How To Price Portrait Photography?
How To Price Portrait Photography? Words of Advice from a Professional Photographer
As a general observation, I am shocked at the low prices of a lot of portrait photographers – especially new photogs, and I hope this isn’t offensive to anyone, but what is more important than your photography, is your business skills when running a business. This industry is completely saturated with underpriced photographers – many talented. Think of this — the stats are something like 95% of all photography businesses fail. What makes you feel that you should be in that 5% that does not fail?
Business sense, that’s what. Have you marveled at a local photog who does really boring work, yet they are always busy and their prices are more than yours? Why is that person a success and you can barely bring people in even though you are always hearing how everyone loves your work… It’s because he/she knows how to run a business.
Everyone asks – how should I price my portrait photography? So and so has $25 8x10s, so I can’t go higher than that. Okay, so research all the local portrait photographers and find out what they are charging. Use that as a guide, but understand, many photogs do not have their pricing on their site, and there is a reason for that. You need to price yourself for profit. If you are new and still portfolio building, something that is great to do is set your prices based on turning a profit (as I will describe below), then sure, discount your prices and be CLEAR that you are portfolio building. That way, when you are done PBing, you can return to your already advertised REAL prices, and you won’t make your previous customers angry because they knew at some point you would move on to them. The problem with starting too low is when you start realizing you aren’t turning a profit, and you start to raise them, you are going to be without business because people will get angry with you for raising them. So be honest and upfront and clear about what exactly is going on, and you will continue to have clients who have built a relationship with you and understand what’s going on. Don’t drop a bomb on them, by any means. Once they have invested with you, they are invested, it’s a relationship, maintain it.
Another thing – if you do not need the money right now because your spouse is the breadwinner, now is a GREAT TIME to build an exclusiveness about your business. You don’t need the money, so why not price yourself to make it well worth it. So you get a few sessions a month. You are PAID WELL for your time away from your family, and then as word of mouth builds, you are viewed as a higher priced, more exclusive portrait photographer – and that can be quite desiring for many crowds.
The thing about running a business – you have to take emotions out of it. By emotions, I mean “I want people to still be able to afford me” “I don’t think I am good enough” “I’ve never done this before” “I can’t afford me (I beg to differ – how much did you spend on your living room furniture? $3,000? How much did you spend on that big screen TV with surround sound? I have news for you – pictures last longer and are more important in the longrun. Clients will not value your work, if YOU don’t value it. News Flash: WalMart’s a la carte pricing is $50 for an 8×10. I’m not talking about the coupons. I’m talking about for one of those crappy ugly 8×10 a la carte backdrop pictures of your child with a fake Christmas tree, where you only got 15 minutes to get your child to smile printed on substandard photo paper is $50. You offer WAY better than that to your clients, don’t you?
When I see some charging $200 and that includes all the digital files or even some of the files or even a $100 print credit with $20 8x10s, I cringe because that photographer can be making less than minimum wage and has no idea.
Do you have a reason for pricing the way you do? Do you just toss it out there and hope for the best? Or do you have concrete logical reasoning for why you are pricing the way you are. You need to take your EMOTIONS out of this and think like a business owner. No business owner should be making less than minimum wage. You really need to think about business management (classes would be a great idea).
So how do you price? Work backwards to figure out what clients need to spend. So many people want to skim over this because they are “arteests” and think it’s all about the talent, not about the pricing structure. WRONG! Artists work from emotions, and you better step outside of that for a moment and keep those emotions and business separated, or you will BE a starving artist who will one day look back and say “my kids are grown, where did the time go? I sat in front of that computer for hours for less than minimum wage… I wish I had that time back with my kids….” No one looks back and says “I wish I would have worked more away from my family….”
Ask yourself how much you want to make per year. My personal goal is always well into six figures, but I’ll back this down to a more reasonable goal for newbies.
Okay – let’s say you want $50,000 SALARY for a full time BUSINESS OWNER. When figuring this out – what do you value your family time at? $50 an hour? $100 an hour? $10 an hour (REALLY???? You may regret that one day years in the future – don’t set yourself up for regrets) Don’t laugh – some people do this for $10/hour and then pay a babysitter $5/hour. It boggles my mind.
Work backwards to figure out your pricing structure.
1. Income desired is $50,000. Again, you are a business owner, you don’t need to be working for pennies. Add 35% to that (that’s for your taxes as a sole proprietor). Yes, you need an additional $17,500 to cover your taxes. So now your income has to be $67,500 as you are going to owe Uncle Sam a nice chunk.
2. Add your expenses to your desired income – $67,500 plus $25,000 equals $92,500 -Don’t think $25,000 is a lot for business expenses. That’s not a lot at all. Last year alone, my expenses were $70,000. Expenses means everything – gas money or mileage, office supplies (paper, ink, packaging, file folders, pens, pencils, envelopes, sticky notes, light bulbs, batteries, whatever….etc.), office equipment (computers, software, actions, mouse, keyboard, file cabinets, books, internet etc. etc. etc.), studio supplies and equipment if applicable, portions of gas and electric bills, telephone bills (if working out of home, it’s portions of this vs. full amounts if you have a studio) photography supplies and equipment (cameras, lenses, memory cards, lens cleaning supplies, flash, strobe, softbox, camera bags etc. etc.), packaging supplies (bags, boxes, bows, tape, labels, etc.), postage, props -yes, all those baskets, newborn hats, wraps, backgrounds, chairs, stools, etc., marketing supplies – print samples, business cards, etc. oh and your business insurance. Do you have studio rent? Then think much more than $25,000 as expenses. The figure I am using is based on not having a studio – and I am being nice, most with even part time businesses have higher expenses than $25,000.
3. So you need to bring in $92,500 in sales every year to get your desired income of $50,000. How do we go about that? Okay, ask yourself – how many weeks per year do you want to work? Let’s say 48 weeks per year (don’t forget, you may have your kids home for spring and winter breaks, etc.. $92,500 divided by 48 equals $1,927 per week. You need to have $1,927 per week in sales.
4. How do you want to achieve that? How many clients do you want per week?
If you want 2 clients per week, you will have to have two sales of $963.54 (if you are selling albums/prints, make that $1,163.54).
If you want 4 clients per week, you will have to have four sales of $481.75. (if you are selling albums/prints, make that $681.75)
Umm… okay, why did I add the parentheses? What are your COGS (cost of goods sold). If you sell an album, some prints, and a canvas, you are looking at COGS of being around $200 per customer – factor that in.
A little note, how many hours exactly do you work for your client. Hmmm… An hour in transit, 2 hours in session time, 4 hours proofing/editing, an hour uploading and doing office tasks, 3 hours between phone calls and scheduling and emails and questions from client and client sale finalization, packaging, ordering etc.. So you did 10 hours for that client? (we didn’t include other things like marketing and bookkeeping and in person ordering, but I’ll skip that for now – challenge: log in while you work on a client, EVERYTHING you do related to that client, I bet it will be close to 10 hours or more per client). Well that’s not bad, that’s about $50/hour toward the business for option one, having two clients per week. That’s half of what plumbers make, though… and guess what, your PICTURES LAST LONGER! :laugh: … but option two puts you at about $25/hour toward the business. Not TOO bad either – but you SHOULD be making at LEAST $50/hour as a BUSINESS OWNER (although myself and others would tell you as a business owner, you should actually be making more like $100/hour because you don’t want to forget having retirement, college funds for your kids, etc. and as a business owner, you should accept nothing less in my personal opinion or you may as well just work a job for someone else that is less stressful than dealing with the public). I challenge you to plug in lower numbers in this equation as well – let’s say you only want to make $20,000 per year – I’ll touch on that at the end. Although don’t forget, life happens, and you may find yourself in a pinch one day to where you may actually need an income to support your family on your own…. which begs to go back to – what do you value your time away from family at? One customer takes you away from your family for 10 or more hours. Is that only worth $250 to you? Not to me personally…. but to each his own.
