Help pricing a portrait session quote

jhob

jhob

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John
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I'm looking for a bit of help from you in pricing a quote for a portrait session.

It will be on location somewhere within an hour from me, of a family. I'd probably spend an hour or so with them taking a few posed and general reportage type stuff.

I was thinking of quoting

£100 for the session
£10 for A5 print
£20 for A4 print
£30 for A3 print
Framing at cost + 20%

I want to come in cheaper than average but still a price that is sensible. I'm pretty rubbish with money and asking for it but don't want to undersell myself. I know that my photography is worth money, and that I am a good photographer but I just get really nervous at the thought of someone paying for my skills and the pressure of getting something good.

cheers,
John
 
John, why are you wanting to come in cheaper than average? If you're confident in your work, I really wouldn't advise taking that route.
 
I looking to come in a little cheaper because I am relatively inexperienced at portrait stuff, despite some good results from the portrait/reportage stuff that I have done through travelling and weddings. The experience of doing further portrait work is worth more to me than the money at the moment but I don't want to undersell myself or the industry. If I come in a little cheaper then I am more likely to get the job and therefore more experience.
 
John, here's my honest advice, although others will have a different view on it.

Once you set a price for a client, that price will travel with them to the next client they refer to you. It becomes your benchmark, and is fairly difficult to raise significantly once people know your rates.

in my opinion, either you're confident in your ability to do the portraits and you charge accordingly, or consider whether you want to charge for portrait work just yet.

Do you really want to build your business based on being cheaper than others? It'll follow you for a long time.

Really, though, I suspect you're plenty capable of getting good results (based on what I just saw on your website) and you just need to steel your nerves a bit and go for it. Don't underprice yourself, especially not intentionally.
 
OK, you've convinced me. I want to charge an average price for the job now, perhaps erring at the cheaper end but definitely industry standard.

I was thinking that by charging a cheaper price I am making allowances for my relative inexperience but you are right that if I am good enough, and I think I am, then I should charge accordingly. I am looking to make this photography game my profession in the not too distant future so it is important that I don't make a cheapo rod for my hard-toiling back.

Thanks for the kind comments about my site, and for convincing me not to underprice!

So do my prices sound reasonable if I want to come in at an average price?
 
John, good for you!

I'm not really in a position to say whether your prices sound reasonable, as I live in Colorado and have a totally different set of costs and market. I would say that you need to consider the following costs (at least):

- mileage to and from the session (as well as gasoline, if applicable)

- cost of prints and all related (i.e. postage if applicable, ink if you print yourself, packaging, all that)

- wear and tear on equipment (obviously, your equipment is not going to be battered in one shoot, however, if you're doing this for a living, you do need to build the long term effects on your equipment into your portrait pricing)

- cost of your time retouching files and preparing the order

- cost of either mailing or delivering prints

- taxes, if applicable

Be sure that when it's all said and done, you've actually put some money in your pocket!
 
I've had a quick look at a few shots on your website and I think you should perhaps look at doubling the print prices and go for cost + 50% on the framing. Take a look at how that works out and see if it's anywhere near the amounts you'd need if you were full time, with all the costs that incurs.
 
Its a family shoot you're doing. They'll only buy 1 print. That's all they need. They've only got 1 wall free. And whilst Aunties Bertha and Mabel may also want one each, they will for sure only want the smallest prints on offer. On your prices that makes you £100 + £30 + 2x £10 = £150. For 1/2 a day's work. Its your call, but I think I'd rather stay in bed.

I would up your price for the shoot to as much as they can handle until they squeal - say £500 and offer them (say) 1 x A3 and 2 x A5 (or A4) for free, with framing at your price on top.

Obviously these prices are negotiable, but you're far too good to be doing this shoot at what looks like a loss.

Remember you have tax to pay. And gear to buy ......
 
mobilevirgin said:
Its a family shoot you're doing. They'll only buy 1 print. That's all they need. They've only got 1 wall free. And whilst Aunties Bertha and Mabel may also want one each, they will for sure only want the smallest prints on offer. On your prices that makes you £100 + £30 + 2x £10 = £150. For 1/2 a day's work. Its your call, but I think I'd rather stay in bed.
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What? Oh, man, I really disagree with that statement.

There is absolutely no reason to assume a family will buy only one print, nor to assume they've only got one wall free. I've never once done a family session and only sold one print. Perhaps if you shot fifteen nearly identical frames that might be true. Otherwise, no.

A family shoot (particularly since John already mentioned he'll be doing both posed and reportage images) is a phenomenal opportunity to capture many different aspects of the family. You can catch them interacting, catch them at play, so much more than taking one single image and calling it a day. You also have the opportunity to photograph separately the individuals who make up that family. They may opt to frame several prints side by side, or even do a photo book (very popular among my clients and very lucrative for me.)

