Bridal Portrait fee

[Light Chaser]

I know there HAS to be some info on what to charge for a portrait session but I've spent the last 30+ minutes looking and come up empty. Can someone help me out here? Just some guidelines would be helpful.

[Howard Barlow]

How long is a piece of string? I'm not being a smarty pants, Barbara. Session fees vary from free/$25, to several hundred. Some include a portion of that fee as 'print credit', others do not.

Several things come into play when deciding. What is your (the generic you) level of expertise, what is your cost of doing business (yes, you have one, even if you work out of your home), your market, to a degree, and how much you want to charge? Add to that list a jillion other variables, and there you have it. Easy button stuff, huh?

Just search the web for photog sites. Some have their prices, some don't. The only definitive info you will find is there is no definitive info. Print prices will be the same. How much is an 8x10? Some list them at $12, some at $250.

[Matt_G]

How much is your time worth? How much money do you have invested? What is your skill level? Is this your only source of income? What do your cometitors charge?

Not being smart... these are what drive pricing...plus much more

[Light Chaser]

I'll do some searching around. Thanks

[toverman]

It also depends on the length of the session you're offering, particularly if you figure your costs based on an hourly rate. Then add a premium because bridals are hard!

Plus, if you're shooting in a location that requires a permit or photography fee, add that to your cost. You shouldn't be paying that from your fees.

[Double H]

As all have said before, there are a multitude of variables and no one single way to get to a number. I've found a quick rule-of-thumb for entry-level photographers is to divide your current annual salary by 2080 to get your $/hr rate (assuming you are or have recently worked in a "real job" in something less than an executive position). Then take that rate and multiply by 2. For example, if a person is making $50,000 per year / 2080 = $24/hr. Then, $24/hr * 2 = $48/hr. for a studio portrait session. For location shoots, you could add 25 to 50% to that number. For studio bridal portraits, multiple by 4 ($24 * 4 = $96/hr). As your experience and client base grows, you can start dialing-up the multipliers.

RM

[Double H]

ps; a bit of marketing also helps - even though it sometimes seems silly. In my previous example, a studio portrait session was calculated to be $48/hr. I would charge $49/hr and advertise "a portrait session for under $50!"
RM