joel_sackett Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I just shot a wedding that lasted 10 hours and I am beat. I charged for the whole day, but am thinking about changing that to an hourly rate, (about $250 per) agreed on before the wedding starts, with a minimum of 6 hours. Anybody compare these two approaches and have comments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlad khavin Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 To preface my response; I am not a professional wedding photographer, but rather a newbie that has 0 weddings under my belt. That being said, I've done a bunch of reading on the subject recently, and one approach that was suggested in my reading was this: If you want to charge a daily rate, you say up-front that this covers x number of hours. After that x hourse, the hourly rate kicks in. The suggested x in the example was 8. So your package covers 8 hours of coverage, and the additional 2 hours, you would bill additionally. I don't know if this approach works in the real world, but... it sure looks good on paper. Something to consider. This is the way it works in many other industries. Your salary covers 8 hours a day, and anything above that is paid as overtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kari douma Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I am torn on this.... I currently charge by the event. Example: Getting Ready, Pre and post ceremony bride and groom images, ceremony, and reception. The reason I do this is I don't want to be under time restraints for my creativity. I don't want them to buy a 6 hour package, and not get the images I want because we are stuck getting the standard alter shots or something like that. But, on the other hand, I have been taken advantage of where I am practically with the bride from 9:00 am to 12:00 am, because they have purchased all the events... from getting ready to the reception. They want me all the way from the time they start getting their hair done, to the last dance at the reception. These are the times when I say I should do an hourly rate. But, then that would interfere with my creativity... Oh the struggle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35mmdelux Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I charge a flat package rate for 5 hrs. Anything more than that is hourly basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacy Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 just don't offer unlimited time without saying "up to ___ many hours". Sunday's bride wanted us there from 7am- 11pm... 16 hours on the 3rd wedding that weekend was not very fun, but it was our mistake for not seeing the potential for this before we offered "unlimited time"...blaghh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_schilling___chicago_ Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 The number of hours that you shoot, be it 4, 6, 8, or even 12 hours is one of the least important variables in the professional coverage of wedding photography. It's the same confusion that many brides have thinking that they can slice an hour off the start time and a couple of hours off the reception time to try to save a bundle of money...it just doesn't work that way. Most of the costs in running a studio lie in marketing, advertising, the pre-wedding consultations, post production PS work, and details of the products included in their package. The more items in their package, the more money you stand to make, cut down on image capture time and you cut down down on the amount of image options to add to the total package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
think27 Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 15 years ago I offered my services for a flat rate to "cover the wedding". I found that my creativity wavered after 8 hours and the shots were boring and repetative during dancing in a dark ballroom or tent. Though some wedding receptions last 5 hours (add possibly 1-2 hours for getting ready and 1 hour for ceremony and another hour for the group shots and that can be 8-9 hours.. but.. some weddings had no time restrictions and 10-11 hours is just not necessary. (to me). I have a minimum amount of money I need to go out there and shoot a wedding. For me that is $2800. So - I do offer a 5 hour package for that and charge $300 per hour after that. IF the couple feels (or if I do and I'll let them know) that we need another hour or two - the option is there to increase the number of hours on the day of. Most of my weddings are 6 hours (1 hour for getting ready....1 hour or less for ceremony....20 - 60 min for group shots and couple shots...and 3 hours for some of the cocktail hour, dinner, first dance, parent's dance, guests dancing for at least 45 min to an hour and the cake. All I'm missing is 2 hours or so of dancing in a dark room.. whoopie. If there is time between the ceremony and the reception and/or if there is greater distance between venues than 6 hours could work for - 7 hours is the norm. 8 hours (I'm happy to say) is the most I've ever done in at least 10 years and is rare. Probably only 5% of my clients feel they need 8 hours. About 1/2 of my clients that book 5 hours - increase to 6 hours before or on the day of the wedding. I find this works great for me and keeps me fresh and inspired. The one thing I want to avoid (and I've seen it happen to others) is burn-out. In my first 5 years of my 15 years of shooting weddings I could happily do 3-4 weddings 8-10 hours each because it was new and very exciting. After a while I found that I didn't need that much time to get everything and if I kept going at these hours I'd get burned out pretty fast. Just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografz Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 There is confusion on this subject due to the changing landscape of digital and computer savvy clients ... which is only going to get worse. Counting on after-market sales may well dwindle as rapid change brings on new options for clients. David is right in that you have to have a base to start with that takes into account all the hidden costs and expenses of running a business. And, in my opinion you have to have an hourly limit assigned to these base packages or you'll get worked to death ... due to bad planning or poor time management by people other than you. Our basic package is 5 hours at a set price ... then $400. per hour additional for up to 3 more hours ... (beyond 8 hours shooting and you're running on fumes IMO). And that's whole hours, not fractions of hours. If they want more coverage because everything is running late it's their call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annealmasy Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 We charge per job based on the number of hours. 4 hours is $3000, 6 hours is $3500, 8 hours is $4000, and so on. Also included is an album and some other fun stuff, so I guess you could say our hourly rate is $250 with a product/package price of $2000. This has seemed to work really well for us. We only offered a truly "unlimited" package with a "day rate" one time. It killed. Don't do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35mmdelux Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 you guys are great, even the guru Mary chimes in! LOL. I love it. Lots for me to learn. THANK YOU. Keep up the good work. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandonhamilton Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I also offer wedding packages that offer 6 hours of shooting. I charge $150/hour for aditional hours. I also find that 6 hours is the sweet spot for how long my creativity lasts, as well as my feet. (now that I think about it, 150/hour might not be enough ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenseay Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Because photography is my second profession (and I make SO much money in my first - teaching middle school math) I am not concerned with charging a minimum fee for my weddings, so I charge by the hour. Additionally, my biggest goal (still) is building a portfolio and photographing the underdog (those who can't afford the 'expensive' photographers here in Salisbury - who still aren't that expensive). My first year, my rate was $100 per hour and $200 for a CD of images. For a six hour wedding, I'd make a whopping $800, but I thought it was only fair since I didn't really have a portfolio. This year, I charge $150 per hour and $50 per hour for the CD. So, for a six hour wedding, I'll take home $1200. The problem is that, for a short two-hour event, I make the same amount I made last year (didn't put a minimum dollar amount on the CD). I'm thinking that next year (as long as I'm still doing the teaching thing) I'll go up to $250 per hour, or I might even make the leap to $300 (I'm good enough and will still maintain the same amount of business - which is currently almost too much for the time I have). People who hire me tell me that they like that they're not tied to a package. I'll worry more about my print and album sales when I go full time (maybe some day). Jen (he wealthy middle school teacher...ha ha) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_h.1 Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 How is the additional hourly rate payment enforced? No product until the additional payment or something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjogo Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Always by the hour!--We average 4-5 hours ..additional is $8 per minute. Many run slightly overtime and we stay for an additional 10-15 miuntes. You will work half the time & make twice as much profit. We include the negs and prints-- no album ~ no reprints... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagesax Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 in my contract, anything over 8 hours I get to go on the honeymoon to hawaii for free, to recover from a long wedding. Includes drinks and first class seats. Oh, no one has agreed to this yet, they make me cross it out of the contract before signing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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