Could use HELPFUL advice regarding packages and FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!!

[suzyhomemaker]

Hello. I've been doing "professional" photography for about 2 years. I use the "" because I still consider myself new to the game, my equipment is, eh, possibly irrelevant to this post, but just FYI, I use a D40 with a 35mm 1.8 and a 50mm 1.4. I hope to be able to upgrade my body soon, but that is not my reality now. Anyway, I have been offering photo sessions for families and seniors, (mainly). I have had a large handful of paid clients over the past 2 years (which is the only reason I use the term 'professional'), but I have "done" about 30 shoots total. Mostly, family and friends. I have a website, I have a facebook page. What I would NOT like to know, is that I shouldn't even try with my equipment... what anyone tempted to do that could offer is suggestions as to what I might consider purchasing for the future. But that's not what this post is about, that is just my guard up from my intimidation that I have fostered reading previous posts where newbies are ripped to shreds... please don't do that. I'm going to keep trying, going to keep trying.
I currently offer a 1 hr. session of $100. This is just for a session and a cd of 30 edited images. This isn't working for me. Could/would anyone offer me helpful suggestions of what I'm doing wrong here? I considered calling around to every photographer in the area to see what they would do, instead, I joined this forum. For help, for criticism, but in this case, for help.

Second, ugh, family and friends. I made the STUPID mistake, 2 years ago, of telling my friends and family that "I don't charge friends and family for photo shoots". This was part due to my giving nature, and part due to the fact that I thought the exposure could gain me some business. This has not worked. Not only is it not generating business, but my "free" photo shoots, although friends and family, seem to be the biggest PITAs. What is UP with people asking for ALL the photos? Even un-edited? Don't worry, I've considered maybe they don't like my edits... but they DID see samples, so there should have been no surprise.

I would really appreciate advice on how to establish "packages" and "pricing" options, as well as knowing how you deal with family and friends.... I mean, when I said "I don't charge friends" I actually had a friend schedule 4 sessions in a 3 month period.....

Anyway, thanks for helping a "newbie" to photography and a "noob" to the site. Also, I would like to state that I have taken 2 photography workshops, study tutorials online, continue to learn on my own, and will continue to research and learn technique. In no way do I think I'm "awesome", but I think I've got a pretty good start, so advice that I "need to learn more" isn't necessary, I already know. Learning is something that should never stop.

 

[KmH]

I currently offer a 1 hr. session of $100. This is just for a session and a cd of 30 edited images. This isn't working for me.

That's no surprise. I feel pretty safe in assuming you do not have a written business/marketing plan.
By the time you figure all your time and all your non-reimbursed business expenses you're quite likely paying those people to let you make images for them.
Pricing is a function of what it cost you to do business (CODB - Cost-Of-Doing-Business and COGS - Cost-Of-Goods-Sold)

You're marketing and selling your photographs like a commodity, instead of the luxury item that they are.
$100 divided by 30 images = $3.33 an image. If you don't value the photographs you make any more than that, no one else will either.
They can't get photographs made by you anywhere else.

To keep a home based, full-time, retail photography business going requires an average sale of about $1000 per session.
Starting a Business | SBA.gov
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One of the hardest things any business can try to do is raise prices. When you raise prices you usually leave the vast majority of your client base behind.
It costs 10x less to generate repeat business from clients you have, than it does to generate new clients.

I have always billed family and friends at my full rates. My immediate family and their kids get a 100% discount. Selected other relatives get a 50% discount. They all see what my full rates are when I bill them, and they know they need to tell others my full rates - if they want to keep getting the discounts .

My definition of a friend is likely quite a bit different than yours because I'm considerably older than Facebook.
I can count all of my friends with 1 hand and have 2 finders left over. My friends get treated like my immediate family.
I have a lot of acquaintances. Acquaintances don't get a discount.

 

[katerolla]

Hi and welcome to the forum, First I had a hard time reading your post but got there in the end

I don’t consider a photographer a professional just cause they charge, it take a lot more than that to run a successful business

There is nothing wrong with your equipment I started off with an Olympus E500 and two kit lenses and no flash and I also started charging $100 per shoot and no charge to family and friends

If you have a good portfolio put your prices up to $250 for the same service (I know this sounds silly but as soon as I put my prices up my business increased)
Build a good webpage (not Facebook) use SEO to get on the first few pages of google for your location

Register your business and maybe do some second shooter at weddings, this will help you to get your photography to the next level

As for family and friends charge them, if this is your sole income you have to charge then for your service, give them a little discount 25% off but no more

 

[kathyt]

When you are giving away all of these sessions to your family and friends, you are ultimately telling them your work has no value. Then, in turn, they do not respect your time and talent as a photographer. Nor will they ever. First, you must dig deep down and decide how much your time, effort, and energy is worth. For every session you are giving away, you are losing money. Plain and simple. Your friends and family do not work for free and neither should you. You have to give value to yourself and to the craft. The whole business aspect is a whole other story. That took me almost a year to get all of my pricing and everything else that comes along with it in line. I had an attorney and an accountant. Plus, I had someone walking me through the process. It takes time, ALOT of effort, and is based on your individual needs. A business plan is not a "one size fits all" type deal. You have to design it with your goals in mind.
I would start with the SBA, (small business association) and see if at least you can get the ball rolling that way. They are a world of knowledge. Good luck.

 

[KmH]

Close. SBA - Small Business Administration, a federal government agency.

SCORE - Service Core Of Retired Executives.

Suzy, you need business, marketing, promotion and salesmanship skills. Those skills are more important to sustaining a part-time retail photography business than are photography skills.
To keep a retail photography business going, more time is spent on doing business tasks than on doing photography tasks.

Qualify your customers. In other words, make sure they are in the market for a luxury item and not a commodity.

I had a minimum purchase requirement before customers qualified to buy a disc of digital image files. A single high resolution digital file was $50. 30 digital files was $1200, a $300 discount.

Package pricing strategy is to have 3 packages - low, middle, high
You design the low package such that it contains so little of what most people want that very few people buy it.
You design the middle package such that it contains most of what most people want. This is the package that allows your business some growth. This is the package you need the majority of your customers to buy, plus some a-la-cart products.
You design the high package to be the creme-de-la-creme that only a handful of customers will be able to afford.

You know your middle package price is right on, when 1/3 of your customers that buy it complain it's price is to high.