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09/19/2003 02:00:52 PM · #1 |
Someone has asked me to shoot some portraits of them and I have never done that before. They asked how much I charge. Where do I begin to figure out how much someone should pay me for taking their picture...a series of portraits to be exact! Please advise and thanks in advance!
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09/19/2003 02:49:21 PM · #2 |
Here is what I did for my first shoot, after conferring with here and with some others. Came out to be a fair deal. This is part of the emailI sent them.
Here is what I came up with and see if it agrees with you. I have figured that this may be the best way. If you don't like any of the pictures, then you don't have to order any and only out $30, and for me I get some compensation for my time to shoot and edit the photos.
A flat rate fee will be charged at $30.00 an hour.
A minimum of 30 photographs will be shot.
Orders will be processed/printed after review of the photos by the client from the photographer's website or from the preview CD and their acceptance and selection of the prints they wish to purchase.
The pricing for prints/orders will be as follows:
A sheet charge of $10 will be assessed. These will be purchased/ordered as full sheets, or if less than full sheets, will be billed as a whole sheet.
One sheet consists of:
One 8x10" photograph or
Two 5x7" photographs or
Four 4x6" photographs or
Eight Wallet sized photographs or
Any combination of the above that will fit into the dimensions of a 8.5x11.5" sheet.
Wallet sized only comes in groups of eight or one sheet.
The order will be placed through DPCPrints.com by the photographer and will be sent directly to the address of the clients choosing, after confirmation of payment has been made.
Through experience with DPCPrints.com and their policies, they will print and ship the photographs within a 24 hour period (see site for further details), and they are usually recieved by the addressee within 3 days after the order is placed when shipped by ground in the U.S.
I made a spreadsheet to figure this all out too (the prints/pricing) if you are interested. Let me know what kind of spreadsheet program you have also.
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09/19/2003 02:58:46 PM · #3 |
You might also want to consider a sliding scale for additional photoshop work - depends on how comfortable you feel about doing that though and if you feel your editing skills are good enough to charge for:
What I've typically seen with the portrait pros around here is something along the lines of
Level 1 artwork: face
Level 2 artwork: shoulders and above
Level 3 artwork: full body changes
Level 4 artwork: Full image edits
Basic colour balancing and contrast is free, but anything extra starts costing money. Typically the prices range from $50 for level 1 artwork, up to a few thousand for level 4 work on a medium format print for professional work, but it obviously depends on how good you feel your photoshop skills are and how much you expect your customers to be able and willing to pay.
Message edited by author 2003-09-19 15:07:37.
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09/19/2003 03:15:47 PM · #4 |
Four 4x6 prints won't fit in an 8x10 space.. .just two....
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09/19/2003 05:26:39 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Four 4x6 prints won't fit in an 8x10 space.. .just two.... |
Three, if you put one at right-angles to the other two. And earlier, it implied they're actually being ganged on 8-1/2 x 11. |
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09/19/2003 06:31:39 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Four 4x6 prints won't fit in an 8x10 space.. .just two.... |
Three, if you put one at right-angles to the other two. And earlier, it implied they're actually being ganged on 8-1/2 x 11. |
Not to be overly picky, but only 3 4x6 can fit on an 8.5x11 sheet. 2 next to each other taking 8 inches of the 8.5 and also taking away 6 inches from the 11, leaving only 5x8.5 space left for the remaining 1 4x6 to be printed.
I started using ACDSee PhotoSlate recently. I just tell it how many of each kind of photo you want to print and it figures out how many sheets it will take and it lays out the frames for you. Then you just drop the photos in the frames and print. Have a good paper cutter though. |
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09/19/2003 07:43:55 PM · #7 |
Technical, schmecnical. I have my portraits cropped to 8x10, so technically they would be 4x5. I just had them listed as 4x6 since that is what this customer was use to seeing. Besides, 1/4" border around the pic, and it "technically" fits. (C:
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09/19/2003 08:09:32 PM · #8 |
This is my personal view;
If they'd ask me (1 year of amateur 75% serious photography) to do this kind of thing for the first time(s) I'd do it for free/ cost of the prints + a small bonus for expenses like burning a CD. I haven't done such a thing before and I would see it as an opportunity to learn something, without making people expecting something for the price I'd charge. Like an investment in myself. I'd talk it trough with the people asking it, but they must not feel that I'm a pro deo forever person.
