How much do you charge for digital copies?

[sactown024]

whats the best way to export the photos if I want to govern them up to 8x10?

thanks guys this is really helping, already adjusted my price substantially

 

[KmH]

Most DSLR cameras make photos that have a 3:2 aspect ratio (4x6, 8x12).

An 8x10 has a 5:4 aspect ratio (4x5). So a 3:2 photo would have to be cropped to print as a 5:4 aspect ratio 8x10.

At any rate, print size is a function of the image pixel dimensions and the PPI assigned to the image.

If the photo has pixel dimensions of 3000x2000 pixels, at the math shows that at 100 PPI it will be a 30" x 20" print, and the same 3000x2000 pixel image at 200 PPI it will be a 15"x10" print.

 

[MLeeK]

the way I have my pricing set up is packages as in

10 digi copies and a 16x24 canvas print for $XXX

is that a bad way to do it? should I just charge a flat hourly rate and then try to make all the money with the photos?

It's one way this is my way of thinking on what you are doing with this package:
That's fine if it works for you. Personally I DO NOT want to sell digi files for many reasons.
1. Print quality control. They are GOING to print at the Wal Mart Kiosk. Go have some of your prints made at the Kiosk. Then order the exact same digi file in the exact same size from your lab. You'll be mortified.
2. Profit. Selling digi files shoots your profitability right into the toilet. You give it away. If you are selling the digi's primarily your pricing should compensate for that. You are selling 10 digi's with a small canvas for we'll say $250. Take out CODB (we'll stay cheap) $100 and the price of the canvas $90 and you have just made a whopping $110. Where as if they wanted prints from say 4 of those files they could have purchased another couple hundred bucks worth of profit to you. With your $75 fee and the $110 profit you are making probably about $minimum wage.
3. Packages rarely fit. Well, yours do. they get it all and a canvas to boot.
4. Selling the digi's like that devalues YOUR work and puts the value on the $2 print they can get from a lab or store. You just put all of your talent and work into $100. Damn you're cheap! My education alone is worth more than $185 and my CODB is far more than $50. I'd suspect yours is also. Probably more in the $150-200 range.
5. Read this post http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/general-shop-talk/304517-uh-well-just-read-i-cant-title-one.html
Those are only the big things that come to mind right this second.

Options:
Everyone's pricing structure is done to fit them. Mine won't fit you, nor will anyone else's. It's YOUR business. You have to find what works for you. However, there are some basic things that go into figuring your price-no matter how you structure it.
1. CODB (cost of doing business.) For me that does not include my time or talent, just my cold hard costs. HERE is a good CODB calculator for photographers.
If you have a zero in any field you need to REALLY ask yourself what's wrong and why. For your office/studio etc there really is a cost there even if you are working out of your home. If you didn't have that home, desk, corner, computer, etc you couldn't do what you do. It's taking up space in your home that could go to something else if you weren't doing this. If you are using your personal phone, computer, internet, VEHICLE etc there really is a business cost to that. If you didn't have them, could you do the business as you are now? Nope. Yes, you have already paid for your camera so it's not an expense-wrong. You need to be paid back by the business for that expense AND you need to be putting aside $ for the eventual need to get a new camera, the equipment that you will need to purchase, etc. This camera, computer, software, etc is not going to last forever. You WILL have to purchase another, so that needs to be considered.
2. COG-Tammy explains the complexity of cost of goods better than I do on a whole. I figure it simply at first without any charge for my time or talent. The cost of printing, shipping, boxing, etc. Cold hard invoices from suppliers. It SHOULD include the price of the image, but that gets too complicated for me to figure and I chose to simplify it by figuring the cost of the image into my time.
3. YOUR time. Included in that is the hourly-which you have to have a good grasp on how much time goes into this OTHER than the shoot. That includes the time you spend getting your education, creating your flyers, contracts... everything you create, taking calls, answering emails, taking care of ANYTHING that is related to how you are going to arrive at a photograph. Your session is only maybe an hour, but you have drive time to get there and back, the time to upload and sort, processing, proofing, final touching, prepping for and ordering, receiving, sorting, delivering, archiving, maintaining your computer files, maintaining your accounting files... EVERYTHING!!!
What is your time worth? I hope to God it's more than minimum wage or you might be better off going to Wal Mart and being a greeter. Or working in PictureMe! MUCH easier! You are a professional businessman as well as a professional photographer. It would not be unrealistic for you to throw out $50 an hour.***REMEMBER*** You have to pay ALL of your taxes and benefits out of that $50. Medicare, FICA, Social Security, State, insurance and any other benefits that would be paid by the employer!!! So... $50 an hour is now down to a net of somewhere about $25 if you are paying your own insurance and benefits that an employer would offer.