5. Back to what do you price? I personally like to work by worst case scenario so I figure at the very least, I know I will have 2 clients per week, even during slow time, so that means I would want to guarantee two sales per week at $1,164. So therefore I would price my work so that every client would spend at LEAST $1,164 which means my lowest print package should be $1,164 (or $682 if going to take on 4 clients per week).
Personally, this is just my opinion, but I don’t think a business owner should be making less than $50,000, but that’s just me. You should network with some other local BUSINESS OWNERS (not photogs, but business owners) and see what they are making. Want to work with lower figures? “Oh I just want to do this part time for fun… $20,000 is plenty for me to have part time…”
Okay, let’s work with lower numbers.
Goal: $20,000 Add 35% to that for taxes equals $27,000
Expenses: Add all your expenses up – I’ll be nice and pretend you aren’t spending on all those group buys, trendy items, and you don’t have any SUPER expensive equipment, so let’s say your expenses are $15,000 per year (do you REALLY think that is high? I don’t – not at all – see above list and I challenge you to REALLY evaluate what you are spending every year – most photogs are spending at LEAST $20,000 per year in expenses if not much much more. So $27,000 plus $15,000 equals $42,000
So for you to make $20,000 per year, you need to have sales of at least $42,000
$42,000 divided by 48 weeks per year of steady work equals $875/week in sales without cost of goods sold factored in. You need $1075 (including COGS) per week in sales to have an income of $20,000 per year – so if you are only taking 2 clients per week, you need sales of around $640 for each client. Just keep that in mind… 
Also keep in mind, if you are taking on 4 clients per week so that your sales need to be much less HOWEVER when taking on FOUR clients per week – you are working 40 hours per week – that’s FULL TIME for $20,000 per year… umm… That means that you are working a full time job for $10/hour – your time away from your kids is valued at $10/hour? You are missing 40 hours per week of your kids’ lives for $10/hour as a BUSINESS OWNER. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
I just challenge all new business owners to really look at their figures and use these simple concrete ways to project your income, to define your income, to price yourself out, and actually structure your business as a real business, and operate as a business owner who knows basic business management 101 now. Work your business proactively with good reasoning behind it. Remember, IF WE DON’T VALUE THIS INDUSTRY, NO ONE WILL.
Thank you to the incredible portrait photographer Jodie Otte of Black Horse Studio for this thought provoking answer to the question: “How should I price my photography?”
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THANK YOU! I’ve been on the brink of “going out of business” even though I’m constantly busy because the overhead is just too much and I don’t have enough profit to keep going. I’ve got “okay” equipment but I do need to upgrade and some times I feel like I’m working to pay daycare…THANK YOU…you just may have saved my business with this post!
As usual you are right on the “money” Thanks for sharing your knowledge based on successful experience.
and another – Jen Jesseph said…. It should be an additional $26923 you need for taxes if you want to make $50K. Think of X as what you need to make. If you take 35% from that, you are left with 65% which should be your desired income. So, X(.65) = 50000. Divide 50000 by .65 and it will give you X. Okay, my head is spinning, anyone else’s?
Thank You for this in-depth and blunt talk!!! The figures are awesome to really make us evaluate what we’re doing and why. I don’t consider myself a “business” at all, I’ve just started doing a few sessions for families but I want to price myself effectively in case I ever decide to pursue this further.
Jodie, you got it!
It is a great article Jodie, thank you!
For eveyone saying “I wouldnt pay that!” I have to share some great advice I heard once. YOU are not your client. YOUR FRIENDS are not your client. Your clients are the people who WILL pay for your services. Price your services for what they are worth, then walk the walk and talk the talk. I also would not pay 30K for a diamond ring, but Tifanny and CO doesnt seem to be doing too bad, do they?
Thanks so much for the article, Jodie!! I really need to re-think the way I price my work right now…I am not in PB stage anymore (or so I hope) and need to change a few things in my business now.
However I urge everyone to think about the following – lots of photographers out there do not rely solely on photo sessions and print sales, they also create and sell PS actions (TRA, Kubota, etc), create templates for sale (websites, for example – Showitfast, etc), write books (Fast Track Photographer by Dane Sanders and so on), invent photo accessories/equipment (diffusers, tripods, etc) to ensure they will have income coming in even if they don’t have sessions scheduled or if they are on vacation (you gotta take vacation sometime, right?
, etc…
Brilliantly put! I am 1 of those people who began doing this for some fun mad money, however…after a disasterous financial year for my husband…who has always provided for us amazingly, we have HAD to rely on my photography.
My lowest collection is 850.00 and I have a minimum print order commitment of 500.00 to weed out the price shoppers. There is another photographer right here in town that charges a $35 session fee and sells the 4×6 proofs for $1 each! She does good work, but undermines the industry IMO. She stays super busy (imagine that) but I can’t imagine she’s making nearly what I am putting in many more hours. PLUS she can not possibly be as attentive to her customers as I am to each of my clients!
Since adding my minimum print purchase, I have many inquire but not book and while that may scare some, I put that in place to do just that
) I am assuring myself of quality clients who value me and my work!
Thank you for sharing your wisdom, I am so tired of seeing new photographers in the business short selling themselves. It is a reflection to all of us in the business. Pricing yourself too low may tell your clients how you value your ability.
Wow. I read this first thing this morning and my day has now equaled a massive meltdown. Our prices are in line, I think, but we’re still not seeing those big orders. Infiltrating the markets that can spend over $1000 per order is, for us, a long road it seems. And I think a lot of this, pricing issues, has to do with self-confidence. I tend to panic and feel like maybe I’m not good enough which is so stupid. If I believe my clients will believe.
Such a great article Jodie, and so timely for me. Thank you so much for breaking it down and giving us an idea of how to break our own income down b/c at least right now, we fly by the seat of our pants and I’ll be damned if that causes us to be new talent that doesn’t make it! My goal tomorrow? Enter my books and figure this out! THANK YOU!
Fantastic article that should help a lot of people! I shared it on my Facebook page.
Wow! This article really got me anygry at myself. I am a semi-newbie that is really just giving my time and talent away. Even in PBing I need to make a profit. I’m starting to get calls on a daily basis which is great, but I have to stop being so soft. If you don’t want to pay me what I’m worth, then I’m sorry. No more compromising. Thanks Jodie, much appreciated.
jodie seriously ROCKS. i love her no nonsense approach and tells exactly how it is. thanks for breaking it down and making me really think about this.
I agree with everything Jodie said, except…Walmart does not charge $50 for an 8×10. It’s $2 something.
