Print pricing conflict

[AndrewWilliam]

Im new here to the forum, and fairly new to the photography. I have only been doing it for about 7 years. I've done lots of work with video and have always offered photography services, but never pushed it. I am now getting more into the photography end and making it a stand alone business. However, I ran across a problem.

I have been trying to figure out prices for prints and I am offering services ranging from weddings to senior photos. The problem is, when researching what others charge, it varies. For example, a 5x7 print for a wedding may be priced at $15. Seems about the norm. The normal cost for that same 5x7 for a family photo is $10. Everywhere I look I see this. Weddings are always highest. Why is this? And how is it justified?

[TPF Sponsor]

[KmH]

Weddings are not always highest.

Your sample is to small to be statistically reliable.

At any rate, pricing is a function of CODB and COGS, and CODB particularly will vary from photographer to photographer.

(CODB – Cost Of Doing Business
GOGS – Cost Of Goods Sold)

[AndrewWilliam]

But I even found photographers who sell prints at different prices. Same print, same size, the only difference was if it was wedding or some other type.

[Destin]

That's because shooting a wedding, and sorting/editing the photos is much more time consuming than say, a family portrait session. Therefore the photographer must make more profit from it, to cover his time.

[Big Mike]

You also have to consider the whole pricing scheme. For example, if you charge $3000 (for example) up front, for a wedding, then maybe your print prices don't have to be as high. Or maybe you charge less, and try to make it up on the print sales.

Same deal with portraits. A $500 sitting fee might allow for lower print prices...and so on.

[AndrewWilliam]

So the examples I'm seeing of this is just simply where people want to get thier profits from, being it prints or services. It's just how much weight on either side basically?

[Big Mike]

So the examples I'm seeing of this is just simply where people want to get thier profits from, being it prints or services. It's just how much weight on either side basically?

That's part of it. Another part of it is simply that some charge more than others.

[Studio7Four]

Well, it's generally good business practice to maximize your profits, right? So you want to find the highest price point at which people are happy to pay it (not to be confused with exorbitant pricing which the customer meets begrudgingly).

Look at it from the customer's perspective. People are generally willing to pay more for prints of their (theoretically) once-in-a-lifetime wedding than they are for, say, family portraits which they may have taken every year or so (or even the next week if they decide they don't like their hair or outfit...). Additionally, wedding photos are likely to be kept and displayed for the duration of the marriage (theoretically a long, long time), while family portraits are likely to be changed out periodically. So to some extent the pricing is also driven by the perceived intended lifespan of the print.

[AndrewWilliam]

Studio7four... That makes soo much sense now. Such a simple concept and somehow I missed it. Lol. Thanks!

[flightless_beaker]

That's something to think about Studio7four. I'm in the same position as the OP. My business is starting to take off more and I'm being asked about pricing so I've just been using a flat rate with the couple jobs I've been offered. But what you just posted is giving me a lot to think about and I need to sit down with a pencil and paper and figure this out better.