How should I price my work?

<p>hi everyone!<br>

<br />I've been taking pictures all my life and am now hoping to take the next step and start earning money by freelancing.</p>

<p>Nothing big to start off with, just a few jobs here and there which I can fit around my day job and then go from there.</p>

<p>What I would like to know is how should I price these early jobs? I have a fear that with no real reputation people might try the "it'll be good for your exposure" Line and try and take advantage of any work I do.</p>

<p>should I agree a flat rate for pictures, processing and editing? has anybody ever had success charging 'per picture' and what are the thoughts behind this?</p>

<p>i'm comfortable with the business side of things, the only other thing i'm worried about is Contracts. I really don't have the money to see a solicitor/lawyer and write one up. is there a good template out there to use where I can edit it for each job?</p>

<p>thanks in advance for your help and advice!</p>

<p>Most everyone has been taking pictures all there life. That seems to be quite a long Prerequisite to your next step. What type of photography have you been crafting your skills at over those years? You do not need a reputation in order to charge money. You need skills both in photography and in business. Why do you feel a need to start a business in photography? Since you did not state the type of photography your doing I will assume you do portrait. That said, how many portraits have you done? How have your subjects responded to your work? If all has been good then yes, you should take the next step and charge for your time. You can not just pull a number out of a hat and you can't ask others on a forum. You need to look at the photographers that are in your geographic location. You should price in the ball park of other local photographers. Once you decide on a number the next step is see if anyone will pay you. If all goes well your all set. If not then you need to adjust your pricing. Good luck!</p>

<p>I think most every client will want a flat fee for the shoot, and would understand that in addition each print (or other rendering) would be paid for separately. Perhaps a fixed number of prints could be rolled into the flat fee.</p>

<p>You need to think about whether the client gets originals (e.g., full-size JPEGs on a CD for a wedding), and whether the client gets rights.</p>

<p>If you're starting out, figure an hourly rate (maybe $20 - $30 in the US) and multiply by your estimate of number of hours on the job, including prep, travel, shoot, and post. Then compare that figure to what you understand other photographers at your level in your area charge for that kind of shoot.</p>

<p>Photograph is a very hard way to make a living, and you're unlikely to make a very good living. Of course, like everything else, that doesn't apply to top photographers. Will you be one of those?</p>

<p>Another thing to remember is that there are 2080 in a "work year", if you work no overtime and take no vacation. Starting out, you'll be lucky if you are "chargeable" (able to bill for your time) 25% to 33% of you time. So, consider this math: 2080x$20=$41,600x33%=$13,728. Can you live on that? Multiphy $20 per hour times 2 or 3 and answer the question, "Is that rate competitive in my market."</p>

<p>The math is very tough. Maybe you start with another job that gives you some flexibility to pursue your photography gigs. If you're a single, 20-something, then maybe you go all in, strip yourself of possessions, other than your photography equipment and graduate from someone's couch to your on place, only when you can afford it. Being an assistant to a top pro could be your entree', but competition for those jobs is fierce. Do you have massive processing skills? If so, you might take some load off the busy photographer that is so successful that they need time for more gigs. You might just be a second-shooter on wedding gigs, paid by the gig. Try all the angles.</p>

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<p>How should I price my work?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>A quotation describing the job and a total amount for that whole job wold be how I would begin.</p>

<p>***</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"What I would like to know is how should I price these early jobs? I have a fear that with no real reputation people might try the "it'll be good for your exposure" Line and try and take advantage of any work I do."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Probably a prospect is more likely to ask <strong><em>"show me some samples"</em></strong> rather than "<em>what's your reputation?</em>" - do you have samples, specific to the type of work for which you will tout?</p>

<p>***</p>

<blockquote>

<p>i'm comfortable with the business side of things, the only other thing i'm worried about is Contracts. I really don't have the money to see a <strong><em>solicitor</em></strong>/lawyer and write one up. <strong><em>is there a good template out there to use where I can edit it for each job?</em></strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p><strong><em><br /></em></strong><strong><em><br /></em></strong>What country? Be aware that any "template" might not be suitable for your specific area.</p>

<p>And importantly what <strong>type of images</strong> and for <strong>what purpose?</strong><br /> Type - such as Portraits / Architecture (only two examples)<br /> Purposes - home/private use or commercial use? (only two examples)</p>

<p><strong>General</strong> descriptors as examples -<br /> e.g. a Family Portrait on the mantle is private personal use<br /> e.g. an interior of an apartment for a Real-estate Agent's brochure is commercial use<br /> e.g. samples of YOUR work (i.e. what I asked about above) that you show to prospects to sell yourself as a Photographer is usually "commercial use".</p>

<p>Whilst the basics of any contract might be similar: the conditions of the contract will be necessarily different dependent upon the purposes of USAGE of the images.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>Does the phrase <em>"i'm comfortable with the business side of things"</em> mean that you are knowledgeable of the insurances that you might require?</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p>Depending on where you live, print sales may not be worth much. Where I live, few people pay for prints, preferring to get files so they can email to friends, post on FB, and print at Wal-Mart.<br>

Yes you lose control of your work, but in this world of photos from phones, you will see few few studio photos on the mantle anymore. Just build the necessary margin into your initial fees.<br>

YMMV</p>

 

<p>This may be of interest, though it's a bit old:</p>

<p>http://www.smartshoot.com/blog/2015-photographer-pricing-survey-results</p>

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