Hi guys!
I'm totally new to this forum, so hopefully I am posting this to the correct thread.
)
I, too, lost a potential client this week because they thought that my prices were too high. I live near Indianapolis, so a fairly booming metropolis.
) Although, technically, I live in a suburb...
Anyhow... The potential client wanted a CD and I told her it would be an additional $375 on top of the $100 session fee (she had requested a session with her and her husband, her brother, and her parents - really, the session fee should have been $300 for basically 3 different photo sessions). I gave the client a list of my print prices, and she said that she wanted digital files of all the photos so that she could use them in collages, calendars, etc. as holiday gifts.
She replied back that her "family friend" was going to take pictures instead. Here is what I replied to her:
Hi "potential client,"
No worries, I completely understand. When I originally posted on the neighborhood site in June, I was offering free sessions for families, but since then, I've been able to build my portfolio and have started earning money for my time and talent, especially around family portraits. I do appreciate you keeping me in mind for any future needs, and I hope that I'll be able to photograph for you sometime!
I will be offering through the community board a holiday special, so maybe if you're interested in obtaining just a shot or two of you and your husband and goldendoodle (maybe for holiday cards), maybe that would work!
Thanks again for your interest, and take care!
Christi
The way I looked at it, if she wasn't willing to purchase the prints from me, and was going to use my work in all these various ways, I should be fully compensated for my time and talent being put into making sure each image is fantastic. Of the sessions I've completed so far, CDs have contained approximately 60 images, so at that price, she would have been paying $6.25 per digital image. Not bad, in my opinion.
Here is my question for the group - was this the correct way to respond? I am fairly new to photography and have only recently started charging for my services. You can view my work on my website:
www.christinaisgan.com to get a sense of my style.
I would greatly appreciate any feedback that you all have! Do you think it's best to give a price per CD or to price it out per image for clients? Maybe by doing it that way, it will give clients a sense of control over how much they choose to spend?
Sorry this is so long... But, I wanted to include my response to my client...
Cheers!
Christi