I here I am killing the industry?

[beautyinart]

When I mention to my friends that photograph full time also they tell me I do not charge enough and am hurting the industry. I never know how much is the right amount. I shoot using a second photographer and production assistant. My fee for that is about 2 thousand.

my site www.beautyinart.com

[brad]

Only if I am, too... your prices sound like they are higher than mine and I'm doing this full time.

Great work, by the way.

[LadyShutterBug]

the people who hire the $2K photographer are not the same people who are going to consider the $5K-$10K photographer (and on up to however much the very elite shee-shee-frou-frou folks charge). so in all reality, you're not stealing anyone's business. no more than Ford is stealing Ferrari's business.

photography is very close to my heart... but our entire wedding including the dress and all cost $14K. We paid $2500 for our wedding photographer (no album, no prints, just photography) and that was really, really pushing it in 2004. there is no way possible on earth we ever could have afforded more.

[beautyinart]

2 photographers, lighting assistant, all photos at high resolution with copyrights, large print 32"x24", and coffee table book from shutterfly......

for $2000 the photogs did not agree that I give the photorights etc with the package etc. I do think I will charge lil more because my assisting photog gets $100 per hour for three hours and assistant gets $100 for a days work.

[boxofrocks]

Based on what you described, and after seeing your work, you sound underpriced to me--probably hurting yourself some, but "killing the industry"? Not so much.

[beautyinart]

Lady.....great point. Some of the photogs from Houston photogs guild need to see it your way.

[LadyShutterBug]

your competitors will always be the first ones to tell you that you could be charging more, or that you are in some way disadvantaging those who charge more.

your clients will seldom tell you that you should be charging more.

decide why you're in business, and who you're there to please. for me, it's the client, not other photographers. guilds and associations are fabulous for networking, sharing ideas, and getting helpful hints-- but you are the one who makes the decisions for your business. make wise choices that YOU feel are the right ones. be sure that you are rightfully and fairly compensating yourself for the work you do; that you are indeed profiting when you take into account your time, travel expeses, equipment expenses, and experience. raise your prices periodically, and know the difference in bargaining and being taken advantage of.

[brad]

Originally Posted by beautyinart

2 photographers, lighting assistant, all photos at high resolution with copyrights, large print 32"x24", and coffee table book from shutterfly......

I take that back... you are charging less than me. YOU'RE HURTING MY BUSINESS


j/k


Charge what you feel comfortable with... the other photographers can suck it up and ignore it or try to compete. It is a free market after all.

That said.. and said that you really are not a competitor with you being in Houston.. you really are not charging enough.. giving away all rights as part of your base package? That's nearly insane.... IMHO. :)

[boxofrocks]

Originally Posted by LadyShutterBug

your competitors will always be the first ones to tell you that you could be charging more, or that you are in some way disadvantaging those who charge more.

your clients will seldom tell you that you should be charging more.

decide why you're in business, and who you're there to please. for me, it's the client, not other photographers. guilds and associations are fabulous for networking, sharing ideas, and getting helpful hints-- but you are the one who makes the decisions for your business. make wise choices that YOU feel are the right ones. be sure that you are rightfully and fairly compensating yourself for the work you do; that you are indeed profiting when you take into account your time, travel expenses, equipment expenses, and experience. raise your prices periodically, and know the difference in bargaining and being taken advantage of.

All great points Kasey! From time to time, all of us have probably felt that we are leaving a little money "on the table". That doesn't mean that an immediate price increase across the board is in order.

To date, I haven't posted my prices online for personal reasons, but that may change soon. Everybody wants to see "package prices" whether it's for weddings, senior portraits, or what not. However, I wind up customizing pricing for about 90% of my clients, and only use the packages as a starting point.

You might be able to charge more, but only you and your volume can determine what is fair market value for your services. Many vendors (in all industries) raise prices a little at a time and see how it affects the volume of clients. Personally, I believe in charging what the market will bear, and will discount my list prices for special circumstances at my discretion. In the long run, the "market" decides your pricing, not you (unless you are looking to charge less than the going rate for your services).

Photography is not a commodity, even though some customers treat it that way at times. If you aren't looking for the "lowest bidder" kind of client, then look around at what others in your area with a similar level of expertise and professionalism are charging, and adjust accordingly if you want. if not, just ignore those that give you grief--it's your decision.

I posted a long rant about this subject not too long ago. It was really directed to those charging too little, but at the same time looking to "make money". If making money is one of your goals, it just seems logical to me that you'd want to get the most from your investment of time and equipment. That doesn't mean you should let others dictate what you charge unless you want to get paid top dollar for your results (top dollar meaning the most you can expect to get for your "market basket of goods"--a lot of that is intangible and can only be measured by the number of happy customers you have).

If you are getting a lot of business via referral, chances are you are making the client happy. You may have room to raise your rates, but it's a complicated set of variables that go into making those rates fair to you, your employees, and your client. In the end, it's your call!

[LadyShutterBug]

I wind up customizing pricing for about 90% of my clients, and only use the packages as a starting point.

me too! package are a total suggestion/starting point. but at least they give people an idea of what they're dealing with.

i just know that i closed the webpage of a lot of photographers if i couldn't find pricing info. so i guess i cater to people like me...lol.

[boxofrocks]

Originally Posted by LadyShutterBug

me too! package are a total suggestion/starting point. but at least they give people an idea of what they're dealing with.

i just know that i closed the webpage of a lot of photographers if i couldn't find pricing info. so i guess i cater to people like me...lol.

That's a great point, and why I'm re-evaluating that policy (read: will get to it when I find time after my taxes are done).

[beautyinart]

I just joined this site and it is extremely helpful. The other problem is knowing how good you are or not. I am easy to get along with which makes my brides less critical I think. I have two photographer that I consult with but they shoot a little different than myself.

Wish there was a way to rate yourself... ha ha ha scale 5-10 (no room for people to say a 3 or 2)

[Mark McCall]

In every industry, there's a lower, middle and high priced product.
Look on the shelf at your local grocery store or visit a few automobile dealerships.

You ARE NOT killing the industry.
The high end guys need you, just like you need them. Neither could co-exist without the other.

It's up to you, however, to decide where you want to be in the food chain.

[AndrewCCM]

Originally Posted by beautyinart

2 photographers, lighting assistant, all photos at high resolution with copyrights, large print 32"x24", and coffee table book from shutterfly......

for $2000 the photogs did not agree that I give the photorights etc with the package etc. I do think I will charge lil more because my assisting photog gets $100 per hour for three hours and assistant gets $100 for a days work.

Dang.. I need to jack up my second shooter fee. $100 per hour is very good rate for a second. Seems like the average 2nd is getting around that per day.

[beautyinart]

I use Daniel Ortiz that shoots for multiple magazines. He is always on his game so I pay for the fact he is a sure thing. My lighting assistant only makes $100 a day because he is there so it is less labor. www.danielortiz.net he is extremely reliable.