is this too much??

[Christina]

I have been asked over and over so i made a small list.

I value my pictures but i do not belive that i can start at the bottom and charge at the top. make sense?

any thoughts from people who have been doing this for a while?


packages

enagagment package

One hour of shoot time or more at one location $175.00
additional location is $50.00 more.
guarenteed atleast 100 photographs taken.

6- 4x6
4- 5x7
3- 8x10
2-11x14
1-16x20
2 sets of wallets ( 8 on each sheet )

4x6 save the custom save the date cards are $0.50 a piece extra



basic/portrait shoot on location - $75.00

5 - 4x6
3- 5x7
2- 8x10
2 sets of wallets ( 8 on each page )



Family Packages $125.00
each family package will include 3 diffrent shots of the family ,single poses of each child, and 2 shots of all children together for prints, along with couple shots of the parents.

6- 4x6
4- 5x7
3- 8x10
1- 16x20
1- set of wallets.






maternity $100.00

4- 4x6
4- 5x7
3- 8x10
2 sets of wallets (8)



infants $75.00

4- 4x6
2- 5x7
1- 8x10
1 set of wallets (8)
25 custom anoucment cards

children - $75.00
4-4x6
3-5x7
2-8x10
2 sets of wallets ( 8 on each sheet )

weddings

ceremony & reception - $225.00
coverage for 6-7 hours
over 300 pictures taken

proof book of 100 of your best photos in 4x6 format
20-4x6
5-5x7
4-8x10
2-11x14
1-16x20
5 sets of wallets ( 8 on each sheet )

custom thank you cards & custom save the date cards optional ($0.50 each)

pre-wedding, ceremony, & reception-$325.00
this will cover the bride and groom getting ready
guests arriving, the coverage of ceremony and reception.

proof book of 200 4x6

20 4x6
8-5x7
5-8x10
2-11x14
1-16x20
8 sets of wallets ( 8 in each set )
includes 100 custom thank you cards.


prints (Single Poses)- Wallets (8) $10
- 4X6 $3
- 5X7 $7
- 8X10 $15
- 11X14 $25
- 16X20 $35

 

[jwkwd]

Well, I don't know squat about pricing these days, but if I were to get married, you would be one that I called. Your packages seem to be incredibly cheap.

 

[Jon, The Elder]

Watch your spelling and shifting of regular to bold weights of text.

One hour of shoot time or more at one location $175.00
additional location is $50.00 more.
guarenteed atleast 100 photographs taken.

Awkward sentence construction

 

[Johnboy2978]

Your wedding prices are way under priced. I don't know what kind of quality you are capable of producing or how many weddings you've done in the past, but generally you are going to spend 1-2 hours editing for each hour shooting. You also have the cost of prints to figure in to the amount. When all is said and done, you are going to practically be doing it for free. The other problem with going so cheap (I would imagine others in your area are charging 1200+) is that one many are just going to pass on you thinking your work is crappy and therefore charge very little. Another problem is that the clients you are going to attract are those who are going to expect the quality of someone who charges 5-10K a wedding b/c most bargain shoppers seem to think that anyone can produce those masterpiece wedding shots "as long as they have a 'good' camera".
Make it worth your while, weddings are a lot of work and are very stressful at times. With each wedding I've shot, I've raised my prices on them until I get them to where they will stay. The first one was a freebie, the second was $500, I have one next month which will fetch $900 and future ones will be probably $1100 and remain there.

 

[JIP]

I agree some of those packages seem like they wont even cover your expenses for all the prints you promise let alone your labor.

 

[Big Mike]

I agree with Johnboy & JIP, that is way too low for weddings. Weddings are a whole different ball game than shooting portraits.

Your prices for the portrait packages are a little closer to the average...but you are certainly giving them a lot of prints for the price.

Personally, I find that it is a bit old school (for lack of a better term) having packages that are based on a number of prints of various sizes. A maternity client might want 10 4x6 and only one 8x10....or maybe they only want one 8x10...and I'm not sure they would want any wallet sized prints. I see that you have a separate print price list...I would suggest that you offer a 'print credit' with each package, rather than a set number of prints. Then they can use the credit to pick and choose the prints they want...and maybe order (and pay for) more. You could also offer many other products which are easily ordered. Photo key chains, mouse pads, Tee shirts, coffee mugs etc.

Also, be prepared for clients asking for the image files. They will want to have them on their computer and be able to E-mail them etc. Of course, once you give then a good quality file...they can just print it themselves...although that's not technically legal. This is why it's more and more common for photographers to just clients the high resolution digital files and let them order their own prints or do whatever they want. You won't get any print sales this way...which is why you need to charge a significant amount for the files.

You could also include the files, after they have spent a certain amount on prints. For example, after they spend $100 on prints, the CD of images is free etc.

Going back to your prices. A photography instructor I had...gave us an assignment. We were to write down things that should not affect the price we charge for a wedding. We came up with things like the number of people in the wedding party, the age or attractiveness of the couple...etc. The answer that he was really looking for was experience. He was basically saying that we shouldn't charge less simply because we don't have experience. If your skills and products are sub par...well that's a different story...but if you can produce a great product, then you should charge for it.

I would check out the prices for all the photographers in your area...and put your prices near the average.

 

[Christina]

they will cover my expenses but only by about $50.00 profit, I thought it might be best to start off with low prices and raise them, but the more i think about it, the more right i think it is.

i also think the point system is a great idea. how many people use this?

 

[jstuedle]

In other threads I have mentioned this, so a brief recap. Add up ALL your costs for each size print. ALL, stamps, processing, shipping to you from the lab, packaging for delivering your product, everything down to the smallest detail. Use a labs print price as your starting print price and add the extra stuff. (They know how to price prints, they have done it longer than any of us. Use a national lab like Marathon for reference) If working out of your home, multiply by 3.3 X, store front business, 5.5 X. Calculate each size as if your are delivering only one print, then add together to get your package price. These multipliers will only keep your head above water, not make you rich. Charge a reasonable hourly rate for sitting fee, plus millage if on location. Most photographers are good at making images, but terrible business people. Don't price yourself out of business before you can get started.

 

[~Stella~]

Interesting thread and very informative replies - thanks for posting, Christina and thanks to those who responded.