How much to charge??? - DPChallenge Forums

09/20/2009 11:19:23 PM · #1

I have a possible client... they want some family pics infront of a nice city scape... so basically I will have to spend several hours with them downtown Toronto (30 min from my house) taking pictures...

how much to charge???

they also want some studio style portraits... I have studio lights, ect... so don't need to rent anything... it would probably be another couple hours for that too

how much to charge for each of the two projects???

09/21/2009 12:23:36 PM · #2

bump

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

09/21/2009 02:24:31 PM · #3

bump??? help please =)

citymars

Nikon D700

09/21/2009 02:44:23 PM · #4

I'd help with advice if I could, Eric. But at least I can give you this little bump.

LoudDog

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

09/21/2009 02:54:03 PM · #5

(How much are you worth per hour) X (how many hours it will take) + (any extra fees you want to throw in) - any discounts you want to offer to be sure you get the job) = Price

Trumpeteer4

Nikon D7000

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

09/21/2009 02:55:29 PM · #6

That's kind of a tough question. I would see if you can find out what local photographers would charge for something similar, and kind of gauge it off that. Pricing depends on skill level, area, client, and a bunch of other stuff, so it's hard to give a cut and dried answer.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

09/21/2009 06:48:43 PM · #7

hmmm... well, this is a first for me, so I'd rather give them a deal to cover myself incase it doesn't go so well... it may take me a lot longer than a professional...

Here's the exact email they sent me...

Hello,

My husband and I saw your beautiful photo of the Toronto cityscape at Starbucks Sixpoints.

We are looking to take some family photos to insert into Christmas cards, and also for when my son turns 1 yr (Nov. 13 this year). In fact, it would be nice to maybe also have a pic of us in front of a beautiful urban cityscape (since you seem to do them so well)?

The photographers that we've dealt with in the past (Andrew Adams, Tobi Bos) are quite expensive and we are looking to save some money since this is not really a special occasion photography session. How much would you charge for a session (perhaps somewhere outside with a beautiful landscape)? How about the price of prints?

Thank you,

soooo what do you think I should do here... I was thinking like $100-$150 for the session... since it would be a couple hours driving around the city downtown Toronto......

too much? too little?

.

marcusvdt

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

09/21/2009 07:01:18 PM · #8

I use to take my children to a Studio here, where they take pictures for us and then we choose only those that we want. Each session lasts 30 minutes and we pay R$18 (US$9) for each 15cm x 21cm photo. If we want a high res digital image, the price is R$30 (US$15) for each photo.
This is different situation, different country, but maybe it's an idea for you to think about. Maybe you could ask for a mileage tax (to cover gas expenses with your car) and ask a fixed price for each photo.
Also, if I was you, I would call those photographers that they mentioned on their email message, and I would ask 50-60% or their price. You should count that it is your first time, so it will be also a great value for your experience, not only the money.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

09/21/2009 07:09:06 PM · #9

good point, I just checked their websites and they look very professional... first is a high end wedding photographer, second is a baby photographer...

so it looks like they blew the bank on their wedding, then again on their baby pics, now want to save some money for the family photos...

hmmm.... still can't decide.... ?

marcusvdt

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

09/21/2009 07:20:41 PM · #10

Originally posted by Shutter-For-Hire:

Why don't you call them and ask for the price... Tell some history, suppose you want to hire them... Get information and details about how is their model of work...
To start you must base on someone who is already working with that...

I tell you to ask for half their price (or even less) only because you're not experienced and you are more likely to make mistakes than those pros. Once you get experienced you can (and should) ask for a price proportional to your quality. I'm against those people who reduce the average of the market in any area. Each job has a value and it must be well paid.

Olympus 14-42mm f.3.5-5.6 ED Zuiko Digital Zoom

09/21/2009 07:27:47 PM · #11

true... what i'll do in the meantime is reply to the email and ask for more details about the shoot... then i'll try and call the photographers tomorrow...

ahjenny

Olympus E-620

09/21/2009 07:49:16 PM · #12

Something you may consider is asking them for permission to use their pictures in your portfolio, and asking them to pass on your contact information to their friends if they like your work. Word of mouth is a powerful thing. Good luck! :)

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

09/21/2009 11:29:13 PM · #13

well, she replied back and said that it would be basically portraits in the city for family christmas card followed by cool night shots just for fun... so probably a good couple hours...

it might even work out to a couple 2 hour sessions... can any photographers tell me what they would charge for that jsut to compare???

i'm going to try and call the photographers she used before but they might not give me a price over the phone...

so i need some prices for others on this site to base my price on....

thanks =)

MattO

Nikon D4

09/22/2009 12:10:58 AM · #14

Well a two hour session is two hours of shooting, then editing, the a proof session, then possibly cropping and sending off for prints, then delivering prints. But wait, they want the files so they can do christmas cards too? How many prints are they buying sell by the package or ala carte?

I'd quote them $150 for the session and proofing, then charge them full price for the prints, and offer to make the cards through a printing service and not give them a file.

Matt

09/22/2009 01:49:54 PM · #15

ok, sounds good, i'm telling her $150 for the session, now, how much to charge for the pics??? is there a factor I should multiply my cost by to get the end cost?

Message edited by author 2009-09-22 13:50:03.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

09/22/2009 06:59:24 PM · #16

ok... now she wants to know how much the prints will be, as it seems she has worked with professional photographers and she knows that they can get very expensive...

I have never done anything like this before... it has always been for friends/family and I just give them a DVD of all the jpg's after I finish editing them... (well, aside from a family wedding where I did all the prints to make sure they turned out right...)

here's here email to me:

"
Hi Eric,

Thanks for the info. I was still wondering about the cost of prints. This can make a big difference in terms of costs. Could you please let me know how that would work?

Thanks,

"

I really want to do this... so I don't want to overcharge... but I don't want to undercharge and make myself look bad... here are the prices in CDN at a professional lab in Toronto (PIKTO) where I am having some photo books printed for a wedding I shot...

4x6 - 0.45
5x7 - 1.75
8x10 - 5.00
8x12 - 5.00
12x18 - 12.00

I do lots of prints at Costco... They are DIRT cheap and if you know their printers well, you can get some great prints, but for clients, I should probably go somewhere professional to ensure consistency...

soooo what type of markup should I do, if any???

They also want to do christmas cards... I don't know how the hell that will work out... I have never done any of them myself before...

help =P

.

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

09/22/2009 07:44:49 PM · #17

All this printing business seems like a lot of work to me.

I might be an ass for doing this, but I usually show up for about 40 minutes, take some shots, am handed an envelope with $200, leave, then email any shots I like. That's it. Minimum time, and no driving around to pick up prints. No decisions over proofs. Word-of-mouth advertising through friends gets those gigs, not a lot, but I don't want to do a lot anyway. Always satisfied customers so far, and some repeat business.

It usually turns out to be a half day's work, all-in.