Is This Normal Pricing?

[TylerF]

I was recently looking at what others in the area and came across this site. This is in no way shape or form a knock on the photographer, i was just wondering if his prices were normal or not for the product he produces. I want to get into senior portraits and hopefully assist a wedding photog for a while and get into that.

A Rochester, NY wedding photographer.

 

[thebeatles]

That pricing would be ok if his photos weren't so terrible. I looked at his gallery and did not like what I saw.

 

[TylerF]

thats what i was thinking but i didnt want to offend lol. i personally think i could do a better job after following a wedding photog a few times

 

[pcacj]

I told my daughters that I would give them $5000 cash to elope.....got my fingers crossed

 

[TylerF]

hahah 5000 on top of paying for the wedding?

 

[pcacj]

No, $5000 is the whole kit and kaboodle....Justice of the Peace is the wedding and that is $75 tops.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

First of all I don't think those photos are that bad. Actually, I find them better overall than a lot of things I see here.

Second, the rates don't seem that bad. I don't know what is being charged in your area on the average but it doesn't matter that much. Your reaction seems to be that of someone who has never calculated what it would cost to shoot a wedding. Do it and you'll probably come up with similar rates.

Don't forget anything in your calculations such as: sales taxes, income taxes, self-employed taxes, equipment replacement fund, computers and software, place of business rent, insurances (liability and gear), office supplies, albums, etc, etc, etc.

You want to do weddings on the side, on the cheap, you can but you'll be back here asking how come you don't make any money.

As far as you producing the same quality shots after second shooting a few times, let's see it... Things often look easier than they are.

Btw, I wouldn't hire him for my wedding but it's more a question of style I don't like than quality. So far, I have seen only one person on this site that I would hire.

 

[keith foster]

His prices seem in line to me. If he stays busy at that price then why lower prices?
I wonder is he really means ALL images processed and re-touched. That could be a very labor intensive commitment depending on how many he shoots.

 

[TylerF]

i have done a little research into how much it costs to do a shoot. i really only have to worry about taxes. i dont have a place of business per se i dont feel that equipment replacement fund, computers and software, place of business rent, and office supplies applies to me. i was just wondering if that was a decent rate for what he produces because i think i can AT LEAST be on par with him. i didnt see one picture in his gallery i would consider worth $2000. though, there are some nice ones on the first page.

i know there is a lot to wedding photography and that its not easy at all.

id imagine he means all final images re-touched. could be wrong though

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Don't mean to be a pita, just trying to teach you something since I have run a studio and am getting ready to open a new one. Most businesses fail within the first year of operation due to the fact that most owners don't understand business much. You can be a very good photographer and still fail at business. It happens all the time.

And according to your last post, I don't see you lasting very long. Taxes are not the only thing to worry about. Insurance is a major one. Insurance for your gear but mostly, liability. And you need to be covered if something goes horribly wrong on a shoot. What do you think will happen if you shoot 800 photos at a wedding and when you get home there is nothing on your memory cards? You most probably get sued.

No place of business. If you were to tell me to meet you at McDonalds to sign the contract, I wouldn't show up. There are always cheaper ways to do things but you still need to look professional if you want to be seen as such. So yes, you can meet clients in your house (my very first studio was in my home) but it needs to be a halfway decent house and be clean.

Anybody who runs a business has a minimum of office supplies.

Gear replacement fund: well, yes, if you shoot 2 or 3 weddings a year maybe you don't need to worry about it but if you do it full time, 25-30 of them, you need to seriously include it in your cost of doing business.

Again, just trying to teach you something, not put you off doing it. There is very good money to be made with wedding photography but only if you do it right.

 

[mom2eight]

cloudwalker, where can I find your website. I'd like to have a look at your site.

 

[ev1lmagic]

Honestly i'd say it depends if you want to look at the glass as half empty or half full. I know several wedding photographers that charge no more than 2.5k (in the Los Angeles area) and imo their work is worth much more than that. Then there's also my mom's friend's son who paid 8k, and let me just put it this way, even an amateur with a p&s could have done better.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

cloudwalker, where can I find your website. I'd like to have a look at your site.

Sorry, I don't have a website. I also mentioned in another thread recently that I'm not sure I will do one for my new studio as I'm not sure there is a need for it in the kind of market I'm going after.

 

[mom2eight]

cloudwalker, where can I find your website. I'd like to have a look at your site.

Sorry, I don't have a website. I also mentioned in another thread recently that I'm not sure I will do one for my new studio as I'm not sure there is a need for it in the kind of market I'm going after.

To bad I was looking forward to seeing your website. I'll have to look at your statics.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

cloudwalker, where can I find your website. I'd like to have a look at your site.

Sorry, I don't have a website. I also mentioned in another thread recently that I'm not sure I will do one for my new studio as I'm not sure there is a need for it in the kind of market I'm going after.

To bad I was looking forward to seeing your website. I'll have to look at your statics.

I'm sorry but you won't find much. I'm here anonymously because my work of recent years (painting btw, not photo) is not appreciated by some people because of its politics and visuals and has given me enough problems.

Now that I am in the Bible Belt, I am even more careful My wife's car was vandalized for sporting Obama stickers...