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As a photographer how to decide on a certain pricing for your clients?
#1

Hello

I am thinking of taking my photography to the next level by doing some photo shoots and trying to spread the word about my talent and build my client database.
I am wondering how should one come up with a certain pricing menu for the clients?

Samy
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#2

What credentials do you have..What Photography Exams standard have you reached?
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#3

(Jun 12, 2013, 08:24)samyshah Wrote:  Hello

I am thinking of taking my photography to the next level by doing some photo shoots and trying to spread the word about my talent and build my client database.
I am wondering how should one come up with a certain pricing menu for the clients?

Samy

Same question bothering me first when I started to enter the business of photography. I started to research on what type of photography Im going to cater and some photographers that are into that kind of type. See the're level of shooting and rate your self in comparison with them. Second thing I did is, to do my Cost of doing business (CODB) Here's a sample from NPPA Then recompute and see if my rate for my self can be good enough to my CODB. If not there might be missing or wrong. It is either I am not that qualified yet to be on this rate (needs more seminar and practice to do) or need to re adjust some expenses that is right for a small business. A famous photographer in wedding told me once that I should start from low (not to stay there forever but to get more folios and work hard fast to climb up) and rate based on your experience and level of shooting.

PhotoPlay Photography
What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
~Eleanor Powell
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#4

Great ideas and love the calculator resource! Thanks for sharing!

Barbara - Life is what you make of it!
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#5

(Jun 13, 2013, 08:42)Pablo8 Wrote:  What credentials do you have..What Photography Exams standard have you reached?

This is one thought to consider, but not a must have if you are really good at photography. I have to say when I graduated from my degree in Radiological Technology to do x-rays - I learned much more in the field beyond the basics that I was truly amazed! The hands on experience far outweighed the degree itself in my situation.

My schooling did help me learn positioning and central ray angulation as well as the physics part of the job. It also helped me learn the basics of processing films and using crystal screens and so forth to increase quality of the films and such. Don't get me wrong - the degree was important but the hands on experience far outweighed what I learned by experience.

Hope you are enjoying the forums here. Thanks for sharing!

Barbara - Life is what you make of it!
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#6

(Jun 13, 2013, 17:05)Barbara G. Wrote:  Great ideas and love the calculator resource! Thanks for sharing!

Anytime Smile This one is better compare to what they have before

(Jun 13, 2013, 17:09)Barbara G. Wrote:  
(Jun 13, 2013, 08:42)Pablo8 Wrote:  What credentials do you have..What Photography Exams standard have you reached?

This is one thought to consider, but not a must have if you are really good at photography. I have to say when I graduated from my degree in Radiological Technology to do x-rays - I learned much more in the field beyond the basics that I was truly amazed! The hands on experience far outweighed the degree itself in my situation.

My schooling did help me learn positioning and central ray angulation as well as the physics part of the job. It also helped me learn the basics of processing films and using crystal screens and so forth to increase quality of the films and such. Don't get me wrong - the degree was important but the hands on experience far outweighed what I learned by experience.

Hope you are enjoying the forums here. Thanks for sharing!

Woahh.. You're in medical field before. Same here Barabara. And now into our passion and dreams of photography ei Smile Nowadays since technology can really be understand and learn from the internet. Degree is really not important in photography. There are lots of people who really excel in photography who don't have a degree is Example 1 Joey L. and Example 2. They started as innocent photographers who just have this love to lighting. But one thing in common they're sharing. Learn and shoot on your own way can bring you somewhere unexpected. Keep on shooting.

PhotoPlay Photography
What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
~Eleanor Powell
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#7

Yes, I have been registered for over 20 years in x-ray. I have worked in surgery, general radiography, and emergency room. I truly liked working in the ER - although I had to get used to seeing a lot of bizarre things!

My daughter has had multiple heart surgeries, so I have been home with her and working from home to make it possible for now. I do keep my credentials up and may go back into working in the medical field when I get my kids "taken care" of through this time. It will be a few years or so. Thank you!

Barbara - Life is what you make of it!
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#8

There are always three spheres to consider in any business.

(1) Cost to run the business - Supplies, Labor, & Utilitarian Requirements (Advertising, Marketing, Promotions, Equipment, Building Space, rent or purchase - Location and Timing and Start Up Cash Available). And watching the Inflation impact is an ongoing review process for adjusting prices.

(2) Qualifications - Training, Experience (Awards help - notable clients help), & Passion (This is a must, you much have a passion for this business).

(3) Learn as much as you can about your Competition, there pricing, there experience, there charisma vs. your charisma - this can be over came - I have a very low charisma rating, but I have over come this, I'll explain later.

