 Nikki D. Storms |
What to charge for a Shoot! Ok, I got my first client. I am so excited. I am in school for photography, so I told this client that I would do the shoot when I graduate in August. At this time I only have a Canon rebel XT with a standard 18mm-55mm lens. I plan to purchase an external flash, a tripod and some sort of lighting equipment by the end of June. I would love to purchase another lens before this shoot in August. This client is a well known business person in the town I live in. Her husband owns 12 small businesses around North Florida. I do not have my business license yet nor am I certified. Like I said earlier, I am still in school.
Now for my questions.
1: What questions do I ask her before I come up with the pricing? 2: How do I come up with pricing? 3: This client knows I do not have my business license and that I have not graduated. How do I tell her in a professional way that I can only accept cash? 4: What would be the best lens to use for an outside setting for family portraits with 5 or more people in the frame?
I appreciate any advice that you can give me…
I am not asking you to tell me what to do… Just here for advice. Thanks! Shotbybev@yahoo.com
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Samuel Smith |
school for portrait photography? only accept cash,1099. are you shooting inside or out? time of day? formal,candid?doa ray me.faa..
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Nikki D. Storms |
I am doing online school through Penn Foster for Photography. Im not sure what you mean about the 1099 I know that I have no way to take cc payments as I dont even have a business yet. I am doing this more for my portfolio and to get my name out more than anything. I would like to shoot later in the afternoon as the later in the day lighting is best in my opinion. More than likely it will be outside... on location. so some of the questions I should as are Do you want them taken outside or inside. I promised a price quote by friday so I am going to do a search on here to see if I can come up with anything else. Thanks for your response!
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Samuel Smith |
geez,what are you shooting? graduation,nude wedding? have you considered this client wants a freebie..they know your situation,green and unlicensed. no big deal about the license! you did mention portraits and lens choice. inside or outside?remote or wireless release? none of us know these people,only you have met them. the world of photography is here. eh?
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Nikki D. Storms |
I am shooting her family pictures. 5 people including her dog. Family portraits and individual. combination inside and outside. She knows its not going to be free. I am taking the pictures loading and editing them then uploading them into my website and she is going to order what she wants. I am looking into getting a tamron 200mm lens. I have another thread going about that in here. Sam I am not sure what to make about your reply. I am not sure what you are asking/telling. Maybe you could rephrase... This is more of a favor... to get me practice and get my name out there. She knows it isnt free tho... I'm just not sure if I should charge her a flat rate for a total of my time plus sitting fee etc, or a per hour fee... Thanks for your reply tho.
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BetterPhoto Member |
You have to take Sam with a grain of salt. He's a little strange.
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Samuel Smith |
glad to be noticed. what about your time editing in ps? please say what you think,weird. familiar with posing? we have no clue as to the setting or the backgrounds.your current lens will work.we just don't know how your going to use it. if it's a distracting background your choice of apertures can make a big difference. if your focus is going to be portraits,why go past 105mm on your lens choice?300 at 5.6 in direct sunlight is ok,even f4.but then you need to be fairly far away or the lady in the background picking her nose is oooohhh. here to help?i just like to stir the pot,sam
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Nikki D. Storms |
LOL Im leaning toward a flat rate since it will take me time to edit and such... I have never taken pictures of anyone I didnt know or that was related to me... This is my first official shoot. I am in school for photography and the shoot isnt until august. I am in the Lighting classes now. And learning the "set up" for lights. The only reason I was looking at a different lens was on my other thread the tamron lens was suggested to be one of the best for portraiture. I would like to take the class here at BP for my camera before the shoot too... the set up I have now is a At the end of may I will be purchasing my light kits, filters, and tripod. lol I am not sure what the back ground will be. I am going to see if I can go to her house in advance and check it out. what is your opinion of Canon vs. Sony vs. Nikon? It was a really tough decision on my part to choose the Canon over the other two for my first SLR. Which do you guys prefer?
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Samuel Smith |
could you put a patch on that eye of yours,your mini-pic? it,without knowing,sends a message of intimidation. ah dslr,a matter of choice.better or worse as to canon,sony,nikon?well yes,no,yes,no,well?
