New/Need Pricing Advice please

JenG · Oct 11, 2011

A friend of mine is requesting that I take pics of her daughters sweet 16. she loves my work and really wants me to do it for her, and I would love to, but since she is my friend, it is a bit overwhelming what to charge.
I was going to charge her $250 (plus a DVD of edited photos for her to do what she wants with them)
Is that too much too little? be honest. please. I would normally charge 75-100 for a 90 min photo session.
for this party, I have to rent a flash.

she wants
poses at her house
poses at the party
candid shots at the party
I gather like 3 or so hours of work

then a slideshow to play on a flat sceen tv at the party of 15-20 pics she chooses. (not sure how to price that or how to create that. most likely I can get the pics and add them to a DVD)

thanks!

SteffJay · Oct 11, 2011

If it was a stranger, 250 would be an undercharge.

It might even still be an undercharge, depending on what your usual rates would be.

The slideshow to put together spur of the moment, I'd definitely charge extra for. Because if you've never done it before, it's probably going to cause you some stress. Hopefully not, but I'd be prepared for it.

Anyway, even with a friend, you could probably charge more IMO, but 250 is definitely not too much.

jgooz · Oct 11, 2011

250 doesnt sound bad. if your charging 100 for 90 minutes, the party will most likely be more than two hours plus the time you spend editing and creating a dvd included sounds like she's getting a pretty good friend price. i wouldn't ask for more than that personally. slideshows aren't that difficult, just make sure you have them provide you with the audio that they'd like or get their input. just makes it easier to get it done faster. and as far as flash goes, do you know anyone that would loan you a flash for something like that? would save a small cost. what do you use for your sessions out of curiosity, if you dont own a flash.

JenG · Oct 15, 2011

thanks

I appreciate this input a lot.
she only wants party shots and the slide show and she said 5 hours. and I would have to rent a flash.
I was thinking 250 then started to think 400.

what program can I use to make the slideshow, would you happen to know?

Thanks again!!

GooniesNeverSayDie11 · Oct 15, 2011

I would just have her buy you a half decent flash ( which is an invaluable tool for pretty much all types of shooting ) instead of renting one.

JenG · Oct 16, 2011

That's a great idea actually. Would you happen to have one you'd recommend?

I live near b&h and adorama. In NYC.

Thanks again!

JenG · Oct 16, 2011

http://www.adorama.com/NKSB700AFU.html

I would like this one.

tirediron · Oct 16, 2011

Depends on what camera you have...

tirediron · Oct 16, 2011

JenG said:
Amazon.com: Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

I would like this one.

Good choice! :thumbup:

CrM45 · Oct 16, 2011

^ Second the choice. I have the SB-700 and couldn't be happier. This would be a good trade for you. Good luck.

JenG · Oct 17, 2011

this has been helpful, I truly appreciate it. I hope my friend is ok with the deal

PhotoWrangler · Oct 17, 2011

So, correct me if I'm wrong here, but..... You don't know what to charge. You don't know which flash to use. You don't know which program to use to create a slideshow. And you don't know how to create a slideshow to begin with.

You sure you ought to be charging anyone for anything at all?

Jace · Oct 17, 2011

I -think- she knows how to use a flash, just has to rent one. Could be wrong though, I can hardly figure out how to wake up in the mornings.

GooniesNeverSayDie11 · Oct 17, 2011

C'mon, lets not turn this into a big ethical debate. Not everyone comes out of the womb with the ability to fairly price products/services or an endless knowledge or computer software and techniques. You have to start somewhere and everyone takes their own path. If she wants to charge, and someone wants to pay her, and she wants to risk crashing and burning, then good for her. Besides, its not a complete stranger so there shouldn't be an misrepresentation of her being a "Pro" photographer.

To the OP - I would recommend asking her to buy the flash early though so you can have some practice time with it. Whether you know how to use one or not, you are going to want to familiarize yourself with the settings. Also, try to get a diffuser for the flash as well. You can get free slideshow software online if you look around downloads.com probably has many programs. Some allow you to put music to the slideshow as well as text and effects which may look a little nicer than simply some photos on a DVD and letting the DVD player do its generic slideshow.

JenG · Oct 18, 2011

ChristopherCoy said:
So, correct me if I'm wrong here, but..... You don't know what to charge. You don't know which flash to use. You don't know which program to use to create a slideshow. And you don't know how to create a slideshow to begin with.

You sure you ought to be charging anyone for anything at all?

there just had to be at least ONE person to post something negative, as usual.