charging for photoshoots,,, - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

11/23/2009 01:57:07 PM · #1

I just did a photoshoot and kinda didn't discuss the price of the shoot... stupid me, I know...

Now it's done and the client ordered the canvas... how do i bring it up? (in email)

something like: "Hi, I just realized that we hadn't discussed the cost of the shoot yet. My flat rate charge for Car photoshoots is $150 including the time it takes to edit the photos....." ???

any suggestions? we kind just spoke for a minute on the phone, then met on site.... he didn't meantune it, and I didn't realize that I hadn't brought it up yet...

any suggestions would be great... soon I will have a website listing all my prices, but in the meantime i'm kinda all over the place and unorganized...

thanks!

.

karmat

Apple iPhone 7

11/23/2009 02:10:37 PM · #2

uhhh, not to be snippy, but if i called someone and arranged a photoshoot, and no price was discussed, either during the initial conversation or at the shoot, then, they called me up and told me i owed them $150, i would be a bit put out. as photogs, we understand the idea of being paid to take pictures, but many people truly don't know that happens. and again, not trying to be heavy, but if you didn't bring it up at the initial convo, nor at the shoot, it makes you sound almost scammy in bringing it up after an order has been placed.

however, i don't call myself a "real" pro, either. so, i'm sure there are some more seasoned shooters out there that will have better advice for you.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

11/23/2009 02:17:42 PM · #3

True... i'm not a professional, but when I bring several strobes and battery packs,ect, I appear professional to the client... so i would assume that it is implied.... But I haven't told him anything yet... so i would still like everyone's opinion...

I am not really going to be hurting if I don't get the money... I need the experience, but I really should get paid as The shoot took about 2 hours and I spent about two hours infront of my computer mucking around with the images...

it's my bad for not bringing up the cost as I assumed it was implied... but you have a good point Karmat...

any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated =)

.

disassociation

Nikon D2X

11/23/2009 02:35:30 PM · #4

personally i would handle it this way: (and i am in NO WAY a pro, so take it with a grain of salt!)

call him up (if you can, i think it is a little nicer than email to handle this sort of thing) and be all "i know i forgot to mention it at the time, and i apologise for that, but my shoots are $xx for xhrs."

if he gets snippy, then i would follow through with, "thats just so you are aware! because i screwed up this time we will have to work something else out/im going to let it slide."

as you can see, this probably would work better in a "real" conversation...

thats just how i would do it, being the generally unpaid amateur i am. a 4 hour session for experience would probably do me a lot more good than the bucks!

LMA128

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

11/23/2009 02:35:33 PM · #5

why don't you just call him and tell him you messed up and should have mentioned rates, but since you didn't give him a discount on the session fee...

disassociation

Nikon D2X

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

11/23/2009 02:36:24 PM · #6

"just so you are aware for the future"

blah, i need an edit button

11/23/2009 02:41:59 PM · #7

This is going to be a tough one... i'll have to think about it... thanks everyone! any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated as well =)

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

11/23/2009 03:10:19 PM · #8

any other suggestions?

Here's the end result from the photoshoot for reference... it breaks every DPC challenge rule, but it was what the client wanted...

.

aneyra

Nikon D300

11/23/2009 03:18:14 PM · #9

mmmm, have you mentioned prices for the canvas yet? you might have to make your money there. You could say "One item that I forgot to mention is the photo session cost, I usually charge 150 dollars for the session and it includes the editing. I am not sure if you were planning on a cost for the session, if so...is this charge reasonable?" If he frowns on it or feels uneasy, you might have to give him a discount or charge extra for the canvas and call it a lesson learned.

Let us know what path you took and how things went.

albc28

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

11/23/2009 03:28:02 PM · #10

The post below kind of took the words out of my mouth. You definitely should have mentioned it up front. But since you didn't, I don't think you should even bother bringing it up. I'd make the price back in the cost of the canvas. Obviously you can't charge to high of a price, but assume you gave him a discount (say half) on your shooting fee and include the rest of the cost in the price of the canvas.

Assume that he may think it's too high, then you can bring up that you waived most of the shooting fee, so the cost of the canvas includes time shooting, editing, and the order itself.

Dr.Confuser

Nikon D800

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

11/23/2009 03:36:22 PM · #11

Let it go.