A great post and it is nice to see that people are getting what photography is worth. However, in my town of 44,000 people, they are not willing to pay $500 for a photo session and package. I don’t do any portraits because they don’t want to pay my prices. So I have abandoned even trying anymore. I know a company that has a $150 session fee, but you have to purchase a 16×24 wall portrait for $900 before you can purchase smaller prints. I would never pay that. But they do get people who will. I know a family that spend $4700 on family photos and were completely dissatisfied. they asked me to shoot their wedding and I told them it would be $4000 and they declined even after telling me how much they had wished they went with me as a portrait photographer and oh how great my work is blah blah blah. I can tell you that you do not want to spend an afternoon with screaming kids and difficult clients for $10 an hour. I have actually given up portraits. I was so tired of battling the price thing. people do not see the value in portraits any more. they get their little pocket point and shoots and take their own. Great article but there is no way anyone in Jackson would pay those prices.
Vanessa – so they changed their a la carte 8×10 to $2 from $50? When did that happen. So you can go in there without a coupon, and get one single 8×10 at their portrait studio after paying a sitting fee, no package, no coupon, etc. for $2? I really don’t think that is how it works. You may want to check that out.
That was a great way to write down a bunch of great information. I’ve been at this for 4.5 years, full-time, having jumped in with no business experience, almost no capital, and right after being laid off from a hi-tech company. My expenses last year were over $22k (you were right!! Every new photog take notice!!) on $68k of sales. It has taken me this long to finally figure out that working 60+ hours a week, 52 weeks a year and only getting paid $42k is getting pretty old.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Finally!!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ve been going hoarse saying this over and over and I’m SO happy to see all the great responses.
thank you so much for a great article!
Like everyone has said-it is about what you value.
As a consumer, I would totally pay top dollar for amazing photographs. And we are in the under 80 grand income group
I started out on the higher end (compared to some), mainly because of what I learned from other photographers (like Andrea, above!). Once I learned to value me & my time, I have seen my business grow & grow.
thanks, again!
Fabulous read! Thank you!!!
I really like your blog and i respect your work. I’ll be a frequent visitor.
[...] Jodie Otte’s absolute brilliant guide to pricing can be found {HERE}. [...]
I love this. I definitely understand feeling like pictures are so expensive (from the consumer perspective), but I feel that they are SO important so it’s worth the money to me. As an accountant who wants to start her own business someday (not an accounting business), I think this blog post is perfect! It can be used for anything really – not just photography!
Great thoughts. And thanks to Amanda for sharing it!!
Hi All, I thought this was a great article. I’ve read a few of these over the last 20~ years and have to say as a whole- the photography business is still the cheapest service industry for customer satisfaction and lasting pleasure.
“Customer satisfaction and lasting pleasure” is NOT something the customer will ever factor in and we can’t make it happen by force- that’s where branding comes in. Quality name recognition it your best virtue for combating the lacking value of lasting pleasure in our “Rate Card”.
One last thought and something I’m starting to give way to is this little secret i’ll share with this group- it’s the faux pas grand daddy of photography- GIVING YOUR IMAGES AWAY W/O PAPER PRINT SETS… OMG… NO!!! Be nice, you can make serious bank here if you know how to do it and NOT loose print set or studio value!
Okay, There’s the way to seriously capitalize on the aspect of photographer’s time -vs – dollars if we simply think outside the box, you’re an artist, so be creative in your branding, marketing aspects, product offerings. If you’re interested in a few concepts we use; for $9.95 I will happily send our DVD Branding Profile.
Thanks all and Happy Shooting!!!
i only read the first few comments but i have to say thank you for posting this. so very true.
to texxan why wouldn’t you pay that much for photos. i know that i spend $1200, at least, the first time i used a real professional photographer. those prints are priceless to me so the $1200 that i actually spent is nothing. does that even make sense. i love that i can see my kids photos around my house and watch them change. i feel bad for those kids who have parents that do not have them photographed (professionally or not). i photograph soccer teams and when parents say “oh i don’t want their photo taken” it breaks my heart. why not? is your kid not good enough for a print for $5? i have bought many bad photos of my kids, why, b/c they are my kids. usually these are team photos taken by other people or school photos to me it doesn’t matter.
Thank you so much for this…I needed to read this TODAY!
I liked it. So much useful material. I read with great interest.
[...] 6. Price for success. Low prices may be killing your business. People may think your product is cheap. The people that are buying from you may be buying only on price– those are not the buyers you want to cultivate for the long term success of your business. See Jodie Otte’s How Should I Price my Photography. [...]
I agree with this on principal, HOWEVER, what was failed to be mentioned here is that you shouldn’t be charging more than you are worth. No, you shouldn’t be de-valueing your work, but each photographer should be able to look at their work with a critical eye, compare it to local photographer’s of the same skill or style and figure out where they should fit in on a payscale, and that is what they should be charging.
Joe Schmoe should not be randomly deciding they want to make $200,000 a year even though their work is only mediocre, and not at all comparable to the other photographers in that price bracket. You have to actually be worth that number. The critical eye is what should come first, not an income goal. It helps you become successful by being frank, honest, and striving to constantly improve and develop your own style.
I don’t at all feel you on the “angry clients” thing. That seems really bizarre to me. I’ve never had a client say to me that they were upset because I had raised prices. That boggles my mind that anyone would be mad about it. It’s not their business. Also, if you are starting out at a lower price point, you are catering to clients in a certain income bracket. In my case, they were people who couldn’t have afforded a photographer at ALL if they hadn’t found me.
As your skills develop and become more sophisticated, you move into a higher bracket of clients. Perhaps your initial clients can’t afford you anymore. That would be sad, however, I have found that the clients I had my first year are not people who would hire a photographer for holiday portraits, or for anything other than an event as major as a wedding, and even in that instance, they could only afford a photographer who was still trying to figure things out and priced accordingly.
I raise my prices quarterly, as I see fit with regard to the quality of my work, and the local market. I started off charging $20/hour for anything. In three years that has jumped to about $300/hour for events. No one has come to be dissatisfied with my pricing. To the contrary, clients have told me I was worth more than I was charging. I take those statements as cues it’s time to give myself a raise. I’m very settled and comfortable where I am now.
I also find the business expenses to be inflated. Here’s why. You are accounting in both business expenses AND taxes without realizing that the two can be partially negated. Putting money back into your business is a tax write-off. Therefore, the amount you would owe on your taxes should be deducted by the amount you are allowed to deduct for those expenses. You have listed them twice, which isn’t correct. (Or if you’re not writing off expenses you need a new accountant! lol)
If you buy a new $5,000 camera for the business, that’s part of your business expenses, right? So you have to factor that in to your pricing. However, in that 35% tax rate, you can deduct out the $5k for the new camera that year. So you are inadvertently adding an additional $5k into your equation, causing it to be inappropriatly inflated. (What you can or cannot deduct or how much of a purchase can be deducted is something to ask a CPA, so this is PURELY an example and not necessarily what you would actually be able to deduct.)
And remember, not everyone (actually MOST people) are not buying thousands of dollars worth of equipment every year. I think you should have equipment which is of the quality you need, and does what it’s supposed to do. You shouldn’t have to, or want to replace $10,000 worth of equipment (cameras, lights, computers, chairs, whatever) every single year.