Now with all this - making notes as detailed as possible is important and perhaps a little accounting knowledge will help - keeping a balance sheet is important, just to know where your business is at financially. This will help in making pricing adjustments.

Like a said Passion even for the boring part - the paper work.

Now back to the charisma - Determining your charisma level is easy - how many people are considered friends compaired to your competition. Believe it or not there are clients that will do business with one studio - just because they like the owner and that owner might will have a solid porfolio of tacky but quality on an average scale. But for whatever reason - people like the owner and year after year bring their children in for portrats, then weddings, then the grand children.

I once worked for a photographer who had a client who brought the daughter in every year since her birth - for a nude portrait. That's right - this is just how much charisma this guy had - the ladies loved him. And for 18 years this chlid got a nude photo made every year on or near her birthdate. Strange but True - not sure what the parent was thinking, or the philosophy behind this - but I am certain it was charisma and the trust there in. As well the studio displayed them with the parents permission in their up front gallery of their work. This owner was not only charismatic he was also a very very good photographer. Women flocked to his business and some wanted a nude portrait as well - they didn't want to be out done by some child.

As for me - I have never had much charisma - seems I made friends with people much older than myself - and so most of my close friends have passed away or moved far away for their retirement.

So in order to over come my low level of charisma - I took a more technical route - doing whatever would offer the client something that the competition did not offer. So I concentrated on high quality equipment, as well equipment geared more toward industrial, and scientific as well as high end engineering.

The film age was just getting more and more clumsy and costly - So I embraced the digital age in a hurry. Maxing out the Mega Pixels - well ahead of the competition. As well I advanced to larger print formats - assembly style photography.

So for me, and back to your main question of pricing - well my pricing has actually gone down over the years. I deal more in very technical specialized products - where the must see the details is critical for the client. And during this recession my pricing has actually dropped - I was charging $75 per product - now I am only charging $70 per product - and for some clients with a volume of work and a simple one view product $15.

So perhaps you want to see a web folio of what I have worked on in the past. Remember, this the web folio is more creative work from the past - and today more of my work is technical product work - not much of that in the web folio.
Also, Photography is not my only realm of income - I also do Graphic Design, as well as Illustrations. and in some projects I perform in all three markets. Diversity of skills in a one stop shop is also an angle that is rare but can work out as it has for me.

Anyway, now you know my price range - now see how I survive:

http://www.dandickensneunoizstudio.com
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#9

(Jun 13, 2013, 11:06)PhotoPlay Wrote:  ...A famous photographer in wedding told me once that I should start from low (not to stay there forever but to get more folios and work hard fast to climb up) and rate based on your experience and level of shooting.

I couldn't agree more. Cheap is good for the beginning. Jobs are easier to get and experience is not about how much money did someone make but in how good the photos are and how happy are the clients.
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#10

(Jun 14, 2013, 07:32)Barbara G. Wrote:  Yes, I have been registered for over 20 years in x-ray. I have worked in surgery, general radiography, and emergency room. I truly liked working in the ER - although I had to get used to seeing a lot of bizarre things!

My daughter has had multiple heart surgeries, so I have been home with her and working from home to make it possible for now. I do keep my credentials up and may go back into working in the medical field when I get my kids "taken care" of through this time. It will be a few years or so. Thank you!

Oh I see. Hope she's doing good now. I've been in ER medicine for 2 years and had one experience that made my passion turn into photography. It turns all the way around and started to embrace my family more than I do before. Smile


PhotoPlay Photography
What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
~Eleanor Powell
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#11

(Jun 17, 2013, 14:41)Korry Wrote:  
(Jun 13, 2013, 11:06)PhotoPlay Wrote:  ...A famous photographer in wedding told me once that I should start from low (not to stay there forever but to get more folios and work hard fast to climb up) and rate based on your experience and level of shooting.

I couldn't agree more. Cheap is good for the beginning. Jobs are easier to get and experience is not about how much money did someone make but in how good the photos are and how happy are the clients.

On the first year of journey our negotiation skills nearly kills our business and almost took alway of time finding and talking just to booked client but no luck. I started to join a groups in wedding photography and started shooting with them with a fee just to cover my day expense. Worked hard on it as their intern and really excel not from their teaching but gaining experience from their projects. I took off with more knowledge and different style with them and now I have a business to tell me I have shoot (not looking for a shoot). Big or small, always learn to a something new and exciting to your business. Either paper works or somethings that really don't excite you.

PhotoPlay Photography
What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
~Eleanor Powell
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