The cost of this lesson in pro photography was $150.00. I am sure you will learn this lesson well so it will have been worth the tuition.

And I like the idea of having the "... in the future ..." discussion with your client but comp the fee as the cost of your error would be my suggestion.

Skip

Canon EOS-1D X

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM

11/23/2009 03:42:02 PM · #12

as others have said, forget charging him for this shoot. and don't try to make it up in pricing the canvas, either. you made a mistake, this time, and you'll only compound it by trying to over-correct.

give him the normal, regular price you'd charge for a canvas, and let him know you waived the session fee this time. know full well, there may not be a next time with this client. if he wants a canvas, he's happy with what you did, and he's going to have something that others are going to see. at least at this point, he doesn't have anything negative to say about you...

we all make mistakes like this starting out; one of the keys to long-term success is not making the same mistake twice ;-)

kleski

Canon EOS-7D

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

11/23/2009 03:42:29 PM · #13

How did the original conversation go when you were approached to do the shoot? Did the client realize he was hiring you to do a photo shoot or did he think he was hiring you to do a canvas? Depending on how the initial conversation went will weigh on your approach.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

11/23/2009 07:26:33 PM · #14

Thanks everyone... I think I have to agree with the point that I should suck it up and just let this one slide...

I won't bring it up and, hey... he may ask how much the session costed... not likely though...

I'd rather let it slide and have a happy customer that cause an argument...

One problem remains...

I will have to bring up the fact that I would have normally charged for the session or his friends may try and get the same deal...

How do I go about doing that?

.

karmat

Apple iPhone 7

11/23/2009 07:31:11 PM · #15

Originally posted by Shutter-For-Hire:

At this point, be up front with him. Let him know that you truly enjoyed doing business with him, and that normally a session like this would cost $XXX.XX or whatever. If he asks why it didn't this time, be honest and say it was an oversight and that since you didn't mention it at booking or shooting, you didn't charge him.

or something like that.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 ED

11/23/2009 07:32:59 PM · #16

I think that's just what I'll have to do... hey, he may even offer the money anyways.... =)

Thanks!

.

Apple iPhone 5

11/23/2009 07:52:20 PM · #17

Originally posted by karmat:

What she said.

I've made that mistake a few times when discussing work with clients (not photography, but coding or design jobs) Treating money like a taboo subject. Now I've reached the stage where it's one of the first things I mention. I need to know if they have the budget or I ask them how much they can spend. Saves time for both parties.

You also learn to identify time-wasters using this technique.

david1707

Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di II for Nikon

11/24/2009 04:13:23 AM · #18

I had this happen to me on a senior shoot I did for an acquaintance. I told them I wouldn't charge them for the shoot all they had to do was purchace the prints off my site and then I could use their photos as advertisement. They purchased NOTHING. And the shots I took were way better then the so called pro that did his first shoot. So, two hours worth of shooting and alot longer in post processing. At least he had a huge acne problem so I now have before and after shots of him on my site to show how I can clean up a complexsion.

Just tell him you waived the fee with the stipulation that he just spread the word on how great you are. BTW, I really like the shot.

idnic

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

11/24/2009 08:55:44 AM · #19

In the pro shooting world there are several different business models that work. Some charge a session fee to cover their upfront expenses and time. Others do not charge for the session itself, but require a minimum print purchase and charge enough for the prints to cover time and expenses. There are others, but you get the idea.

Since you did not discuss a session fee upfront, you cannot go back and ask for it after the fact. So my suggestion would be to build the session fee into your print price.

I hope you learned a lesson here, though. In the future, all costs should be discussed BEFORE a camera is ever touched. Then, even if its handwritten, you should have your client sign an agreement stating the costs you discussed so there is no question or problem down the road. When you are just starting out, its hard to talk about the money, but if you want to be paid, its a must.

AJSullivan

11/24/2009 08:59:05 AM · #20

Yeah, you are kind of shit out of luck on getting paid a session fee, and I wouldn't dare bring it up now, as you may lose whatever you were going to make on the canvas too.

hanserik

Nikon D700

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR DG IF-ED

11/24/2009 09:13:13 AM · #21

You could add a line to your invoice with the session fee, but with a 100% discount.