up a copy when I next see it at the newsagents. |
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09/18/2010 09:10:59 PM · #6 |
Hey Roz,
Here in the Land of Headshots, photographers normally charge a flat fee for the session (which also includes one or two processed images of the client's choice). Additional editing is charged a fee per image. Sessions range from 1-3 hours (depending on the photographer) and include 1-3 different "looks". Hope that helps. |
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09/19/2010 05:58:33 AM · #7 |
I think the example you gave is an extreme case and should be treated as such.
There are primarily three ways to approach pricing: either an hourly rate, a package rate, or a hybrid. Determining the price is a matter of knowing what you need to make, knowing how much time you are going to have to put in, and having an understanding as to what your market will bear.
There used to be a great, nifty rate calculator at freelanceswitch.com, but they've taken it down; anyway, there's still lots of great tips on determining rates and prices.
As to time, that's a matter of efficiency. Personally, I try to get things as right as I can in camera, use Lightroom to batch process, and use an online gallery/shopping cart system that allows me to upload low-res images (as opposed to high-res, print-ready images). Other than selecting the images I want to offer, I hardly do any hand-editing beyond simple crops and rotations.
You need to know your market and set your prices accordingly. This really is your decision. The first thing to do is to research what other photographers are charging for similar work, then set your prices at the point where you feel your portfolio fits in with your competition. Where you are on the pricing spectrum should reflect your capabilities.
A key to realizing higher prices/rates is simply marketing. Work hard to build strong relationships with your clients so that you can get referrals and client quotes from them. As you establish a reputation for consistently delivering quality work, you'll find that the potential clients will be more concerned about availability than price.
In terms of deciding which pricing method (hourly, package, or hybrid), that's just a matter of what you're comfortable selling. If you've done the math, it really doesn't matter, because it all comes down to how much work you have to do in order to make what you need. Some photographers find it easier to offer fixed-price packages; the downside is that also makes it easy for prospects to shop primarily based on price. I prefer offering a sliding scale, saying that I start at #xxx an hour, but that number will go up or down depending on a number of variables, such as how many hours I'll be shooting, what I'll be shooting, how much equipment I'll need, how many images I'll be delivering, how much post-processing I'll have to do, how soon they want delivery, how the images will be used, etc. I make it clear that I can work with just about any budget, as long as the client and I are on the same page as to what they expect to pay and what they expect to receive.
Pricing is the single hardest thing for establishing a photography business. It takes more effort than anything else you'll do.
Again, the example you gave is extreme. You can avoid situations like that upfront with established pricing and fair estimates for how much work you are going to have to do. If you have enough experience to be able to look at your originals and know that a client is asking for 20 hours worth of hand-editing, it's a matter of you deciding how much you have to make to justify a half-week's worth of work and then asking the client what they have budgeted. It's beyond the scope of this post to get into the art of sales and negotiating, but that's what these particular situations will come down to...and that's second hardest thing about establishing a photography business.
Good luck! |
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11/18/2010 06:02:49 PM · #8 |
For regular sessions I charge a fee based on the amount of time I spend with each person. I have a set routine for post processing that includes my artistic vision. I do remove stray pimples and stains on shirts from the photos as a courtesy because it will make my work look better and I've priced my work accordingly.
I also charge an hourly rate for all additional editing like those your client has requested. |
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