Next, I am part of the newer crop of photographers that does not offer any printing services at all. The service I provide is my time, my expertise, and my post processing skills. I don’t sell prints. I actually have a HUGE issue with those who sell prints, (which translates into this is my own problem, and no one elses, because I am in the minority on this issue
) because I think rather than charging up the wazoo for a print in order to get the profit you need off this client, you should be charging that amount in the first place. If you need to make $250 off this session (and you’re worth that amount), then you charge $250, period. Not, $150 sitting fee, and $150 in prints, minus the $50 cost of the prints. Also, if I were the client, *I* would not be willing to pay that for prints to begin with either. Surely, I would drop $4,000 on a great photographer, however, I don’t need them to sell me prints. I want to pick and choose on my own over time and create my own projects. I wouldn’t ever hire a photographer that didn’t allow me to do that.
If that 5% success rate is really true, that’s totally crazy, and I feel absolutely privileged to have a booming business I built myself, knowing nothing in the begining…
Very interesting, thought-provoking article Jodie. Great job for spurring on such an important dialogue with all of us photographers out there! It looks like you opened alot of eyes!
@ Holly Paulson: Re you wouldn’t pay $30k for a Tiffany ring, but they are a successul business? For me, false logic. If I had $30k, I’d absolutely pay that amount for a product that was valued at that. However, even if I were a millionaire, I wouldn’t want to pay X price for prints. JMHO.
Great info!
Great great article! Thank you so much for taking the time to write all this out – it can be so overwhelming at times that it’s great to see it in writing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
interesting to note that those who are negative about this article are those with a separate job that “pays the bills”. if you are truly doing this as a hobby and don’t value your work enough to pay for it yourself, than why charge at all? just do it for the love of it.
whether you charge $25 for an 8×10 and don’t value photography enough to pay more, or you invest of yourself in your business and marketing plans and price for profit, you WILL find a market for what you’re charging/worth!
when you realize that you are hurting your families by taking weekend sessions, working on the computer all night and having nothing to give back at the end of it, you’ll change your tune or quit.
when you have a client that you just photographed pass away in a car accident and watch their family as they TREASURE the last portraits that you took – celebrating and cherishing those portraits, you may change your mind about the value of what we do.
Hello, first off to share with ya’ll, I am a photographer
But I must say that I agree with Emily and I loved what she had to say. The truth is, that yes some people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for photos, but most people aren’t willing and most of them can’t pay that much! Maybe if I lived in a big city that was booming with rich people or people who lived comfortably, then maybe I’d be so lucky as to make that much money. I am sorry to say to that person who made that comment, that people are willing to buy big screen TVs and buy a couch for $3,000 or even buy a ring for $30k and so they can spend huge money on photos….um, most people can’t just pay straight up for those types of things and so they charge them to a credit card or make monthly payments to the store selling the item. I know that photographers have to earn money as a living just as much as the person who works at Walmart does. But what I don’t understand, is why do you say that we shouldn’t value our time away from our kids and spouse for just $10 an hour. That even a $100 wouldn’t be enough. What about all the rest of the world who works 8-10 hours a day in a office, or in a grocery store, or in a day care, or working behind a cash register, etc. and all they get paid is minimum wage, or just 9 dollars an hour? Are you then saying that they think less of their family because they get paid less then ten dollars an hour to work and miss out on time with the family? No!! We live in a world where most jobs that pay really super duper good are hard to find! Why then do some photographers feel they should get paid the big bawling bucks to use their skills? I believe we should charge a price that is fair and we should get paid for our time and talents, but why must some photographers think they have to charge thousands of dollars for their work? In my opinion, and I’m not being mean because I understand we all have opinions, but it’s not fair to those families who can not afford to pay that much and they have to use Walmart and pay $5 to get pictures that suck! Someone said something really mean in a comment. They said that they wanted clients anyways who could afford them and that they didn’t even want clients that could only afford Walmart. I thought photography was done mostly out of a love for it and for a love to see beauty captured in a photo. As with all jobs, our love for the job should first be of importance, then money (in my opinion anyways). To say that you don’t even want people who can only afford Walmart photos to be your clients is really wrong. That is saying they are no good. Maybe some photographers have clients willing to pay butt loads of money for photos but I am doing this because it’s a passion of mine and yes, I want to help those who can only afford Walmart photos. I can offer a $50 session fee and let them chose to have me develop them for alittle extra or they do it by me giving them a cd of their photos…and there’s nothing wrong with that! If all of us photographers started charging over a thousand dollars on our session fees and prints, guess what? It wouldn’t mean more people would then be willing to pay that crazy price because every photographer is charging the same high price! It would mean that more of us would be going out of business cause not too many would be able to afford those prices!! If we all charged high prices for our talent, then what would those who only made minimum wage do? How would they be able to afford a photographer? Or what about the single mom who is struggling and can only afford under a hundred bucks for her precious kid’s photos? Should she be told, “oh well you can’t afford me and my awesome talent so just go to Walmart?” No!! I love my 4 kids, I love having photos of them. But I would NEVER EVER spend a thousand or more dollars on pictures! Doesn’t mean I love then less then someone who would spend that much, just means I can’t afford to spend that and maybe I am wiser because I can use that money to buy their winter clothes they need and their christmas gifts, and even that doctor bill. So if you are getting paid that much, then that’s awesome! But just don’t get to a place where you feel your work is so great that those who can’t afford you are below you. Keep in mind that most people are living in a bad economy right now and are struggling just to pay the bills and keep their house. I live out in the country and most people around here can’t pay that much money for photos (how do you think I became a photographer? Lots of practice on my kids:) But they still have the right to find a photographer who will help them out and charge a fair, affordable price! So don’t get on to all photographers who charge only $50 a session or whatever, because maybe we are here to help those who can’t afford those who charge a leg and an arm for photography!! Thanks 
Hmm… I read blogs on a similar topic, but i never visited your blog. I added it to favorites and i’ll be your constant reader.
Oh and also….. just because I charge less then what some photographers feel I should be charging, doesn’t mean I think my talent is less then what it is or that I am being hard on myself. My work is awesome, I have creativity and talent. I value my talents and others do to. I just don’t think that I have to charge so much money for my talents in order to say that I value my talents and time. That is like saying that those whose work for far less then what they want to be working for at regular jobs, do not value their time and talents. Teachers are very valued in our school systems but they don’t bring home the big bucks I’m sure they wish they made, but yet I value them and so do others and they are very talented and skilled in what they do, REGARDLESS of how much they make. If you charge a lot or a little, your work is still talented. Period. And maybe, just maybe, those that can’t afford your awesome talent, will come to me instead to use my talent cause they can afford me!!
Yea I’d like to make more money for my photos but around where I live I’m just blessed that people can afford what I charge now. God bless and the best of luck to all of the talented photographers out there!!! 
Great topic and explanation of details most don’t even fathom. I do however see one potential flaw in your pricing methodology. Would your COGS be already included in business expenses?
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
Yes – you may.
[...] or in a month? Mine aren’t consistent, anywhere from 0-5 full session/month which is not much. How Should I Price My Photography? Words of Advice from Jodie Otte | MCP Actions Blog __________________ Sarah BLOG :: My Recent Work :: Mommie to a Little Monkey who is now TWO! [...]
