So the other day I offered to take some candid shots of a friend's child for his upcoming first birthday. The parents had already has a formal professional session booked, but wanted some shots of their son running around by the water near their house. It was my first time shooting a little moving, unpredictable target, but I came away with some shots I was really happy with. I also came away with some that I would want to do over, but hey, thats why I'm learning. Well I had sent about 4 pictures to the mom, just as a preview to see what her thoughts were. She responded back that she loved them, and that another mother in her baby group is interested in having me take pictures of her daughter. Yesterday, she informed me that two more mothers are also interested in having me take pictures and were asking about prices.
Here's where the tricky part is. My idea all along was to get good enough to be able to work like this on the side. I have a full time job, photography is a hobby that I really enjoy. I am not a professional, or even a semi-pro. I consider myself a hobbyist who's pretty good at what he does. I understand that there's always room for improvement. I also understand that if I can get my pictures out there, it will open doors for me to shoot on the side. I'm just concerned with what I would charge for a session, just starting out like this. A friend of mine has paid as much as $500 US for a "Cake Smash" session from a professional. I'm thinking about half that for a 2hr shoot and then about 3-4 hours of processing. I'm trying to get an idea of what I should ask for. Has anyone been in a similar situation??
PS I'm going to try to post a few shots from the shoot with my friend's child, as long as I can get permission from the parents...
Here's where the tricky part is. My idea all along was to get good enough to be able to work like this on the side. I have a full time job, photography is a hobby that I really enjoy. I am not a professional, or even a semi-pro. I consider myself a hobbyist who's pretty good at what he does. I understand that there's always room for improvement. I also understand that if I can get my pictures out there, it will open doors for me to shoot on the side. I'm just concerned with what I would charge for a session, just starting out like this. A friend of mine has paid as much as $500 US for a "Cake Smash" session from a professional. I'm thinking about half that for a 2hr shoot and then about 3-4 hours of processing. I'm trying to get an idea of what I should ask for. Has anyone been in a similar situation??
PS I'm going to try to post a few shots from the shoot with my friend's child, as long as I can get permission from the parents...
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