Not ready to go pro but...

[TraceyHill3]

I'm not ready to go out and making a living as a photographer, but I don't want to take pictures for free. I was paid for a few photo shoots that I did to practice and build a portfolio. I've been wondering about how much to charge when you are starting out. You can't charge too much if you're a newbie, but if you don't charge enough, it's like saying you're quality is not good enough. What do you do?

[SusanH1970]

Most photographers I know (myself included) did portfolio building shoots for free, then started charging the going rate once they were providing professional quality photos.

Some may disagree, but that's what most I know do.

[lonni]

You can always shoot for free and charge for prints. That way you make money but are not charging for your time, people are happy with that where i am.

HTH.

[TraceyHill3]

Originally Posted by lonni

You can always shoot for free and charge for prints. That way you make money but are not charging for your time, people are happy with that where i am.

HTH.

So no sitting fee? That sounds like a good idea, but I liked the idea of getting paid when I take the pictures.

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by lonni

You can always shoot for free and charge for prints. That way you make money but are not charging for your time, people are happy with that where i am.

HTH.

By all means, you don't want to foot the bill for the prints, but yeah, free sessions as you build your portfolio are great.

[Jim Bryant]

At least charge something so that you can pay for all your expenses or put some aside in a fund to pay for camera and lens upgrades.

[lonni]

Not charging a sitting fee isnt so bad, people will generally but print, especially if you dont offer any digital ones, so you can make some profit there.

It is also an incentive to make sure you have great images.

I did it this way when i started out, most of my stuff was commecial so i got the license sales but i see no reason it would not work.

[pricephoto]

This is something I have struggled and struggled with...I CAN TOTALLY RELATE!!! My hang up is that I want to be affordable. I'm from a small town and the professionals in our area are pretty expensive for a rural area. I would think of all the people who don't have gobs and gobs of money and they just can't afford to have a few nice pictures of their family like the more fortunate can.

So...for me it's more about them and their needs than my own. I'm probably getting screwed, but that's the price I'M willing to pay for someone to have a great memory documented in print. Besides, I can't quite bring myself to charge a hefty amount when I can't call myself a professional. I don't have a fancy camera, I don't have a studio or lighting equipment....the only things I have are a good eye, a fast finger, and love for the art and people.

Tomorrow I'm photographing a 1 yr old boy. The session will probably last an hour or two and we will shoot at several locations, pending his mood of course but his mama will get a disc of the entire shoot - candids, stills, edited, unedited - probaby safe to say around 500 shots total since he's 1, mobile and posing children just isn't my style. It'll take me a week to sift through the good and the bad, edit the good, tweek the bad, and when I'm done she gets all rights to the photos. She can print them where she likes, in the sizes she wants, however many prints she needs. For that I charge $150 up front. It's cheap, I know, but that's what sets me apart from the other photographers in the area. I'm comfortable with that and it's more than I would be making staying at home watching tv...lol

[Niresangwa]

Originally Posted by pricephoto

This is something I have struggled and struggled with...I CAN TOTALLY RELATE!!! My hang up is that I want to be affordable. I'm from a small town and the professionals in our area are pretty expensive for a rural area. I would think of all the people who don't have gobs and gobs of money and they just can't afford to have a few nice pictures of their family like the more fortunate can.

I don't think anyone can really fault your compassion, and many, myself included, start out with those sentiments, so for that you're to be applauded...

...however...

Originally Posted by pricephoto

Tomorrow I'm photographing a 1 yr old boy. The session will probably last an hour or two and we will shoot at several locations, pending his mood of course but his mama will get a disc of the entire shoot - candids, stills, edited, unedited - probaby safe to say around 500 shots total since he's 1, mobile and posing children just isn't my style. It'll take me a week to sift through the good and the bad, edit the good, tweek the bad, and when I'm done she gets all rights to the photos. She can print them where she likes, in the sizes she wants, however many prints she needs. For that I charge $150 up front. It's cheap, I know, but that's what sets me apart from the other photographers in the area. I'm comfortable with that and it's more than I would be making staying at home watching tv...lol

...the above is the absolute reality check here. You're charging $150 for a job that will take you on average 90 minutes to do, (not including time traveling, setting up, packing away), then you'll spend a few hours a day for a week editing, then spend time creating the CD and delivering it, on top of all the time emailing/phoning this person to arrange everything. At this rate you're conservatively under $10 an hour, maybe less.

While you're starting out and building a portfolio, i.e. maybe your first ten or so jobs, maybe you can handle that, but really, it's not sustainable. Imagine if you had two jobs that week, or three or four; you're going to be back-logged and breaking your back for essentially minimum wage.

There are much better ways to 'give back' to the community than this. For example, set up minisessions for one day and give families 20 minute time slots and charge a nominal fee.. they get a dozen good images out of it, you get to polish your halo knowing you've helped out a half dozen families in the space of one afternoon for not much money, without cheapening your actual full process and package...

As I said, no one is doubting your sincerity, indeed a great many people feel that way when starting out, but there's a reason that that mindset and business model seem to be the sole domain of new aspiring photographers.

[Mischief]

I totally agree with Susan! Ive started building a portfolio an have done all the work for free. Its a good way to get started, and if you stuff up, they have paid no money out, so they dont get upset (however, I havent stuffed up YET!)... the clients have been thrilled. So thats a bonus.