Dear posters in the USA: I have shifted to Oregon. I will still keep visiting India but am here on a job that gives me plenty of free time. I am thinking of approaching local shops to take photos of their products for them to use it for marketing. Restaurants. Local art stuff and such. I am confused about how much should I charge? I want to charge market prices so as not to spoil the market for local photographers. Could you all please guide me and what I should charge? THANK YOU.
How much to charge?
- Thread starter sanj
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unfocused
Photos/Photo Book Reviews: www.thecuriouseye.com
I guess no one else has responded and I'm not sure I will be much help, but here are a few thoughts.
Set the pricing based on your needs, overhead and what your time is worth to you. There are so many other photographers and such a wide range of pricing that it would be virtually impossible to find a consensus on the fair market value.
Personally, I charge between $500 and $1000 a day for the shoot, but don't charge extra for the time I spend processing. It's just too complicated to try to explain to clients that it takes longer to process images than it does to shoot them. I probably undercharge, but it seems like a reasonable balance between what the market will bear and what I want to do with my time. Besides, I am lucky in that I have retirement income from my previous profession and a regular part-time job shooting for a small college, so I can pick and choose other clients and don't have to take the work if I don't feel like it.
I know a very successful businessman/consultant whose rule of thumb is: "I look at every client and try to imagine what is the most I can possibly charge them without losing the job and that's what I charge."
Probably pretty good advice.
Set the pricing based on your needs, overhead and what your time is worth to you. There are so many other photographers and such a wide range of pricing that it would be virtually impossible to find a consensus on the fair market value.
Personally, I charge between $500 and $1000 a day for the shoot, but don't charge extra for the time I spend processing. It's just too complicated to try to explain to clients that it takes longer to process images than it does to shoot them. I probably undercharge, but it seems like a reasonable balance between what the market will bear and what I want to do with my time. Besides, I am lucky in that I have retirement income from my previous profession and a regular part-time job shooting for a small college, so I can pick and choose other clients and don't have to take the work if I don't feel like it.
I know a very successful businessman/consultant whose rule of thumb is: "I look at every client and try to imagine what is the most I can possibly charge them without losing the job and that's what I charge."
Probably pretty good advice.
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Hi Sanj,
I do a package for businesses like you are suggesting, I charge $600 for 15-20 images that vary from 'hero' shots of business locations with owners and lights etc to website fillers. I generally do the shoot and edit in a single day as they don't generally need much in the way of editing.
Most of this is in Central Florida and the Caribbean so the rates might vary considerably for you.
I have a colleague who charges $1,000 plus expenses day rate for the same thing, he covers the Caribbean and South Florida and I am actually on set with him today doing slightly different things at the same location.
I do a package for businesses like you are suggesting, I charge $600 for 15-20 images that vary from 'hero' shots of business locations with owners and lights etc to website fillers. I generally do the shoot and edit in a single day as they don't generally need much in the way of editing.
Most of this is in Central Florida and the Caribbean so the rates might vary considerably for you.
I have a colleague who charges $1,000 plus expenses day rate for the same thing, he covers the Caribbean and South Florida and I am actually on set with him today doing slightly different things at the same location.
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Thank you Private!!!! Much appreciated. Could I see your work? Website or such?
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Thank you Unfocused. Yes, I do have a decently paying job but did not want to quote too low as that would spoil it for others who are doing this to sustain their families. I will go by your guidelines. Btw nice website and some amazing stock photos. If I may ask, do you sell stock photos regularly?
I am curious how the business works.
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unfocused
Photos/Photo Book Reviews: www.thecuriouseye.com
Thanks.Thank you Unfocused. Yes, I do have a decently paying job but did not want to quote too low as that would spoil it for others who are doing this to sustain their families. I will go by your guidelines. Btw nice website and some amazing stock photos. If I may ask, do you sell stock photos regularly?
Actually, I had an idea for locally based stock photos but have never really pursued it because I started working so much for one particular client. The idea behind the stock photos was to shoot subjects that I knew some of my clients might be able to use and then offer them to my clients at no charge. The idea really was to build brand loyalty with clients who hired me regularly.
Unfortunately, or probably fortunately, other opportunities intervened and I never really had the chance to follow up. If I ever retire for a third time (Seems like I keep retiring and then something comes up and I find myself back working) I may pursue this again. It's the kind of thing that I see more as an extra I could give clients, rather than a money maker on its own.
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