A thread done numerous times - how much to charge

[BEGM83]

I hate hate hate talking money but a friend of mine wants me to take some photos of her little boy for her.

Problem is im on the sticky outy bit of the UK on the right of the map and she's on the sticky outy bit on the left of the map (otherwise known as Essex and Wales!!) so far she's got me to accept to take the petrol money - which tbh i was more than willing to take anyway but she also wants me to give her a guesstimate of what i want paying for my pictures and editing time.

Erm...help basically!

I don't feel right charging, i dont feel im good enough to charge either so whats a fair/reasonable rate?

[Jim Poor]

I don't feel right charging, i dont feel im good enough to charge . . .

Then don't. Your own words pretty much sum it up well enough.

I've not looked at your images, so it is entirely possible that you are selling yourself short, but if you are indeed not 'good enough to charge,' then you have no business doing so.

If your work is great, but you lack the confidence to charge for it, you still have some work to do before charging.

Just a thought.

[autofocus]

Recently, I found myself in a similar situation when asked if my wife and I would photograph a wedding for a good friend's daughter. After we privately huddled over it we decided to tell them what we normally charge for our standard services, but that we would cut them a break of around 40% off. I wanted them to understand that when we shoot a wedding lasting 4 - 8 hours that that is only a very small portion of the work involved when you consider loading, first pass reviewing, standard editing, creative edits, resizing, proofing, etc. of easy, 1000+ images. The long and the short of it, they agreed to the price, but now the Mom is asking us to shoot the bridal shower also, and how much we would charge for that. So, we now have to sort that out, and give them the discounted price...ugh. I looked at some of your work, and you have nothing to be ashamed of...a lot of it is very nice. I did notice, however, that you like to do a lot of really tight cropped shots...they are nice, but they don't make for good enlargements if the cutomer/friend wants any larger sizes bigger than 4x6. This can be a real problem if you try to go with standard 8x10, 11x14 crop sizes. Maybe tell her you'll do the session for free (plus travel / gas) and that you'll charge her a reduced amount for the proofs, enlargements, and or a disk. Just remind her that lots and lots of time goes into the job after you leave her. Good luck

Vinnie

[crickm]

I agree the best way is to charge is for the actual finished work, even if it is just a disk of prints. Work out how much time you will spend editing the pics and then how much you are paid to do you day job by the hour etc that will give you some guide.

I don't envy you travelling Essex to Wales it's a pig of a journey and petrol won't be cheap either. If you take 50 shots some you will process more than others but you could spend 1hr on each and thats whats expensive your time.

Good luck with what ever you charge and enjoy it!

[Indigo November]

Originally Posted by BEGM83

I don't feel right charging, i dont feel im good enough to charge either so whats a fair/reasonable rate?

Just want to say, Ive seen your work and you are definitely good enough to charge!
If you really don't feel comfortable charging, just charge her for the cost of the prints/cd.
I do think you should charge something for your time though, editing can be very time consuming.
Chances are once you start editing you'll wish you were charging more!
Anyway it's up to you, do what you feel good about.

[jensaintonge]

Originally Posted by crickm

I agree the best way is to charge is for the actual finished work, even if it is just a disk of prints. Work out how much time you will spend editing the pics and then how much you are paid to do you day job by the hour etc that will give you some guide.

I have to agree as well. I am just starting out and a total perfectionist, so getting everything right is daunting and impossible. I've begun to realize that 1) I'm way too self conscious, and 2) I can't take a $$$ loss on what I do. I can't afford it.

Ultimately, I've been charging only for prints (or a CD) for friends and family. In exchange, I get model releases and will use their photos in my portfolio and on the web. There are so many positives - marketing, experience, and relaxed/sympathetic clients - I think in the end not charging at first will make me more profitable in the future... at least that's what I keep telling myself .

If you don't feel that you will use the photos you will be taking for a portfolio, charge for your time, and have a great time visiting somewhere else!

[Jim Bryant]

Sometimes, even through I still charge for friends, I use the trade in kind method. I take pictures of my best friends' kids at sporting events and ever so often he drops off a cord of wood, or saws a tree down for me.

I've been shooting baby photos for a friend for quite a while now. I started with a maternity session, and shot 4 more sessions after that. Never got paid a dime, and I never asked for it.

The truth is, these sessions have done wonders for increasing my skills as a photographer. Every session, I try something new. For example, last weekend was the first time I tried using a Pocket Wizard with ETTL outdoors. Originally, I wasn't too impressed with the PW's...now I think they're awesome.

So just do it for practice...for fun!

[Indigo November]

So, how'd it go Gemma? Did you charge her anything?