Pricing Question

[karen_rademacher]

<p>How do you charge for additional hours? I am charging per hour but sometimes I am asked if I can stay for just half an hour longer. Should I say yes?</p>

[ker_b]

<p>Personally, if a client asks that I stay an extra half hour, maybe even an hour, I do it without any questions asked. It's a kind courtesy that they will certainly cause them to keep you in mind the next time a friend needs a photographer.</p>

[karen_rademacher]

<p>Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear with my question:) I am also willing to stay as longer as they need me but I wonder...do you charge for the half hour or for an hour?</p>

[ker_b]

<p>That's what I was saying, and it's fine if others don't agree with this, but if they are a good client I may not charge them for the time at all. That nice gesture will go far for referrals because you are then taking time out of your life to help them. Now if they want maybe an hour or more, I would most definitely charge them my usually $150/hr. It really comes down to what you are comfortable with doing.</p>

[karen_rademacher]

<p>Thank you very much for the advise. Regarding the payment for the extra hours, do you get pay before or after delivering the photos?</p>

[simon_crofts]

<p>We tend to stay a little bit longer than we're supposed to in any case, for every client. Half an hour we may well stretch a point and not bill for it. Much more than that and we would - especially as we find that with 'could you just stay a little bit longer to catch x', it usually turns out that x is then scheduled later than originally anticipated, then it is an hour or two late, and before you know it you've stayed three hours extra and told the client in advance you would do it for free. Most things tend to take a bit longer and happen a bit later than expected, and at the end of a very long and hard day an extra hour or two or three can be tough.</p>

<p> </p>

[William Michael]

<blockquote>

<p><em><strong>“I wonder...do you charge for the half hour or for an hour?"</strong></em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>I charge “by the hour” for some work: not Weddings. When charging BY THE HOUR a FULL hour is charged if the extension is only an half hour – which I believe is what you are asking, but you should consider other elements:</p>

 

<ul>

<li>My Pricing Guide in this regard is quite clear: "Per Hour or Part Thereof"</li>

</ul>

 

<ul>

<li>Weddings are different to many other jobs and there is more opportunity for give and take as the day develops as the Wedding itself cannot be perfectly scripted.</li>

</ul>

 

<ul>

<li>Weddings are social events and a great opportunity to advertise one’s skill and product. There are many potential Clients at a Wedding: at most other jobs, one is with the sole client, individually. </li>

</ul>

<p>Let’s assume I charge $400.00 per hour for a Wedding and I stay an extra ½ hour to capture a set of portraits of the B&G with Uncle Fred and Aunt Mary outside in Fred’s Vintage Car, which was used for the Bridal Carriage – and I don’t charge them an extra $200. Maybe that is $200 better spent as advertising, than me cold calling the Vintage Car Club President (Fred) to do some shots for their end of Year Rally and Club Night . . . ? ? ?</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p> </p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>You might want to re-think the entire charging "by the hour" business model. Many of the established studios have packages that vary by hour coverage, number of shooters, and the amount/type of products such as prints, albums, etc... The packages will likely vary by two hours or so, perhaps a 6, 8, or 10 hour package, in which case the extra half hour can be seen as a nice little extra for the clients and give you the ability to over-produce to the clients expectations and avoid being seen as a "clock watcher". It's definitely not the model that a "churn & burn" shooter operates under.</p>

<p>The other element to consider is the relative studio cost of the half hour. Many brides are under the erroneous impression that photography is a simple commodity of labor. Therefore if you charge $50 per hour then if they only need three and a half hours, then they can shave off $25 dollars...... However, when looking at the studio cost of the wedding, you need to factor the time you spend operating the business, marketing, pre-sale consultations, post-wedding editing, production hours, product delivery expenses, etc.... In the larger picture of time invested, that little half hour is a vary little slice of your time. Frequently it can lead to a nice tip, however "tips & accepting tips" really deserves it's own separate forum thread. </p>

[michaelchadwickphotography]

<p>I do an hourly charge for overtime, but it's essentially only in place to prevent any abuse of my normal m.o. of staying on my own to get shots that are needed for me to properly document an event. It's mostly just to set a boundary so that I can then give them time on my own, which I let them know I'm doing. Couples have invariably been grateful and such actions have helped them feel even better about working with me, which translates into referrals. </p>

<p>So, to be a clock-watcher and charge for a half-hour of extra time - is that more valuable than giving your clients the feeling that you're there not just to do a job, but to be a part of their wedding day? Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Keep the expectations in place for how long you're hired to be there, but be flexible - you'll find you get grateful clients in the process, and you'll prevent any abuse of your flexibility.</p>

[barbara_lucas_wilson]

<p>I had a wedding not long ago where the B&G had contracted for 5 hours. They asked us to stay for a little while longer to get cake cutting, etc. We did that and charged for the half hour. Got payment before we left for the evening. If it had been an all-day package, I often add extra time to check out the venue ahead of time, do test shots, etc. Or stay until the end of the evening. But for a specific time contract, they get charged appropriately.</p>