 BetterPhoto Member |
How to price a particuliar print?
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John Caruso |
Marie-- It's so difficult to give a standard answer to this question. The best way to start is to figure out a few things. First of all, you need to determine what size the person is interested in. Next, you have to know if you will sell it as just the print or if the person wants it matted, or even matted and framed. Next, you have to do some pricing of your materials. Will you print it up at home or will you have a lab print it up? If you are going to mat/frame it (or have it matted/framed by a third party), you need to determine sizes and gather those expenses as well. Finally--and this is where too many people skimp--you have to figure out what your time is worth. If you merely sell the image for what your costs are, then, in essence, your time has been worth nothing. Pay yourself! And don't forget to factor in the time it took you to MAKE the exposure, not just the time to construct the print. For instance, if the buyer would like a 6x9 print, matted to 11x14, you'd have to figure: (all prices approximate) For "your time" it would not be unreasonable to insert anywhere from $20-$50 or more. Therefore, you might consider charging anywhere from $30-$80 (or more) for a 6x9 print matted to 11x14. Of course, this is just an academic example, your individual results will vary depending upon size, materials, and time. I hope this wasn't too convoluted of an answer to a seemingly simple question! Best, John
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John P. Sandstedt |
I asked an artist friend how he priced his oil paintings. He answer, "For the next picture, I charge more than the last!" If one thinks about it, this is pretty good advice. Most of us have little of idea of what to charge. The cost to produce a print can be estimated but there's more. For example, did you HAVE TO drive to a location? Should transportation costs come into the estimate? If this is your first sale and, especially, if you make the print on your inkjet printer, $25-50 is a reasonable starting point for a matted 11X14. If a larger print [and mat] is desired, the price should be higher. Trips to Arts and Crafts Shows and Flea Markets will show that a matted 8X10 might sell for +/- $20. If the picture is framed, particularly if it's a relatively large print, prices of $250 are not unreasonable. My DIL recently bought a print of a sailboat that she'd seen in a consignment store in Newport, RI years ago. It seems that, as soon as a framed print is sold, the shop owner asks for another print from the maker and does the framing himself. The picture has been sold many times over the years. Is a price of $500 for a photograph, that many other folks have purchased, really worth it? Only if you like and want that print.
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