Event photography pricing

[miklosphoto]

Can some one please give me some information what a reasonable event

photography price quote could be?

Here's some details:

- I am a semi-pro (i.e. photography is not my main job)

- Did events before free of charge (someone who knew me asked me to do a

favor) with high client satisfaction

- The clients are in San Francisco Bay Area; corporate parties, celebrations

- Prints will be charged separately, I need to give a quote just for my time

 

Any advice is welcommed.

 

thanks

 

Miklos

[bdp]

What's the event? Wedding? Party? How long are you expected to be there? Is there any final product, or all just on-site sales?

[miklosphoto]

As I described above, the events are corporate parties, celebrations. I will sell prints seperately online.

[susan_davis2]

Hi Miklos, I think it depends on what you feel you and your images are worth and what people are willing to pay you, which depends on who your clients are. Are your worth $20/hour or $500/hour? You have it easy because you have the luxury that photography is not your main job, so you can price yourself however you want without worrying about the things that others have to, such as using your profits from photography as your only source to pay for bills, equipment, business insurance, travel, medical, taxes, marketing/promotion, computers, assistants, food, rent,... aaaaahH!

[miklosphoto]

Hi Susan,

nevertheless, I want price myself as a pro because of two reasons:

1. I am proud of my "second" job too and I have enough positive feedback on my photography - I want to paid respectively.

2. I always want to keep in mind that there are professionals out there who can't drop their prices (just like you described); that is the reason for asking my question, I do not want to undercut the market rates. If someone does not want my rate, fine, I have plenty of work to do in my "first" job.

BTW, just in between I was typing my answer, a client agreed to pay me $500 for shooting for few hours a corporate party (no prints included). I hope that is not undercutting the market. If so, please let me know, next time I will ask for more.

thanks

Miklos

[conraderb]

I want price myself as a pro because of two reasons: 1. I am proud of my "second" job too and I have enough positive feedback on my photography - I want to paid respectively.

____

 

Miklos - I think that you should charge the client according to how much of a pro. I don't care if you work 40 hours a week at a day job, or 40 hours at photography - if your work is good, charge what it is worth. I have seen the work of some full time, 70 hour a week pro photographers online that made me want to vomit, and I have seen the work of some guy with a day job for whom photography is just a hobby that is much better than mine.

____

2. I always want to keep in mind that there are professionals out there who can't drop their prices (just like you described); that is the reason for asking my question, I do not want to undercut the market rates.

____

Oh - what a nice way to justify it. I'm sure the local pros really appreciate that.

 

Look, if you need to play the "I'm being nice to other pros" card, then you don't think that you are worth it.

 

Charge what you are worth, and what you need to get by. A pro can always lower their prices - don't think that they can't get a day job! If you have the talent, then you SHOULD displace a professional - despite today's entitlement culture, there is nothing sacrosanct about the jobs of professional photographers. Most pros displaced someone in the field when they started to get a lot of work - it is the circle of economic life.

 

Don't have excuses for high prices - excuses mean that you aren't worth it.

 

BTW, just in between I was typing my answer, a client agreed to pay me $500 for shooting for few hours a corporate party (no prints included). I hope that is not undercutting the market. If so, please let me know, next time I will ask for more.

____

Miklos - there is no consensus about what the market rate should be. it depends on your area and the quality of work and how you present yourself. Some might say that $500 for a few hours is very generous, a few might say you aren't charging enough.

 

your portfolio work is strong. charge what you are worth. Don't apologize, however, for high prices under some pretension of being fair - I think other photogs might find that a bit patronizing.

[todd frederick]

For everything that I do I charge $200 per hour of work time, beginning to end, and that's cheap, but it makes it easy to calculate and I don't have to barter.

[jamie_thomas]

Start with hw much your time is worth to you. For me, say it was a five hour event, and they get nothing for it just the pictures on my web site so they can order what they want. I would charge $500 for my time and travle. I think it a far price if they get no prints. Hope, I was of some help.

[seawolff]

Miklos

 

Same recent background as you. My rate is $150 an hour for my time. I do include 1 8x10 unit per hour. Doesn't matter what I am doing photographically. In my computer consulting business the rate can fluctuate from $150 - $200. When I am as good in the whole cycle of my photography as I am with the databases, that rate will go up to match. My time is my time.