by Cindy Bracken
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Start Your Photography Business Today!
Without profit, you don’t have a photography business – you just have an expensive hobby! If pricing your photography is a mystery to you, then read on.
The first thing I would recommend is finding out what other photographers in your area are charging. Remember that you do not necessarily want to charge less than your competition just to get more customers. In my experience, cheap prices attract cheap customers.
Basically, you need to calculate all of the costs associated with producing a photographic print or package. You should consider everything involved from start to finish, including (but not limited to), equipment costs, artwork, lab costs, shipping costs, packaging costs, etc. After you come up with a dollar amount, multiply this figure by 3.5. This should give you a starting point. For example, if the cost of producing an 8x10 photograph is around $10, then you would charge $35 for it.
Some photography businesses create packages based on the 8x10 unit. One unit would then contain ONE of the following:
Using the pricing suggestion discussed above, you would charge $35 for each unit sold. This would be a good starting point for someone just beginning their photography business, but more experienced photographers might want to increase this amount.
I would suggest raising your prices a little bit every year to account for inflation.
Above all, you must be confident (or at least appear to be!) when discussing price with clients. NEVER apologize for your prices. Quote prices with a straight face and don’t feel bad about it! Remember that you are providing a professional service and deserve to be paid for it. Clients are paying for your time, talent, and expertise as a professional photographer – as well as the benefit of your professional equipment. If they could do what you do with a point and shoot camera, then they wouldn’t have hired you. So, just remember to be confident and never apologize.
Copyright 2006 by Cindy Bracken. This article may not be reproduced without the consent of the author.