Wow! This was so informative! Gosh the first 2 paragraphs hit home for me! Theres another local photographer that charges a good $20 more than I do and her pictures SUCK to me and yet she STAYS busy and I have always wondered why the heck arent they using me..my pictures are WAY better and I am cheaper! I am slowly but surely learning more and my pictures are getting MUCH better so in January I am upping my prices at least by $30. I might consider down the road upping a little more but right now until I can work on doing better advertising I will leave it as is. I think thats how that other photographer gets business…she bugs the mess out of people and then of course people are gonna love the pictures because they are clueless as to whats good quality and what isnt. Any suggestions on advertising??
I would like to add that most people will invest into something that they can liquidate if the need be. Jewelry maintains its value, so if someone were to pay $30k for a diamond ring, and then need to sell it and make some kind of return on it, even if it isn’t what they spent on it they CAN get SOME money back. Where as portraits are only valuable to the family/friends. (unless of course you are famous) :p
Quoting Brandy “I know that photographers have to earn money as a living just as much as the person who works at Walmart does. But what I don’t understand, is why do you say that we shouldn’t value our time away from our kids and spouse for just $10 an hour. That even a $100 wouldn’t be enough. What about all the rest of the world who works 8-10 hours a day in a office, or in a grocery store, or in a day care, or working behind a cash register, etc. and all they get paid is minimum wage, or just 9 dollars an hour? ”
Because those who are working behind a cash register, etc., do not own that business. They are an employee. As a business owner (a photography business owner), you are not an employee. As a BUSINESS OWNER, you should have retirement money, health care, you should be paying your own social security, etc. as far as taxes go. We are not talking about being an employee. As a business owner, you are managing an entire business, not just working for someone else. You are responsible for every aspect of your business, and you should be paid accordingly. I swear, this is one of the only businesses that people do not respect themselves as actual business owners. But then again, many photogs are not even legit businesses and aren’t paying their taxes, etc.
Do what you may, talk to me in another 5 years if you appreciate being a business owner only making $9/hour just like the person who just has to dish out fries and burgers. Not downing them, I’m just asking where is the business owner mentality?
Quoting Bandy again : “I thought photography was done mostly out of a love for it and for a love to see beauty captured in a photo. As with all jobs, our love for the job should first be of importance, then money (in my opinion anyways).”
This is tell-tale that you don’t rely on the money, and that is fine… but that is why you feel strongly as you do. You need to understand there are many photographers who are in business to pay the bills. I am in business to give my kids everything that I didn’t have…. I want to be able to have my retirement padded so my husband with his retirement as well, can have a great life in our golden years. To not have to worry if something should happen to my husband or myself, that things are taken care of…. To not have to worry about money and instead, travel and spend time with my grandkids… I also want to be able to pay for my kids to go to college wherever my kids would like to go as well as help them to get even a step above what I have, a good head start with investing in land or houses. That’s not greed as you want to say it is. That is wanting to be a succesful business in order to have a successful and fulfilling life with my family.
I have known business owners who didn’t take their business seriously and did it for “fun money” and ended up losing their spouses in divorce or death (one even had a husband who ended up disabled), and then had to learn the hard way how to run a business that is profitable because they had to all of a sudden support their children.
You want to say it’s greed if we don’t do this just for the fun of it. Lots of photogs out there charge as they do in order to be a succesful business with staying power that can support their families.
Quoting Jen “I would like to add that most people will invest into something that they can liquidate if the need be. Jewelry maintains its value, so if someone were to pay $30k for a diamond ring, and then need to sell it and make some kind of return on it, even if it isn’t what they spent on it they CAN get SOME money back. Where as portraits are only valuable to the family/friends.”
And they can be invaluable!
When your loved one dies, those pictures are all you have left with your memories and then you realize how absolutely priceless those pictures are. I’ve had clients lose one of their loved ones and I have seen first hand how it affects them and how much those pictures mean to them.
On another note – I know a plumber that can come fix your toilet for $100/hour. That’s some long-term investment right there! LOL
Well obviously you didn’t really read my words right, because I never said you or anyone was greedy for money just cause they work for money……where did you read that at?? I know that people need money to buy things that they want, all I was saying was that with any job, we should love what were doing, so that means sometimes giving up a job that pays better to do something that pays less but something we love doing! My point was that we can’t be so focused on making tons of money that we forget that we are doing it because we have a passion for it. I never said nothing about greed. Also, I completely understand charging enough to pay your bills and saving some for the future, and if you are able to get clients that pay over a thousand dollars for your talent and time, then awesome!! I am happy for you! I wish I could live somewhere where I could have clients that were famous or wealthy and make more money off my talents. But my point is this: don’t diss us photographers who choose to charge less then you do. Here’s a quote from you: “I am shocked at the low prices of a lot of photographers – especially new photogs…..This industry is completely saturated with underpriced photographers – many talented.” Some of us choose to charge less then what you feel photographers should, because we want to! Maybe some of us are doing it mostly for fun and not for the money. Maybe some of us are stay at home moms who don’t really need a job but just wants to bring in a bit of extra money. And some of us just want to charge a price that people can afford because times are tough! We don’t have to all charge alot just because we are photographers. There are no rules that say we do. Another thing I will quote you on. “Because those who are working behind a cash register, etc., do not own that business. They are an employee. As a business owner (a photography business owner), you are not an employee.” And again, there are alot of people who own their own store or another business who do not make thousands of dollars a week and they still value their time with their kids as important! My whole point is that it is great if you live somewhere where people can afford you but just don’t think that every talented photographer has to charge as much as you think they should. If that was true, alot of families would have to go to Walmart with that coupon and get there pictures done there! Alot of people wouldn’t be able to afford a thousand or more for photos.
wise words, jodie! THANK YOU for promoting better industry standards!
last september (read…BUSY SEASON). my computer crashed and died and my camera body was at the nikon factory for 6 weeks. count em. 6. i had to get up and running quick with a new mac and rent a camera for 6 weeks.
you CANNOT do that if you have ridiculously low prices. price yourself so that these things won’t throw you under the bus. life happens.
value your work and your time and give yourself enough cushion that you can breathe when things come along and trip you up for a while.
i was just conversing in a thread regarding this issue on a private photography forum i participate in & came upon a comment that i have said many times myself.
some women in this industry work for COMPLIMENTS not money.
yep! those are often the one’s who justify their rediculously low pricing. (and i’m not speaking about someone just starting out who can’t justify anything more than a low price–but then you don’t take on the stress & responsibilty of a large production holiday mini session if you aren’t somewhat confident in your work, i hope)
the lower their price the more people they have the opportunity to get a pat on the back from. and that’s fine, it does affect the industry, but i have been reassured that there is a high end market that values my work & appreciates the exclusiveness of having me as their custom photographer
) those are the people i enjoy working with!
for those of you who’ve commented saying thanks & you needed to hear this, i urge you not to let your excitement dwindle…get on it! come up with a plan, figure things out & post your new pricing now with the explination that you’re worth this now, but won’t be charging it until the first of the year ;o)
I figure that after reading this, I should charge 2500.00 to 3000.00 per client. exclusivity plays a big roll in this. People in wedding want to put on aires for photo shoots, (keeping up with the jones’s) so, to me that means that I should charge way more than basic requirements to keep the lights on. Great article!
