First Paid Concert Gig- Pricing advice needed?

[peetyvulture]

Hey everyone.

A few weeks ago I shot one a band for free (I made a decision that I'll do it for free when I ask but payment when asked) then I showed them the photos (low-res and watermarked). They loved them and asked me to do futher gigs for them with payment, this was really exciting as I didn't think that my first payed gig would be a concert!

So I was just wondering about what to charge. I must make it clear that the band is really small and still in highschool (like me). So with that in mind I was wondering what you would advise for pricing? I was thinking around $50. Is that too low or too high?

Thanks Peet

If you would like to base your advice on my work you can go to peetfulcherphotographs.blogspot.com and click on Concert Portfolio.

[MOmilkman]

Ive done a little concert photography myself (not paid) and it is quite tricky with the lighting. You have some great shots and I'm sure you will do great as a paid photog. Espically if your only charging $50.
Good luck.

[funcrunch]

I can't tell you what specifically to charge because that will depend largely on your expenses and the going price in your area. But I can say from my experience as a concert photographer that most bands hate spending money on photos, especially when they have so many fans willing to shoot them for free. So in order to earn a fair price for your work you really have to distinguish yourself and convince them that your fantastic photos will be a great return on investment for them. For me, $50 would be too low for any shoot because that wouldn't even cover my expenses.

One option I sometimes offer for an event that I was planning to attend anyway (like a friend's concert) is to shoot on spec. That way the band pays no money up front, gets to see all of the photos and only order those that they like. But they get *no* free photos, and I'll only do this if I think there is a good chance to get enough orders to make the shoot worth it. Otherwise I would rather just enjoy the event as an attendee, and not worry about working during it.

ETA: Regardless of what you charge, I strongly encourage you to not give all the hi-res photos on CD like many beginning photographers do. If they're mostly looking for photos to post on the web, low-res is fine, and they can license hi-res separately from you if they need them for a promo kit or one sheet.

[peetyvulture]

Thanks for all the words of advice. I wasn't planning on attending this one regardless of whether or not I will be shooting. But I think that will be good advice. I've had some experiences with bands not wanting to pay in the past but this case was good since they approached me. Thanks for all of the advice so far.