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BetterPhoto Member |
The eyes have it. Sam, only you would be intimidated by a minipic. As for Canon vs Nikon Vs Sony, beauty is in the eye of the beholder (pun intended). Your camera should be comfortable for you to use. Try all, use what you feel is best. Not one is perfect. controls are set different, bodys are different weights and sizes. If it's comfortable, use it. Have fun and keep shooting,
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Samuel Smith |
the eyes have it.thanks for a good weekend. with respect to nominal thinking,i never look someone in the eye.it predicates bullying.yeah,with some and to a point. the tone of voice,selection of words and the nominal physical posturing are a more clear package. gee mark,sometimes when I look in an eye,an eye,i see a dark side,shadows,corrupted.only in a few do I see a sparkle,hope.daily life or work. on camera flash is that.without an off camera flash and a ratio,kinda like fill flash,i don't know. maybe the apprenteship of one more.well less the eye.mon yana.
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Nikki D. Storms |
I changed my Mini pic, IS that better sam? LOL...
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Samuel Smith |
much butter,,might help. to charge,vs expierence?but you are charging and no expierence? what is the shoot?you said august but what are you to shoot?
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Jennifer Harden |
You may have already decided but just thought I'd throw in my two cents. I started my photo business last fall and felt just like you. For a single or family portrait setting, I charge $100 per hour. If they want full family pictures and then individual shots of everyone, it could probably take you two hours but if they want to be mindful of your time, they can probably get it done in an hour. I agree with you that late afternoon. early evening light is great for portraits but outdoors in August in the late afternoon heat may not be the best idea in Florida. I'm in Nashville and I could never do a family shoot in the late afternoon in August outside if they aren't in a pool. I would encourage them to do morning (when light is also lovely for portraits) or indoors. If it's indoors, you'll definitely need some portrait lights and not rely on the camera's flash - built in or not. I have to point out that I don't sell prints so my charge may sound high. I make 6 figures at my day job so I only do photography on the side. I know people's opinions of letting Wal-Mart develop your pictures and how that may badly reflect on your work but I have samples of what all our local vendors do. I had the exact same picture printed at all of them and had enlargements done so my clients can see the difference in quality if they chose to go to a discount place. I just hate all the print stuff so I decided to rid myself of all the hassle and just charge for shooting and editing. It has worked for me very well but I understand opionions about this are very strongly against what I'm doing - you have to make the best decision for you. Good luck with your new business!
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Nikki D. Storms |
Thank you for your reply. I have just decided this morning, funny I am doing $100/hour also. I told her 3 Hour minimum. that will include my time driving, editing and loading there photos. I have also decided not to do the developing or printing. I am using Kodakgallery.com to let them order from. I am also going to offer to put the prints on a CD for free and they can get there prints where ever they want. Funny how your thoughts are exactly what I am doing lol... your right about heat in august. I will talk to her about that. Thanks for all your advice. I appreciate your post. If its ok... I would like to email you out of this forum some questions... I seem to get alot of ruff answers and feedback in here. let me know! Thanks again!
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Nikki D. Storms |
Sam, I have never done a REAL photo shoot. Of course I have done all of my families pictures for years.
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Mark Feldstein |
Getting back to reality for a moment, although I only like to go there as a tourist: Don't reinvent the wheel as far as contracts. Get a book on professional business practices for photographers with forms on CD. Take a look at ASMP form books at ASMP.org. Prices should be compatible or similar to every other studio photographer in your immediate vicinity for comparable services. JOIN a professional association there and attend meetings. Take it light.
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Nikki D. Storms |
I contacted over 7 different photographers in my area to compare prices... $100/hr is the overall average. That is where I came up with my pricing. I am looking into the different organizations in my area at the moment. I found a type of contract in Microsoft word templates. I dont think it is thorough enough tho. I will look into that book... maybe at barns and noble>? thanks for your reply.
