There was a post in this group earlier today that essentially was asking How much should an amateur charge for their photography? and my short answer was they shouldnt. They should first educate themselves and gain the experience required to genuinely consider themselves a professional. Then, and only then, should they charge for their service. The thread was removed Im guessing because this wasnt the answer they were wanting to hear. I am a visual kind of guy, not a wordsmith, so I apologise if my words were read with any type of hostility or malice. That was not the intent. On reflection, I realise that my previous response probably wasnt the best as there are so many different types of photography and so many different ways to create a business that one answer simply cant fit every situation. Of all the different genres of photography, they all basically fall into two categories. Client-commissioned and Self-commissioned. If you are shooting for yourself, shoot far and shoot wide. Shoot everything and anything. Build your skills, build your knowledge and then take the best of your work and make it available for sale. Something is only worth what someone else is prepared to pay, so gauge your market. If your product is selling really well, increase your prices. If its not, drop them. But make sure you are making enough profit to sustain your hobby or career (whichever you choose it to be). Self-commissioned work can be travel, landscape, art etc. These same genres can be client-commissioned, just as portrait, wedding, corporate photography is client-commissioned. The difference with client-commissioned work is that you are not only selling the final images, you are selling the service that creates that image. That service needs to be a professional service and you need to charge accordingly. If you intend to have a career in photography you need to factor in all of the associated costs (insurance, equipment, tax, materials, education & training, rent or mortgage and then anything you expect after all these costs are taken out). You simply cant sustain a business on $50 photo shoots. This link points to a Price Guide that makes a lot of sense, but even if you dont invest in the guide, have a good read of the content and youll get an idea of everything you should consider when pricing your services. themoderntog/free-photographers-pricing-guide-overview Again, nothing I have said here is meant to be harmful in anyway, I just think we all need to understand the reality of running and sustaining a photography business. I wish everyone in this industry the best of luck!
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 03:00:51 +0000
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