Brandy – if you are truly doing photography for fun, have fun with that – seriously, have fun, and be happy. But if you ever consider doing this as a real business with profit, you would want to take a Business Management class or even a free business class at your local Small Business Development Center. You can charge low and still turn a profit – but you have to know how to, and that will require giving up the extras – and working as a more mass production based business with higher volume. 9 times out of 10, though, when a photographer complains about not having clients around that will spend, that is not the problem. It’s their business skills that are the problem. I personally live in the cornfields – yes, the cornfields… I don’t market to my area.
Lindey – yes, many photographers work for the pat on the back. They work for the affirmation – whatever insecurities they have deep down inside that they need the pat on the back for little money or for free just amazes me. I have seen it countless times. There are photographers out there charging for workshops that don’t even have real photography businesses, they have just worked the internet to their advantage while seeking affirmation.
and just a disclaimer: Just because I said that above about affirmation, I do not believe all lower priced photogs are seeking affirmation only… I’m just agreeing with Lindey that I have seen that weird phenomenon out there…
Jodie, this article and the replies have been a very interesting read. I’m aware of you and your work through ILP and your are very talented. I’m still in pb’ing stages and certainly going on your breakdown of pricings I am probably ‘working’ for nothing if I really looked at it. (Almost to afraid to do the actual costings I’m pretty sure I’d be out of pocket).
One of the things I struggle with is that where I live (rural France) there aren’t many photographers around (you’d think that’d be a good thing) well no. The majority of the photogs that are around are not mind blowingly good, we’re talking portraits against fake sky backgrounds with clashing clothes, greasy hair and mininmal if any pp’ing done sadly that is not an exaggeration it’s almost as if Joe Bloggs just walked in off the street. I thought that I would be doing a lot better than I am for clients b/c I am better than that, but for some reason the locals are more than happy with that quality. I’ve seen first hand a set of wedding photographs that a local photographer did for a friend of mine (before I knew her) she is English the husband is French my friend hates her photographs she can see the awful quality of them but her husband and his family LOVE them I really mean LOVE them.
So how can you set your prices to be what they ‘should’ be when you don’t get many clients when you’re practically giving yourself away? I’m my own worst critic too, I’m very critical of myself so I don’t believe I’m being big headed when I say that my work is better than that of the local photographer. I’ve tried to market myself to the Expat community as well but aside one or two friends that’s yielded very little. It seems like everyone loves to look at professional photographs and everyone wants them but NOBODY wants to pay for them. I don’t want to give up b/c I love photography it’s what I studied at college but I also don’t want it to be just a hobby taking images of my own children.
I honestly think though in the area I live there is no way this could be a full time job I would be bankrupt before I even started (business costs, what you need to give the the government, in France are so high it’s frigthening)
So I know I’ve rambled a bit and probably have made no sense whatsoever, and while I know I need to work on my pricing structure I really am at a loss of what to do, because with a session fee of 30 euros (for 1 to 2 hours) and 8 euros for a 10X8 print or a digital package of 75 euros inclusive and still lots of “wow you’re actually pretty good” comments and people MORE than happy for me to practice on their kids etc etc not very people are putting their money where their mouth is.
I know I still have things to learn hence the pb’ing but I also know that compared the majority of the local photographers, and when I say local I’m talking in about an hours radius of where I live, I’m actually better because I’ve been basing my standards to those of an Englishman (I’m English) and am being mentored by an American so when it comes to custom portrait photography those standards are expected to be high. I just don’t know how to translate that to make it work here.
….BUT, what if the photogs in your area are low prices? Then what? Would you compare the costs and cut your costs to meet their pricing level?
You got to be brave…if you truly think you’ve got a better eye and product than your competitors, and if there’s clients with money in your area, then respect yourself and price your value accordingly.
what a great article – thanks for pulling together your thoughts and experience! i wish i had it about a year ago when i started my business!
i particularly liked the quote “if you do not need the money right now because your spouse is the breadwinner, now is a GREAT TIME to build an exclusiveness about your business.”
Jodie, great article! Everything I have learned from other very talented photographers agrees with what you are saying.
I think it is respectable if some photographers want to do it for free or minimum wage because they just want to have an outlet or whatever reason and can afford to live without an income. However, at the prices that are out there on the lower end, it looks like many photographers are loosing money. Spend more than they earn. That’s why the % of failed photography business is so high. The burn out rate among non-profitable photographers seems to be high as well, some people eventually get uninspired because they feel no one values their time. I’ve noticed they eventually feel guilty for their kids missing them. I’ve seen many photographers just quit.
Thank you so much Jodie and everyone for your comments. It was a very good read and one that I will revisit as I reevaluate things in January. One quick question… for an on-location photographer would you reccommend them taking a local business management class or a the SMS management class from PPA which is geared towards photogs. I know the PPA one is much more expensive and logistically woudl cost more, but just trying to figure out which is the best route. thanks so much again!
I really enjoy reading How Should I Price My Photography? Words of Advice from Jodie Otte | MCP Actions Blog . It’s very interesting. Hope you will post something like this again.
[...] this How Should I Price My Photography? Words of Advice from Jodie Otte | MCP Actions Blog Some food for [...]
Great article on pricing! I find myself in this situation often, thinking time away from my family should be worth more than this. Do you handle the accounting and entire business side yourself? or reccommend hiring someone for that?
When I teach I battle this problem constantly! THANK YOU! AWESOME article!
Thank you so much for writing this! So well written and to the point.
As soon as I tripled my prices I lost all my whining, manipulative clients, and instead got clients who tip me, buy me thank you gifts, and actually treasure the photos they buy. They are nice people who value photography and are not bargain shopping. I make more doing 2 sessions a month than I did doing 8 sessions a month. I have more time to myself and more time for my family. I wish I had read this before I got started
[...] claim to be the cheapest photographers on the block. We hope to be the best. And when I read THIS article I realized that we are doing the right thing but also have a long way to go to actually [...]
Thanks for taking the time to post this well written article. Should be required reading at photography schools and for all those in business.
I’m so glad I read this article. I’m a freelance technical writer and want to transition into photography. What you’re saying about pricing is what I had also discovered for my writing business, so it’s good that I can just apply what I already know how to do. I charge $130 per hour for my writing. Taxes are my biggest expense. I have very low overhead because all I need is a computer, a network connection, and an email account. I do very little driving or traveling. Even at that, I figure about 1/2 of my income goes to expenses (taxes and whatnot).
My hourly rate is higher than that of many other tech writers, and some potential clients balk at the price. Which is fine. People who become my clients are happy, and become repeat customers, and that keeps me plenty busy. If I lowered my rate to please the bargain hunters, I might miss out on the chance to work for people who are willing to pay the price for my good quality work. I DO NOT compete with anyone based on price. I DO NOT try to get business as a cut-rate service. I am a premium service. I’ve had potential clients hire me, saying, “If you charge that much, you must be really good.” And they keep coming back. Half of it is because I really AM a good writer, and half of it is psychological. People value higher-priced things more than lower-priced things.
Thanks for the helpful article, Jody!
Great article! Well stated!!
Hello,
I think this is only half true.
Yes, you should value your work etc.. as you wrote, however this is only work in certain cases.
1. You must have a pretty big amount of $$ to start.
2. You must live in a place where there are a lot of people and you have a lot of connections. (I don’t know anyone here and I have no family, kids, wife..etc.)
