Print Pricing

swoop_ds · Jan 17, 2011

Hey everybody. I haven't traditionally sold prints for weddings/portraits, but I've finally seen the error of my ways. What's a good price point? I'm thinking around 10$ for a 4X6 and then upwards from there.

P4P2011 · Jan 17, 2011

My suggestion is to look at the prices that other photographers in your area are using, and base your pricing scheme off of the averages

KmH · Jan 18, 2011

What works for print pricing will vary depending on the local market.

What the market can charge in NYC, or Tucson, or Des Moines, likely won't be the same where you are there in Canada, because the cost of doing business varies in each city.

So, your pricing has to be based on your cost-of-doing-business (CODB) and your cost-of-goods-sold (COGS), or you take the chance you won't be in business long.

Looking at the prices that other photographers in your area are using, and basing your pricing scheme off of the averages could be a quick way to go broke, because their costs may be lower than yours, or they all looked at the prices that other photographers in your area are using, and based their pricing scheme off of the averages.

Another scenario is your CODB is lower than average, giving you a advantage you can use to increase your share of the local market.

inter · Jan 18, 2011

Duane Read charged me $15 for 100 prints (NYC)

swoop_ds · Jan 19, 2011

Wow I don't think I could make 100 prints (of any size) for 15$. . . Maybe walmart at their smallest size?

KmH · Jan 19, 2011

inter said:
Duane Read charged me $15 for 100 prints (NYC)

No, they charge you $15 for 100 little pieces of rectangular paper with a little bit of ink sprayed on them.

You had to provide the images they printed.

swoop-ds is providing the images that will get printed on the paper, hence they cost a lot more than $0.15 a pop.

Robin Usagani · Jan 19, 2011

for weddings you should already made a bunch to start with. I personally would give them 4x6 on all the images on the proofing gallery. Then I would just mark up the prints by only 30% for them to use, friends and family.

This is for weddings only.

KmH · Jan 19, 2011

Schwettylens said:
for weddings you should already made a bunch to start with. I personally would give them 4x6 on all the images on the proofing gallery. Then I would just mark up the prints by only 30% for them to use, friends and family.

This is for weddings only.

From $0.19 to $0.25?

swoop_ds · Jan 19, 2011

My current pricing model for weddings doesn't really rely on print sales but I want that to change. I currently do the 30% markip thing but it makes it barely worth my time, especially for small prints like 4X6s. I want to move to this newer pricing model and do away with giving out the DVD of files. I would likely have a lower entry point but then make up for that on print and album sales. A lot of people who display their print prices in my area start at 10$ish for 4X6s and go from there (some are more like 20$). Also, these prints aren't done at walmart so its 0.60$ instead of 0.15$

I'm not selling a piece of paper, but a piece of art is my motto. But the question is, how much is that art worth? My time is not worth 0.19$ a photo but is 10$ reasonable? It seems to be judging by others in my area. (and I'm not the best photographer in the world but I'd say I'm in the same league as the others in my area selling a 4X6 for 10$)

Robin Usagani · Jan 19, 2011

Yup.. Most weddings photographers give out the files. They can either upload the files they got from you to shutterfly and you made $0, or just mark it up a little and they just order it from you and you do absolutely nothing (if you have zenfolior or smugmug).

Robin Usagani · Jan 19, 2011

I think the pricing you were saying are meant for a photo session. You cant expect a couple pay $1000 to get 100 4x6 of their wedding???

swoop_ds · Jan 19, 2011

Yeah I think you're right. But I would be aiming more for the larger sizes and they may still get a book of 4X6s or a DVD of the low rez files for small prints. I guess the high cost small prints would be more for a regular photoshoot

Robin Usagani · Jan 19, 2011

Swoop, this is what I envision when I am succesful with wedding photography. I will have an assistant shoot all the guests all dressed up and pretty and take several photos in front of nice backdrop or scenery. Then I will do a seperate pricing on those. Promise the couple they will get 4x6 for all those photos but you wont give the files for those. Hopefully you can sell large prints.

KmH · Jan 20, 2011

For what it's worth, the smallest print I sell, 5x7 ($40, standard finish), is marked up 4000% over what the lab charges me to print one.

My biggest standard size wall print, 24x36 ($300, standard finish), is marked up 667%.

christinacraft · Jan 27, 2011

I think the average is around $60-90 for an 8x10... but it's always worth figuring out your cost of doing business firs... use the NPPA cost of doing business calculator (google it... I'n not allowed to post links here yet). I teach a business of photography course and I get students to do this first.. before setting any prices. It lets you know how much yo ushould make on average per session in order to stay in business and make a profit. You can then figure out how much you should charge for prints based on an estimate of how many prints people will order per session (plus the costof your session).