My family sessions over the past year (June to June) have averaged just shy of $6KUS, with the top sale coming in at over $17K. They certainly aren't spending that for a single print.

- CJ
 
do you have a job as well.

did the family agree to your quote

if yes and your happy with the amount go for it.

if you think you could charge more in the future tell the family that you are charging special reduced rates to get your potfolio together.

that worked for me and gradually i put my prices up
 
yup, I do have a job too. I haven't quoted yet, I said that I'd get back to them with a quote today. I think I will charge slightly more than I originally said but not by a large degree. From what I can tell I'm in the correct region for pricing.

thanks everyone for your advice.

John
 
another point i just thought of is that not every session is the same so you can have a basic price and adjust it .

also one tip from me is....

by your phone have a list of prices for everything you can think off

cause i was called las week quite out of the blue and quoted a price that was far too cheap i could of kicked myself. :bonk: :bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

but i went with the price through gritted teeth and told them it was reduced due to me building up my portfolio.

thus i made up my 'bible' and then there is no dithering when someone rings up.
 
Good advice there photomad, I do need to work on some sort of pricing structure. I'm going to be setting up my photography business properly in the Autumn, this summer is far too busy! But I'll take what comes along at the moment and do it a bit more ad-hoc.

If anyone else is interested in looking at the reportage coverage I did at my first wedding the album is here: http://johnhobsonphotography.com/weddings/20070528_Andy_and_Jane/

I've almost completed the editing for the second wedding that I shot and will share it here once complete.
 
I've seen the images on cjnicolai's site & would pay one hell of a lot for them. You have to start somewhere & the value is less in the money but the experience & reputation you acquire at the outset that is surely important?
I don't speak with any real authority, but that's my view - glad you're going in with market rates as well.
 
Surely there are some local high street togs that you can "visit" and judge by their pricing what the local market place/clients will bare.

Cjnicolai is right that you don't undersell/value your work, this has been said many times in other threads.
 
I'm a little confused about some of the figures being mentioned in this thread.

£500 for an hours portrait shoot seems excessive - include 2 hours travel time at 50% and that's a daily rate of around £2666?

Maybe I've been looking in the wrong places but in my area that's the rate for the top end wedding togs including prints, album, etc. ???
 
photomad said:
if you think you could charge more in the future tell the family that you are charging special reduced rates to get your potfolio together.

that worked for me and gradually i put my prices up
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I'd be interested to see some of your portrait shots photomad - any chance you can post some up on the site?
 
no you wont see any of my portraits on- line cause they are all of children and i would feel very uneasy posting them in such an open forum.
if someone took a photo of my child i would not want it on the internet.
 
pxl8 said:
I'm a little confused about some of the figures being mentioned in this thread.

£500 for an hours portrait shoot seems excessive - include 2 hours travel time at 50% and that's a daily rate of around £2666?

Maybe I've been looking in the wrong places but in my area that's the rate for the top end wedding togs including prints, album, etc. ???
Click to expand...

What a lot of people do not consider are ALL of the costs:

1) Advertising
2) Travel and depreciation (I believe it's in the region of £1 per mile)
3) Time at the shoot
4) Processing
5) Prints and framing
6) Insurance
7) Equipment costs (depreciation, maintenance etc)
8) Tax and NI

+ anything else I have forgotten.

£500 does not go a long way.

Suppose, as others say, it depends on how you value yourself. I am not saying that £500 is the right figure but once you consider everything then I would definitely say that your £100 figure is way too cheap.

Just my thoughts but I am no expert...unlike CJ. ;)
 
Brains said:
£500 does not go a long way.

Suppose, as others say, it depends on how you value yourself. I am not saying that £500 is the right figure but once you consider everything then I would definitely say that your £100 figure is way too cheap.
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Agreed, obviously.

The cost for the shoot depends on how many prints you think you may sell. If you think you'll sell lots, then, by all means do the shoot for free. But my impression from your description of the event was that you wouldn't sell many. Hence, you need to make your client pay for your time.

As a very rough rule of thumb, if you're self employed, then about half of your fee will go in expenses, tax, NI, unpaid bills and the like.

Remember, this is not a 1 hour gig. Its travelling time, processing time, printing time, communication time.

As I say, its your call. :shrug:
 
I charge £175-£200.00 for a portrait session and include the first 5 A5 prints in the price. Then A5 £8.00 A4 £16.00 and A3 £32.00 or large canvas prints depending on size.
 
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