3. Only if you want to do portrait/wedding photography as your main business. (Many people want to keep their original job as they have a good income from there, or they just like it) and many people photographers avoid doing portraits/weddings.
I for example sell my photos at the hotel where I work and in a small local gallery.
) then they pick up their p&s cameras because the camera salesperson told them that with this they can do pro work, it has 12568 MP and shoot noiseless until 125000ISO 
.
Not many because ppl are cheap like…. (I can’t find a word for this from the 1 mill English words).
I sell 16×20 images, framed! for only $40 at the hotel (the frame is $45 but I buy it when it’s on sale for 25, add the print and I get almost nothing.).
Normally when they hear $40 they run and only a few start to negotiate and offer me 20-25. Again it is framed – white, real wood+glass. If I don’t give it to them (and I do not
Next day they bring the images to show me and expect me to tell them they are great, fantastic.. wow… Of course 99% of the time they have no details, they are noisy, blurry…etc.
BUT! For the purpose – to have some images of their vacation – it is perfect. Walmart offers cheap 4×6 prints and they barely go bigger than 8×10 anyway.
The gallery owner adds 100% to it and sells it for $80. Bunch of people are commenting on my photos and go into the gallery because they saw them walking by, then they talk, talk and buy nothing or pick up some cheap mass printed stuff for $9.99. People come to a resort town for vacation, which means they spend their money on hotel/restaurants/drinks.
I don’t know too many people and that’s OK with me, I’m not the type who likes to jump around strangers on the beach asking if they want a photo. I don’t know anyone else here either, and have only a handful friends. So no, this isn’t working for everyone. It was a nice “let’s march under the flag” moment but it could be a long long time until one will get a break and/or find the right customers.
The question is, if you can survive until that day.
I completely misunderstood. I thought the $50 8×10 was the one any customer could buy at the developing counter. I wasn’t thinking of the mini Walmart studio. Will check on that. Thank you!
Brandy,
You said, “I know that people need money to buy things that they want, all I was saying was that with any job, we should love what were doing, so that means sometimes giving up a job that pays better to do something that pays less but something we love doing!”
It would be lovely if everybody in the world could be doing a job they love but most people, especially in the current economic climate, will do whatever job necessary to support their families. Bin men, cleaners, sewage workers, road sweepers (to name a few) are jobs that I can’t imagine people are doing for the love of it. We work because we have to, whatever style of life we choose to live and if we happen to love the job we do then that is just the icing on the cake.
Running a photography business entails far more than working a 9-5 job. I often (in fact nearly every day!) find myself sitting up in the early hours of the morning post processing “just one more” shot before I go to bed before I have to get up again just a few short hours later with my 4 kids. And that is on top of the normal working hours. My life is hugely busy and I have to do everything and pay for everything for myself, the electricity board don’t look at me and think “Aah! She’s a single mum with 4 kids so we’ll give her cheaper electricity”.
But I guess everything is relative. Where abouts you live in the world has everything to do with how much you charge, particularly if you consider your immediate locality to be your only market. Obviously if you live in a rural area, the cost of living is much lower than if you were in a huge city and so your prices will reflect that.
But in today’s ‘throw away’ society people don’t really appreciate cheap and tend to hold a greater value for something they have paid more for. I don’t mean charge city prices in the country but don’t undercut everybody else because you want to be affordable to everyone. If people want something badly enough they will usually find the money they need to pay for it. Are you offered cut price services by other companies because they think you can’t afford the real prices? Like for example by the plumber who charges 100 an hour to unblock a sink, or the accountant (who will really know what you can afford!), even your car insurance or fuel prices? No! What they charge is what they charge. But if you are willing and able to sacrifice yourself on a daily basis to make things financially easier for others then good for you! I for one can’t afford to do that!
Jodie -THANK YOU SO MUCH for your fantastic article! It’s like you wrote those words just for me! Where do I sign up??? I will definitely be coming back for more words of wisdom! I can’t wait to read more.
Thank you for this article. Until you decide that owning a photography business is a business, it just will not make sense. When you step out of the photography part, realize that is your product, then it begins to make sense. It’s not about passion, it’s about making a living. The best thing a photographer who wants to open a studio can do? Read business books.
[...] – Charge what you’re worth. Don’t think that booking MORE equals more money or is something to brag about. You want quality weddings, quality clients, and profitable weddings. Doing 20 weddings a year is manageable. But something like 60 weddings a year?? That is a nightmare. That means working every.single.weekend. of the year. That means missing out on family events, friends’ weddings, football games, barbeques and summer fun. And thos who value their work see that a photo straight out of the camera is not a “finished photo” and will spend the time on post-processing. You can expect about two weeks’ worth of work with each wedding. So, 60 weddings a year, with 2 weeks’ work for each wedding, ah! there’s only 52 weeks in a year.. so… you see what I’m sayin’? Forget about days off. Unless you want to work 80+ hours per week to meet deadlines and keep your clients happy, and have absolutely no personal life whatsoever, you need to charge more, work fewer weekends, and be the happy and relaxed photographer you want to be. Undercutting your competition may bring you more bookings for the moment, but in the long run, it will not be profitable and after all, even if this is “not about money” for you, you don’t want to be a non-for-profit business. What to charge is probably one of the hardest things to figure out. Here is an article to consider about pricing http://mcpactions.com/blog/2009/10/12/how-should-i-price-my-photography-words-of-advice-from-jodie-o… [...]
[...] How should I price my photography? On December 28, 2009, In Pricing, by admin This is a fantastic article on pricing your photography. So many photographers who are struggling with their business because they are not charging enough. This is a must read for anyone that is struggling with their pricing or not making enough money. After reading it, you may realize your barely making minimum wage. Read the article here. [...]
Great Article! Thanks so much!
Remember this also. If you are a photographer out there undercharging, you bring down the value of every other photographer around you because customers feel like they can get the talent and service elsewhere far cheaper and think your “well priced” prints and products are outrageously priced when you’re simply charging what you need to keep your business afloat.
[...] is so very, very hard. I know recently there has been a pricing resource or two here on MCP. but one thing i can share in regards to pricing is that it is so discouraging and frustrating, [...]
Freaking FABULOUS.
In an ideal world this would work. But this assumes that the photographer has a constant stream of clients who are insensitive to your pricing structure. This assumes lots of people are desperate to have you squeeze them in to your always-booked schedule. If that were the case, why stop at $50K? Why not $100K? Why not a million? Pretty soon, in an attempt to be an overnight millionaire you are charging $100,000 per session!
It’s not as simple as that. I know someone who took this approach during the beginnings of her fledgling business. She sought to be seen as the city’s premier portrait photographer and began by charging a premium for her services. Two years later she has a total of 5 portrait sessions under her belt…5! (that’s not 5 factorial for those who were debating the mathematics behind pricing
.
Over-pricing is just as dangerous (if not more dangerous) than underpricing. The problem with “how-to” articles like this one is that they are written by people who have been in the business for years. What they seem to have forgotten is that when you’re starting out, you’ll probably have to work for $1.57 an hour.
So…for those of you starting out, I haven’t forgotten. It’s not that easy, which is quite comforting. But eventually it will be close to this easy
I am a part time photographer, happy with not makeing this a full blown business but to make some extra money here and there part time, and have fun doing it.
