What should I charge?

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  • 02-11-2008, 10:54 AM
    brmill26
    What should I charge?
    Hey everyone, one of my old friends from high school saw some of my photos on Facebook, and she liked them so much, she sent me this message:

    "So, I was looking at your photos, and I must say that I was quite amazed! I had no idea that you were such an awesome photographer! I've been looking for someone to take a few photos of my fiance and me. Most of ours are taken from arm's length, so all of our poses are the same. My mother isn't too thrilled about that, since we'll need pictures to display at the wedding, and they are all very similar! How much would an artist like you charge for something like that?"

    Needless to say, I was completely surprised and very honored! Bearing in mind I only have the 50mm (which should be great for this), no flash equipment whatsoever, and the minor fact that I've never done this before, what would you suggest I charge her? I'm definitely not looking to charge near a professional rate; merely a little compensation for the time/work.

    And any tips on the sorts of locations, poses, etc would be very appreciated as well! Thanks for all your help!
  • 02-11-2008, 11:10 AM
    mtbbrian
    Re: What should I charge?
    Talk to them, see what places they'd like. Maybe there's a place that has special meaning to them, that you could use.
    Think of it as, their photographs, you're just the one doing them.
    As far as money goes, make it reasonable for you and them.
    Some things to consider would include your time doing the photographs, mileage, time to do whatever it takes to actually get photographs made, and if you have a lab do the prints include the price of the prints.
    Good Luck!
    Brian
  • 02-11-2008, 01:32 PM
    brmill26
    Re: What should I charge?
    Oops, sorry for the wrong forum.

    Thanks Brian. "Think of it as, their photographs, you're just the one doing them." - that sounds like a very good way to go about it.
  • 02-11-2008, 01:45 PM
    mtbbrian
    Re: What should I charge?
    Let's say the couple wants an 8"x10", and it costs $10 to make, if you charged them another $10 to $15, you'd probably do pretty well.
    Brian
  • 05-21-2008, 07:54 AM
    Lori11
    Re: What should I charge?
    How did you end up doing this Brad? I am doing something like this too and am using the CD like I would at the track (set price for it edited) and I am struggling with how much to charge for prints...
  • 05-25-2008, 08:49 PM
    fx101
    Re: What should I charge?
    Usually I would keep in mind how much it costs to print (usually $15 for an 8x10), add editing costs per image (around $10) and add $5-15 profit. I usually charge around $30-35 for an 8x10, and less if they order more. As for the shoot $150-200 would not be unreasonable for a few hours worth of shooting. I'd say $60 per hour would be reasonable if you are starting off. You'll need flash equipment though, lol :D.