I mentioned education in there-that is an investment that will be paid to you over time. Like when a teacher goes to college to get their teaching certificate. They don't immediately get paid back for that when they land a teaching job. Think about it as if you were taking out a student loan for that time. We'll say an associates degree costs you $20,000 and that's the amount of education you want to equate with your work. How long do you think it will take to pay that back? (off topic-if it's a real student loan? probably till you are 96!) What I am getting at with education is to spread the initial huge hunk of education out over time to get paid back. You will also have continuing education every year for the rest of your life. For example my push to go to WPPI.

All of that combined is what you HAVE to make to break even. You must be paid for your time, you must pay for the costs of doing this business. I MUST make a minimum of $350 off of a session to break even and pay myself my minimum. PROFITABILITY is above and beyond that. I am not in this business to make my absolute minimum, I am in business to profit and

 

[MLeeK]

whats the best way to export the photos if I want to govern them up to 8x10?

thanks guys this is really helping, already adjusted my price substantially

Size to 8x10, 300PPI. Include a release that states it. Include that in your exif data. Beyond that? You're selling digi's. It's out of your control. (that'd be reason #6 for why not to sell digi's. which should probably be bumped up to #1. It's out of your control.)

 

[sactown024]

so let me make sure I have this under control, how is this pricing setup?

$250 (?) for 60 minutes of shooting and 10 digital copies printable up to 8x10

$xxx (depending on what size and style) for additional wall size prints which

Digital copies charged by spending limit, $500 in prints = $20 digi copies (only photos they have paid for prints) printable up to 8x10
$1000 in prints = $10 digi copies (" ")

 

[sactown024]

holy **** Leek, thanks!!

can you just fly to NH and i can pay you to be my consultant?

 

[panblue]

On top of that-I don't want to sell 8x10's. They are crap prints in the big scheme of things. I want to sell WALL sized prints.

How much are your wall size prints?

 

[sactown024]

Looksing at WHCC the lab i use they charge $104 for a 16x24 canvas gallery wrap..... what is the typical up charge on this? 100%?

 

[panblue]

sactown024, what are your pictures of?

 

[MLeeK]

Looksing at WHCC the lab i use they charge $104 for a 16x24 canvas gallery wrap..... what is the typical up charge on this? 100%?

That too is complicated, Please re-read post #18. It's not a mark up %.
I also recommend using SimplyCanvas for high quality archival canvas The price sounds high, but I have never ordered canvases from the same lab I get other prints from. For archival, 100 year quality canvases I use SimplyCanvas. For my cheap as hell canvas (I can't SEE a difference in them) I use CGProPrints. The high end ones have a 100 year guarantee. The others do not. I had used Canvas On Demand for my cheap stuff, but CGPro is much better quality at a much lower price.

 

[MLeeK]

On top of that-I don't want to sell 8x10's. They are crap prints in the big scheme of things. I want to sell WALL sized prints.

How much are your wall size prints?

I have cheap stuff starting at $300 and the sky is the limit. I am trying to aim at producing a custom designed piece that is a custom quote. That includes the print/canvas/watercolor/etc, framed and to fit a specific space in the home. For a family or portrait sitting that is along that line I try not to even talk anything smaller than 20" or that isn't custom fit.
Now Senior portraits are another story-8x10's and prints under 20" are a staple there. I have a full pricing list that starts at $40 FULL RETAIL for an 8x10. Which I actually sell for $30.

