Need help with pricing.

Thatcoolphotoguy · Aug 22, 2007

Hey everyone,

I'm new here to the forums, so please bare with me. I have a couple of questions and was wanting to know if you guys could help me out.

1. I'm shooting portraits at this Father/Daughter banquet. The man wants to pay me by my time. How much should I charge him? So far, I'm shooting 80 couples. I'll be editing them in Photoshop after the shoot. He wants to have them to hand out by the end of the night.

2. My friend wants me to make a CD insert. (The little booklet that comes in a CD case.) How much should I charge him? I was thinking maybe $150. I'll be designing it in Photoshop. It is the whole booklet. Front and back, inside and out.

I'm not that great on pricing. Any help would be great. Thanks.

Thatcoolphotoguy

Johnboy2978 · Aug 22, 2007

1) Gees, no pressure or anything. So shoot, edit, and print....in the same night and be completely finished at the end of the night? How long is the banquet? Even if you are pretty organized and can quickly get your lights set up and everything ready to go and can quickly pose each of the father/daughters, you're talking a lot of time. Figure 5 minutes maximum (at best) and herd them in and out like cattle, that's 400 minutes which is 6 hours 40 minutes of non-stop shooting. This doesn't even figure in to processing time and printing time. I don't think this is logistically possible unless this is like a 24 hour marathon banquet. No kidding. I have never done anything like this, but I don't think it's unconceivable to spend at least 5 minutes per couple. I would normally charge like $75/hour but with a rush job like this, I'd charge like $800. You have a terrible amount of work to do in a little amount of time and I just don't think it's possible to deliver it by the end of the night. I would guess this is probably no more than a 3 hour event is it?

2) Again, I'd figure how much time I would spend total and charge about the same rate.

Thatcoolphotoguy · Aug 24, 2007

Thatcoolphotoguy · Aug 24, 2007

I'm going to talk to the man about everything and see if we can just hold off on giving them the photos that exact night and just mail them instead. Be the way, the head count now is 150 people. (Not in couples) I need your input. Some people have said not to pose and just take the photo. Others said to have a background that lays on the ground and have the father and daughter sit on a bench. Someone said also to just set them on the backdrop and take the photo. Don't pose them. This is for my church. I don't won't to not pose the people. I want this to be professonial. I've only getting paid $100. I don't mind the pay. I don't know how to set up the whole thing. (Not as in setting up lights, but what background to use, should I have them sit, etc) If you could give me any advive, tips, tricks, or anything, I would greatly apperciate it. I've never seen any portraits done of father and daughter(s). I've seen some portraits though of families were they have a traditional close up portrait and then there are some where they are sitting on a backdrop or sitting on a bench that is on top of a backdrop. I don't know what props to use either. I'm really stressing out. Any help would be great!!! Thanks. God bless.

Thatcoolphotoguy

Thatcoolphotoguy · Aug 24, 2007

It's more like a 2 hour event...

Thatcoolphotoguy

Thatcoolphotoguy · Aug 24, 2007

By the way, the father and daughters will be all different ages. Some will have 2, 3, or even 4 daughters. I just need to know how to work it out with posing and all of that. What type of color should I use for the background? If not a background, then what? Any portrait ideas or examples would be great too! I just need a lot of help!

Thatcoolphotoguy

abraxas · Aug 24, 2007

That's a lot of loaves and fishes to pull out of that small of a basket.

I wouldn't sweat the portrait stuff, but being a church and all the $150 would cover a couple hours of event photos and the processing afterwards.

Somebody had the nerve to ask for all that?

droyz2000 · Aug 24, 2007

The $100 seems alright if you are just learning and you do not have to print and edit the photos. If they expect you to print and edit photos you are going to end up losing money on this. You might want to work that out, or give the guests a card that tells them where they can look at your photos online, that way they can order and pay for them separately.

Johnboy2978 · Aug 24, 2007

Sounds like you've created a bit of a problem for yourself. Did you agree to provide prints for that price as well? If so, you will be owing them money before this is over.

I think you almost have to do this right no matter how much or little you're getting for it. With this much exposure, it could have very harmful effects if you ever plan to charge in the future and you go at it w/ a halfa$$ed effort. All of those prints will be seen by the rest of the family, friends, etc who may decide on what they see if they call you in the future. In short, yes you are going to have to pose them. Otherwise just have the church rent a photobooth. For a 2 hour event, I think you are up against an almost impossible task logistically given the sheer number of people to shoot, so you are going to have to be pretty quick and generic w/ posing.

As for backdrops, I'd go w/ some sort of generic color, black or gray given everyone is going to be dressed differently and you won't have control over that and can't key the BG to the group for everyone unless you have a trunkful of different color BGs.

Quite an endeavor you've chosen here, and I wish you luck.