I don't know what to charge for a sitting fee.

[JETA]

All of the sudden I'm getting requests to do casual outdoor family portraits.

My usual portraits are football players (I did over 400 this season). I offer one package and collect money up front, deliver the prints and then offer them on my website if they want more.

For these family shots I need to charge a sitting fee and then let the family buy prints off my site. I'm not sure what to charge for a sitting fee. Basically I go to their home and shoot family shots for up to an hour. I'm clueless what to charge up front & need an answer so I don't sound like an idiot when I'm asked. :blush2:

This is new to me so I don't want to price gouge.

[retroactiv]

I wouldn't charge more than 100 for this, I think I would prob do about 40 to 80 depending on how many photos they are going to buy from you and make your money from the prints that you sell. Just my two cents, feel free to jump on my website www.chrisjohnsonpic.com and look at my prices and see if that helps you any.

[JETA]

Thanks Chris. I'm going to check out your website.

It will be three couples (six adults) with their five children.

This saturday I'm doing four children, but they want the digital images. Normally I charge $45 per large download so in this instance I'm giving them the original download (bigger then large) of all of the images and going to their house to do the shoot for a flat fee of $150. Where do you think I sit on this pricing?

I'm finding that people usually want something different every time and I have to rethink my charges depending what it is.

[retroactiv]

See that is what I come into quite a bit of the time, but along those lines when I started my business I had a policy of custom quotes for everything the problem is that people didn't understand my reasoning behind it and thought I was out the screw them. So I made up that price list, personally I'd much rather do pricing for each shoot because you always have something a little different. (and I really don't want to screw anyone, I'm just a poor as them if not poorer so I always understand)

Just an idea, I know your quandary. to answer your question I think it's prob a good price just don't over work yourself for that 150 I've done that before too.

[JETA]

Thanks again Chris. I checked out your prices and think you are most the reasonable!

So for the family in question how does $50 sound for a sitting fee?

[retroactiv]

$50.00 would work. Then charge a "licensing fee" for the downloads, and then for the prints. Advice here is put the downloads on a cd rather than on a website to download, because sometimes people will print there own photos and you'll in turn lose that money. That is how I do it.

forgot to add make the licensing fee like 20.00 for all of the photos a burned cd doesn't cost but maybe a $1.00 at the most for you to do it. I also bought cd labels at staples that I put my logo and this

This CD is Copyright Chris Johnson Photography and is distributed for use by clients of Chris Johnson Photography. No reproduction of any data or photographs on this CD is allowed without express written permission from Chris Johnson Photography. Call (765) 430-3277 to confirm permission

[JTcooper]

Jeta, I don't offer any sitting fee matter fact I toll them I have no sitting fee because that sound like they are paying for nothing. But, I tell em that I have a minimun purchase and it started at 95 buck or even 150 depending on your area you are in and before the shoot collect the fee after the shoot tell them to come back three day or so for viewing and order and if they don't order well, they can kiss that fee goodbye and if the order go over that minimun purchase pay the difference