How much do i charge? I dont have a clue!

My wife is a cake designer and a local bridal shop that she has built a bit of a relationship with has asked me to do a photoshoot for them in a few months. They are currently trying to secure a venue and have a model booked. This will be my first photoshoot but exactly what i have been talking about trying to do. I am tempted to not charge her as i do think it will lead to more work and also help my wife's links with them and because i have never done anything like this before. Another idea was give her the option to pay me if she is happy with the work as she is a decent person and i know she wont take the piss and she as has had previous shoots done so will have an idea of the going rate. I am pretty sure she will ask me for a price though. Can anyone give me idea of what i should possible or could charge?

Thanks

Simon

You should charge a fee to be taken seriously. It's natural to feel that you get what you pay for (with a nice discount). Bill what you feel is a high price - less a "special discount" to what you feel is appropriate. That way you preserve the credibility to charge higher prices in the future to others.

I agree, professional work needs to be paid for. I charge a sitting fee, I think $250 is fair by the time you setup, backdrops, lighting etc and then shoot. Once you add in your editing time look at the hours divided into the sitting fee and it's not much per hour. I usually do quick "lightroom edits and crops" and have them select which poses they prefer prior to spending the time to do some serious processing. What about prints, a discount from the sitting fee can be done towards print packages.

Also, how are the photos going to be used? Advertising? Promotion? There should be a licensing fee for that. Don't just give your rights away. You might waive your sitting fee and then charge them a license fee to use a photo of their choice, or include the license fee in your base price. See fotoquote on Photoshelter.com.

I suspect making a living with a camera is not a very easy thing to do. Perhaps you should try a few simple freebie type things initially just to see if it's your bag...but then again money is nice too. I am an upholstery guy work for myself and it is a specialized skill...I charge out the you know what because I have to pay the rent and feed and cloth the kids but I also do a lot of discount freebie crap too. I get away with that because I am very very good at it...

There is a whole lot of stuff to think about when money gets involved...way way more than just what to charge...

Don't give up any dream you may have though because you never know!

simonhodge said:

Can anyone give me idea of what i should possible or could charge?

Click to expand...

Simon:

At the risk of sounding snarky, I have made a few wild assumptions based on your previous posts. As a general rule, anyone who asks "how much should I charge" on the internet is probably not ready for a photo shoot of this caliber quite yet. It's one thing to make a few bucks by charging friends and relatives, it's how most of us get started in the photography business. This is something completely different, however.

This could be a great opportunity for you. With your wife being a cake designer and having an "in" with a local bridal shop, you are sitting pretty for some well-paying photography gigs down the road. Networking is what this business is all about, moreso than the photos themselves. After all, the best photos in the world don't mean squat unless there's someone willing to look at (and in this case, pay for) them. But let's be realistic about this:

If the bridal shop is hiring out models and lining up a location for this photo shoot, they are going to expect some top-notch results. After all, this is their business. Are you capable of delivering that? Do you have enough confidence in your skill with your new camera to pull this off, including the necessary lenses and lighting? Do you have insurance in case the unthinkable happens? What if you trip and fall, injuring one of the models and ruin a $5,000 wedding gown? Are you willing to put it all on the line? This includes not only staking your reputation, your possible future business prospects, including the relationship your wife has built with this bridal shop, all on this photo shoot? That's the reality of the wedding photography business.

I don't mean to discourage. If you have the gear, skill, and confidence to pull this off, then by all means go for it. But if you don't have all of the above, you would be doing yourself a disservice by charging for this photo session. If you're just starting out, it would be better to make that known up front so that expectations are kept in check and relationships aren't destroyed.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I take it you call a spade a spade Anthony? The bridal shop knows i am not a pro, she would just like to give me an opportunity. I have thought about it over the past few days and decided i am not going to ask for money from her as my wife, the bridal shop and a few other local business who specialise in weddings are thinking about getting together and marketing together, that way bringing all our skills together but keeping the cost down. I will not be charging for that either as we all stand to gain from it. The other point is that my wife may also be involved in this photo shoot and i'm not going to charge her.

I know what rocky and Yibel are saying as in the cake business my wife has the same problem, far too many people think they can make cakes and give it a go and charge very little, ruining it for those who are serious about it. I would love to make money from photography as it really is a passion of mine but i know i have a lot to learn. I will give just see what happens over the next few years, may be that after giving it a go for that length of time i decide that keeping it as a hobby is better. I have to start somewhere.

I'll let you all know how i get on in the new year.

Simon

simonhodge said:

I take it you call a spade a spade Anthony?

Click to expand...

I've certainly been called worse.

You've made a good decision. Hopefully this is an arrangement you can all grow in together and build a profitable relationship.

simonhodge said:

I take it you call a spade a spade Anthony?

Click to expand...

Not only is Simon enthusiastic about his photography, he's very perceptive......he pegged Anthony right away!

I've had a friend who did a similar job, and he charged them $300.

I wish you the very best and from what you say your approach is probably the correct one, Good Luck!

Well, I'd say this thread was very productive. Both sides of the issue were addressed with good advice all around. Nice.

Thanks to you all for you input. I will let you know how i get on with the photo shoot in the new year.