If I weren't selling the whole session as a print credit my price would then be $20 selling point and $30 Full retail. I've found that if they get a FULL print credit they think they're getting the sitting for free. I make it in the extra $10 or so charged on every print. That's MY way... Everyone has their own pricing structure and most use a sitting fee and cheaper prints to cover their bases. That works well too!

 

[panblue]

OK..thanks

On top of that-I don't want to sell 8x10's. They are crap prints in the big scheme of things. I want to sell WALL sized prints.

How much are your wall size prints?

I have cheap stuff starting at $300 and the sky is the limit. I am trying to aim at producing a custom designed piece that is a custom quote. That includes the print/canvas/watercolor/etc, framed and to fit a specific space in the home. For a family or portrait sitting that is along that line I try not to even talk anything smaller than 20" or that isn't custom fit.
Now Senior portraits are another story-8x10's and prints under 20" are a staple there. I have a full pricing list that starts at $40 FULL RETAIL for an 8x10. Which I actually sell for $30.

If I weren't selling the whole session as a print credit my price would then be $20 selling point and $30 Full retail. I've found that if they get a FULL print credit they think they're getting the sitting for free. I make it in the extra $10 or so charged on every print. That's MY way... Everyone has their own pricing structure and most use a sitting fee and cheaper prints to cover their bases. That works well too!

 

[MLeeK]

so let me make sure I have this under control, how is this pricing setup?

$250 (?) for 60 minutes of shooting and 10 digital copies printable up to 8x10

$xxx (depending on what size and style) for additional wall size prints which

Digital copies charged by spending limit, $500 in prints = $20 digi copies (only photos they have paid for prints) printable up to 8x10
$1000 in prints = $10 digi copies (" ")

You have kind of confused me there. First you say $250 for the session AND the digi's up to 8x10. ThEN you say digital copies according to what they spend... Which is it? What are you selling? Prints or digi's? There are photographers who survive as digi sellers only. It works for them and it could be the way you want/need to go. What I do is not right for everyone. You have to find YOUR price and YOUR comfort zone. Just as you do that make SURE you are thinking about what you want to be ultimately.

Here is an exercise that should happen as a part of your business plan: Have the vision!! Invision yourself in business at my level or panblue's level or... This is your DREAM. What are you doing? What are you selling? What kind of things are you shooting? How much are you making? How much are you working? When people hear Sactown024's photography what do they immediately think? This is the IDEAL. Include the Who, What, When, Why, Where and How of that vision.

Then put it away in the back of the binder for your business plan. Probably should even give it a page protector cuz you are going to have it for years to come.

EVERY. SINGLE. THING. YOU. DO has to be done with that goal in mind.

 

[sactown024]

I'm just going by what I got from your post.you said if the customer spends at least "x" dollars then the digitalis are $20 but if they spend "xx" dollars then they're only $10.

What do you mean by print credit?

 

[MLeeK]

I'm just going by what I got from your post.you said if the customer spends at least "x" dollars then the digitalis are $20 but if they spend "xx" dollars then they're only $10.

What do you mean by print credit?

If they pay me a $250 session fee they then have $250 credit to order with. If they pay me a $500 session fee they have $500 in credit to order with.
For family artwork sessions I start at $500 and for Seniors I start at $250.
I do a day of headshot sessions for seniors and that's $50 15 minute slots. The file gets sent to their school and they get two prints out of the deal. It's a hell of a bargain for the kids who have very little. Usually it's the third weekend after school goes back. It's taken off like mad in the past two years.
It's X dollars in printed products before they have the option to purchase a digital image. IF they spend $500 they THEN can buy the digi's for an additional $20 for each one. So if they want 10 digi's it's either $700 or it's $500 in products and $200 for the digi's.