These are just my thoughts. I have to agree with some here that I know I should be charging more but do not feel that the majority of people in my area will pay such high prices, including myself. I remember haveing a customer turn me down last minute after booking because he found a package at Wall Mart for $10. I think this is the way that the trends are going in our times. But there is one place that wall Mart has not gone into, and that is wedding photography, and I am focusing in that direction now. Sports Weddings and Events. I believe that studio photography has for the most part been taken over by Wall Mart and other such places. There are some few customers who don’t mind paying more to get better quality, but unless you are seriously into the business in photography you probably won’t reach them. The advice above is good for those people who want to make it a business. I guess it all depends on whether you want to really get into the business or just make it a fun casual hobby that gives you some extra cash.
Wow! You hit HOME with this one. My best friend from H.S. just had her daughter’s Senior portraits done. The guy is PB’ing…he took over 500 pictures in a 2 hour session. He provided over 200 photos on a disk – full resolution, with photographer release…for $50.
Not only did he not research the local pricing, but he seriously undercut every true professional out there. He’s not a pro (according to my friend), but he does this as a “hobby”. Based on the images I saw, he spent a LOT of time in post-process. There wasn’t an image that didn’t appear to have been largely altered…I’m talking several different actions and treatments. He likely spent a lot of time on each picture. He sold himself short. And quite frankly, I think he did a disservice to my friend and her daughter. The pictures were “okay”, I think my friend could have shot them just as well!
He would do well to read this article and learn a few things…
Living in Orange County CA(one of the most expensive places to live in the country)it makes me ill when I hear of people charging $50 for a sitting fee. Granted I don’t know what their print pricing is but I don’t understand how they have a “real” business when charging these types of prices. I guess you get what you pay for and some people might think they do great work while others might think it is crap.
Thanks for the break down.
Fantastic article! Well said!!
I doubt there are many photographers out there getting forced out of the business despite a full schedule and a large client list. The reason why 95% of photographers go out of business is the same as why 95% of all small businesses fail: they fail because there are not enough customers coming through their door.
With photographers this seems especially true. A clothing store owner operating in the red might decide to upgrade their clothing line and cater to the higher end. In this case the clothing store can charge more for their goods because the goods themselves are higher quality. But for the most part, the quality of a photographer’s work is in their technical and artistic skill. A photographer cannot simply charge more
for their services without also improving the quality of services he or she provides. And this is the reality for most of the 95% that go out of business. Whether right or wrong, the quality of their work is not competitive at a sufficiently high price point which will earn them a comfortable living.
Its very nice and wonderful that the author makes multiple six figures. That puts her in the top 1% of all income earners in the United States. I am sure that she and many of her friends in the same strata appreciate the value of high-quality portrait photography and are willing to pay for it. But amongst the other 99% of people in the nation, there are simply not enough out there willing to pay thousands of dollars for portraits, and thus not enough opportunities for professional portrait photographers, whatever their pricing strategy may be.
Brilliant advice. I only wish I’d had this information when I started my business six years ago. I have a BFA in photography, but none of this was discussed at university. And it should have been. Because simply being an “artiste” does not pay the bills! Thank you for sharing, Jodie. I hope that photographers, and especially the newer ones, will take your very wise advice to heart.
I appreciate your sass. This article rocks, and the site is great!
best.joe
this blog really helped me out. i keep making excuses as to why i only charge $50 for 1 – 2 hours of shooting. i pretty much have a “pack and play” studio. it packs up and i just set up in the clients living room so i feel like i shouldnt charge as much not having my own location. i dont know. but this inspired me to re-evaluate my prices and the fact that i cant even pay for a simple lens repair! thanks a million
Thanks a lot for this article. As a prospective part-time photographer, it really helps to put things in perspective !
nicely said!
This is brilliant! It is very hard to take your emotions out of the equation when you’re working with friends and family, however.
This is by far the best article on pricing your photography I have ever read. It hits all points of being in business for yourself, having a level of pride for your work, having no fear of charging what you are worth. It think this is the problem what a lot of small business owners. When you run your own business you are responsible for more that just bring home the bacon there are a lot of other cost are involved and this article showed it. By charging what you are worth your are also dictating your quality of living and this brings “Peace of Mind” which is PRICELESS!
I WISH I could have had this advice 3 years ago before I decided to blindly jump into business!!! I had no business knowledge whatsoever–went in on a wing and a prayer. Needless to say, I got so discouraged and so in debt that I had to close the business. I found out the hard way that while you may be able to do something creatively, doesn’t automatically translate into “knowing” the business side of things. I hope this article helps others out before they are too far in over their heads. Great wisdom!!!
I have read this article and the responses over and over and over today and have discovered one common thing among the Negative Nellys! They fail to realize that this article is relative to a persons knowledge and level of comfort with photography. All though the title does not clearly state that within the title but that is the one of the main underlying message that I am getting. If you want to do this full time then this is a suggested way you should price your photography services not the mandatory way. If you want a certain quality of life and certain quality customer base then this is a suggested, note I said suggested way of pricing your photography. Please stop beating and attempting to point prove the author of this wonderful article wrong. Take what you need, apply it to your needs and leave the rest.
Thank you! This is one of the best posts on the subject that I have come across.
Awesome advice that makes absolute sense. Many people don’t get into photography for the business aspect but it’s so important to remember that to be successful and have people value your work and the industry we work so hard at, business sense is a must. I really like the way you wrote this, the examples you used, and your good sense of humor! Thanks Jodie!
A year on, and this is such a timeless and great article.
Pricing is important to business in so many ways, and it is a key foundation of our marketing and success.
Those who found this article useful, may find the following online presentation on branding of value:
http://www.slideshare.net/imootee/brand-masterclass-week-one
If you think branding is about logos – think again.
[...] fees and prices. Finalize your prices (Jodie Otte wrote a wonderful article: pricing your photography, and if you’re really stuck, consider the Easy As Pie guide to help you put together [...]
This is by far one of the most helpful articles I have read! Thank you for your candor! Sometimes we are our own worst critics!
This was a GREAT article on how to get started with pricing. It seems like common sense, but yet most of us are taking a shot in the dark with our pricing.
Also, the area you are in does make a big difference in pricing. Some rural areas do not have a market for high priced luxury items.
One thing I can say though, you say that we shouldn’t be making $10 an hour part time, as it’s not worth time away from our families. Well for me, I stay home with my kids and just need a little extra to cover our expenses. I shoot on weekends, but I edit at night when my kids are sleeping, so I don’t spend that much time away from them. So if I am in fact only making $10 an hour, then it is much better than working for more somewhere else and being away from my kids all day. That is actually why I got started with my business, so I can work when my husband is home and still be home with my little ones.
Once my kids are in school I plan to make this a full time business, and I will be so glad that I read this article!!!
Oh, and for the ones that worried that raising your prices will make you lose business – I raised my prices substantially a little over a month ago (I am still a little below the standard pricing for my area I believe), and I did not lose business. In fact, I have more business this month, and I am even booking appointments months in advance.
Now I am off to see how much I am REALLY making an hour!
Wow, this is an eye opener! Thank you for the break down. It really helps me figure out my time what my time is worth and that I’m going to need to bump it up a bit.
Love your work and I love this blog. I am thankful for this article as I was just pondering my prices. Thank-you!