Not for portraits, but for static objects it happened to me lately. I was asked to make photo's for a book / deliver some of the photo's I had shot for myself. The hardcover book, 1000 pro-printed copies , will have about 20 of my photo's in it. One on the cover, several series filling a whole page and 1 or 2 full page size. The 'only' thing I get is a reservated seat for the book presentation, my name next to any of the photo's, a note on the page with stuff like publisher, writers, editors etc on it, and one copy of the 35 dollar book for free. :)
In the mean time I have got to know the publisher and some people at the company that is printing the book. Valuable relations for the feature perhaps.
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09/19/2003 08:20:59 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by Azrifel:
This is my personal view; In the mean time I have got to know the publisher and some people at the company that is printing the book. Valuable relations for the feature perhaps. |
You better hope that you get alot of work from them. What you have given up is
1. the money involved, and what they would have paid someone to do it (and I think with 20 pics with quite a few as full pages, this would be a decent paycheck). They, in my opinion, used you. And are making a big profit from it, which is their business.
2. You may have given up a little prestige. They will have the idea that they can pay you less, or not at all. This is not good for you or for other photographers. Other photographers could come to resent you for undercutting them and making the photos not worth what they should be on an open market. You should get compensated for your work...amateur or pro.
I can understand making the contact, but this could turn into one of those "casting couch" things. They use you and then your out the door. I hope it isn't
remember, these are in my opinion.
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09/19/2003 08:51:40 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by dacrazyrn:
You better hope that you get alot of work from them. What you have given up is
1. the money involved, and what they would have paid someone to do it (and I think with 20 pics with quite a few as full pages, this would be a decent paycheck). They, in my opinion, used you. And are making a big profit from it, which is their business. |
I know the amount of the paycheck. Legally, according to our nation's federation of pg's, the amount would be around 2000 to 2500+ USD. But I forgot to mention that in this case the profit goes to the restauration fund of a local church -not that I am a religious person, but if this had been just some book I would't have given this many photo's-. I also know the cost price of the print and the selling price. If I'd ask what I can ask, it would make a big dent in the budget.
2. You may have given up a little prestige. They will have the idea that they can pay you less, or not at all.
Possible, but I do not intend to make a living with it (yet) and next time I don't accept non-payment. If they don't want me, fine with me.
This is not good for you or for other photographers. Other photographers could come to resent you for undercutting them and making the photos not worth what they should be on an open market. You should get compensated for your work...amateur or pro.
Depends on the case, but you are right.
I can understand making the contact, but this could turn into one of those "casting couch" things. They use you and then your out the door. I hope it isn't
My main contact was one of the writers. Through her I have gotten to know several people. The writer (whom I know very good in private) said that my photo's would be very welcome and she placed them in her part of the book. Then they found out they were short of photo's and asked me to do some more. There were a few that were out of my league and those were done by a pro.
remember, these are in my opinion.
Thanks.
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09/20/2003 04:52:30 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by dacrazyrn:
Here is what I did for my first shoot ....
....
A flat rate fee will be charged at $30.00 an hour.
A minimum of 30 photographs will be shot.
...
Let me know what kind of spreadsheet program you have also. |
Your whole reply was like it was tailor made for me, I've been taking Portraits of friends and family and not making any money of it, usually coming out in the negative area. I made a few minor adjustments to my local area, being in Europe making the paper size A4 (little bigger than the Letter) and the pricing to my local currency.
I just wanted to thank you and was kind of hoping that I could get from you a copy of the spreadsheet too? I don't want to publish my email address here, so please send me a message and I'll reply with my email address. I'm using Microsoft Excel 2000 for spreadsheets.
I showed my version of the pricing to a few of my friends and family and they all said that it was both fair and even still cheap. So hopefully I'll get more photography work in continuance to this.
Feel free to check out my website at: //www.kcg.is (it's in Icelandic though) and "myndir" means photos :D |
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