Help with first communion please

[Jessphoto16]

I was contacted by a church to be the main photographer. What do you think about packages? Should I offer one with the child, group and taking communion? I live in Texas, and I was thinking somewhere in the $30-50 range. Should I only charge per child or should I charge an over all fee along with the ceremony too? I'll be shooting the whole service. Any other advice would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

 

[tirediron]

Should you be doing this? I think not. Not to seem rude, but if you don't have the answers to the "What should I charge" questions, you're already behind the eight-ball. Only you can know what you need to charge based on your CODB, time required, etc. Do you have the necessary gear, licenses and insurance yet?

 

[Christie Photo]

I do just a few of these each year. My packages start at $24 for an 8x10 memory mate with two wallets. I can't imagine any way to charge other than as per-child as each will order differently and some not at all. I will provide an 8x10 of the group only at $20 each. I set up my lighting and background in the hall, hallway, classroom or anywhere else out of the way. The individuals that wish to buy a package are shot before the service. The group photo is done in the church about 15 minutes before the start of the service. It's all prepay with order envelopes I provide.

As for covering the service, I will shoot each child as they receive, available light, with a slightly long lens on a tripod. I don't recommend moving around the building during the service. I'm pretty much like furniture and do not attract attention to myself. Everyone gets a 4x6. NO OTHER photography is allowed during the service. I do not charge for this.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!
-Pete

 

[orljustin]

Why did they contact you?

 

[Jessphoto16]

They were looking to replace their other photographer that charged way too much and got lots of complaints. I was hired for by someone this past may to just shoot her daughter during the whole service. She liked my work and showed the other parents and school. I mostly do wedding and family sessions with some event work and have never had to do this for all of the children. Just because I ask for help with pricing doesn't mean I'm not qualified to " be doing this". And yes I have everything I need to be doing business, including equipment. Thanks Pete for the advice, I was nt sure if the group photo should be in the package or extra. I didn't want to be to low or extra crazy and just wanted a starting off point for reference. Any other advice very much welcome!

 

[tirediron]

...Just because I ask for help with pricing doesn't mean I'm not qualified to " be doing this". And yes I have everything I need to be doing business, including equipment. Thanks Pete for the advice, I was nt sure if the group photo should be in the package or extra. I didn't want to be to low or extra crazy and just wanted a starting off point for reference. Any other advice very much welcome!

Apologies! Given the number of "I just got my camera this morning and have my first shoot booked for tomorrow, what settings should I use and how much should I charge?" posts we see, I jumped to a (incorrect) conclusion. That said, I don't understand why an established business would be unsure of charges. Time is time....

 

[Jessphoto16]

Accepted. Yes, I saw a few of those posted with some interesting responses. I figured this wasn't like the normal packages I offer, so I just wanted some starting points that I could compare with what I had in mind.