Pixtus - Photography Forum, Photographers, Photo Tips

CaseyS · 01:41 PM

Scratch that...guess I should have refreshed...Daniel already posted it.

AllenAyres · 01-19-2010, 01:48 PM

She lives! :p

klynam · 01-19-2010, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllenAyres

..."$200/hr" can quickly become less than minimum wage if it takes 30-40 hours (and associated costs) to produce that one hour - that's where many aspiring wedding photographers tend to go upside down real quick when they don't charge at least what it actually costs them. Add the sales/income tax the gov. wants and we could easily being paying a lot of money for this part-time job

I recently assisted on a wedding that cost $5K in photography. We were there for nearly 12 hours on the wedding day. The lead also shot the rehearsal the night before; probably 30 man-hours just in on-site photography. So that's already down to $166/hr. Combined, we shot over 30 gigs worth of imagery, which all has to be culled, organized, etc. The lead probably has another 8-10 hrs in post ahead of him (minimum!) That takes him down to $125/hr gross. He probably included several hundred dollars in proofs, prints, maybe even a book or two (I never asked about that - just guessing here.) Then you factor in equipment, insurance, travel, taxes, etc. and you're probably well south of $100/hr. That's not bad - but this guy was an absolute PRO shooter with over 100 weddings under his belt in the last 3 years. He worked his butt off the entire time and I promise you he earned every bit of that.

studiocygnet · 01-19-2010, 02:01 PM

Normally I'd be with Todd 100%, about not making fun and getting her to join here. I'm always careful what I say on this site about any photographer, because they could end up here. But with those comments about the ridiculous prices that some of us charge, and the price gouging insinuation, I think ribbing her back is deserved in this case. I hope she does come here, and learn not only better photography, but why those "ridiculous" prices are merited.

venchka · 01-19-2010, 02:52 PM

For someone looking for cheap, $60/hour is expensive.
2 hour minimum, escalating for driving radius.
Fit the product to the price.
Cash only. Off the books. Nuff said.
Keeps the brain and the limbs stimulated.
3 hours/month pays the electric bill.

venchka · 01-19-2010, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klynam

I recently assisted on a wedding that cost $5K in photography. We were there for nearly 12 hours on the wedding day. The lead also shot the rehearsal the night before; probably 30 man-hours just in on-site photography. So that's already down to $166/hr. Combined, we shot over 30 gigs worth of imagery, which all has to be culled, organized, etc. The lead probably has another 8-10 hrs in post ahead of him (minimum!) That takes him down to $125/hr gross. He probably included several hundred dollars in proofs, prints, maybe even a book or two (I never asked about that - just guessing here.) Then you factor in equipment, insurance, travel, taxes, etc. and you're probably well south of $100/hr. That's not bad - but this guy was an absolute PRO shooter with over 100 weddings under his belt in the last 3 years. He worked his butt off the entire time and I promise you he earned every bit of that.

No doubt. For every $5k wedding client, there are probably 20 $500 clients. Somebody has to do it. More than likely, a member of the family does it for free. I would also be the first person to send prospective clients to full time pros if I thought the money was in the budget. I'm just saying that there is a market for less than 4-star rated pricing.

dmora · 01-19-2010, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllenAyres

That one has been posted a few times, I think everyone surmises it as a joke :)

clearly.

jgrindal · 01-19-2010, 04:13 PM

cry. definately cry.

Jim Victory · 01-19-2010, 04:14 PM

I wouldn't charge anything less than $5K for the last wedding I did and would most likely charge more after reviewing the time spent at the rehearsal, wedding, reception, and a family portrait session. I processed over 400+ shots out of those taken and included them on a CD. I provided a 100 prints ranging from 13x19 to 4x6 for albums and frames. Now if I was charging for this wedding I wouldn't have included the CD and 100 prints but it was my son's wedding and it was my contribution to the proceedings.

Wedding photography is hard work, both during and after, and very time consuming. Anyone that takes it seriously can't expect to be successful if they don't spend the time necessary to produce good work and charge enough to cover their expenses and time spent.

There was much more time spent in the lab processing the images and prints than the 12 hours of on the scene work. People who are not prepared to produce good work can't expect return customers or referals and if they don't charge enough they won't be able to cover their expenses, unless you like giving your work away.

lbthai · 01-19-2010, 04:27 PM

My goodness... if these people are charging those kinds of prices for those kinds of photos... maybe I should start posting on CL for my "services"... lol