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Samuel Smith |
boy i'm as honest as a popcorn fart.by that little post nickcole I offended you,well,as I do with many others. do you walk on eggshells with your (friends).be very frank and upfront and when it calls for it tell them their stupid.ok,also,tell them you admire them for a show of compassionate or selfless endeavor. questions are asked,and a lot of people think answers are either candy coated or just chocolate syrup on their ice cream. so yeah my personality,and choatic diction says bite me,others say,hey chew on this? reality is a tourist trap,i think it's stock is just behind 6 flags.not even a good place to go on vacation. not licensed or certified was my first clue.see,there I go again.
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Nikki D. Storms |
WoW sam, U are I think the most confusing person I have ever met. Or not met. Again I have NO IDEA what the heck you are trying to say. You have not offended me. Eggshells, No... Im just totally confused by you.
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Mark Feldstein |
So, inquiring mind wants to know: Does Alice live in this Wonderland? Anyone seen my big white rabbit named Harvey? M.
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BetterPhoto Member |
Hey Mark, he went over the rainbow with Dorothy.
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Mark Feldstein |
Bummerewsky dude ! :<( M. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Alas, poor Harvey. . .I knew him well."
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Samuel Smith |
done so good,got everything covered,looking for releases,covered all the bases? does a real photoshoot reguire different settings.hmm. iso,cloudy. I can do this yet I have all these questions. ahh,being a good sport. some,em well,pay attention. spelling,contractions. oh alice,when she was just small.poor alice.well not really,or is she the case,yes she was so small. harvey was a jimmy stewart movie. spit your gum out and pay attention.
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Tom Leckwart |
Hi, here's my advice. First, a great local club here in Jax is http://www.ppsnf.org/ .The group meets in Mandarin at the Ramada, and almost always features an excellent guest speaker. You can meet other pros and get ideas from them. $100.00 an hour in this market is about right, but that is for a experienced photographer. I would worry more about building your portfolio than charging fees. Your portfolio can dictate large fees down the road. Toss the 18-55 in the trash, it's the softest lens Canon ever made, my butterknife is sharper. I use my 18-55 for a paperweight, works nicely in that arena. Your choice of lens is whatever your buget allows. I think 200mm is too much for portraits, I like 105 to 135, and you can do fine with less if needed. If you can affors L glass, get it. IS is nice too. Sigma's EX line is an outstanding alternative to L glass on a budget. I have a couple Tokina ATX pro lenses I like that I use with my 30D and my digital Rebel. I hope your shoot goes well and it is the start of a great portfolio. Good luck-Tom
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Tressie Davis |
I do not like them in a house I do not like them with a mouse I do not like green eggs and ham I do not like them Sam I am. You are an enigma. :-) Just teasing Sam. :-)
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Nikki D. Storms |
Once I get my new Lens I will more than likely use the 18-55mm as a Backup... I dont like to change lenses in the middle of a shoot. I am gonna include a couple of Freebees like a Photo CD and maybe some prints. She has already agreed on the $300 set price. Which is for 3 hours of work including editing and such. I wish your post, tom, would have come sooner before I told her my price. I dont know. I didnt want to charger her too low and have her running around town telling everyone that I am cheap. THank you so much for your post. So your in Fl too? Im checking out that site right now. I am ordering a bunch of stuff from B&H later this month. Before the shoot of course. I am also trying to find a whole lighting kit. I am gonna go check those lenses real fast. THanks everyone for posting.
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Samuel Smith |
so we all know the err apparent post. ah well,many have pleased me by your posts,insane,cryptic.oh and tressie,much enjoyment came from your post.well,a choke spit.you had something to say.maturity starts when an opinion is posted,as tressies,and is viewed as such. now by one persons opinion your lens is crap.not a lens comparison or review? is the f-stof the cause!iso? it's possible some have a clue to lighting.is it you,nickcole.. suggestions and opinions are just that,no more and no less. no mention of a backup camera,what was I thinking.. have you thought that as a business person this person is playing you? that after the fact your asking questions that you have studied,researched,previously? so easily swayed by a lens choice. that this is my world tressie,cold hands and nose. if I robbed you of your lust, would that be just.?
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Nikki D. Storms |
I don't like this lens, not bc of the previous opinion or suggestion. Once I get my new lens' I will be using my current one as a backup... Sam U are very unique. Hmmm...
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