Kicking and Screaming might add digital cd package

[bhursey]

Ok im not going into this happy. However it seems every year people are ordering less and less prints per wedding or portrait session. My model is based around me making my money off of at lest an 200$ order of prints. That only occurs in maybe 20% of my shoots or less. I now have some expenses like a new body and 2012 business license , webspace, zenfoleo and so on occurring. I know some of you think this is very low but I find most of it to be averaged around here given the economy and where I live. This really hit home when my wife said that over the past year 3 teachers came my wife at school and asked how much I charged when my wife said I don't do digital's they went and go some one else.

So currently I charge a 50$ sitting fee. You get a 25$ print coupon if you order Prints within the first 30 days of them being posted to the gallery. My print Prices are at. Brian Hursey Photography

Now I am thinking of moving to the following model. So I get my $ up front.

Portrait Print Package: 50$ sitting fee.
- 1-2 Hours of 1x1 photography at a location of your choosing
- Post processing of 30 images with additional artistic edits
- Online gallery for professional print ordering

Portrait Digital Package:
- 1-2 Hours of 1x1 photography at a location of your choosing
- Post processing of 30 images with additional artistic edits
- Online gallery for professional print ordering
- A DVD with 30 of the best images and a Personal Usage License

Wedding Print Package: 200$ booking fee total 1000$
- 6-8 hours of Photography
- Post processing of 400 images with additional artistic edits
- Online gallery for professional print ordering

Wedding Digital Package: 200$ booking fee total 1400$
- 6-8 hours of Photography
- Post processing of 400 images with additional artistic edits
- Online gallery for professional print ordering
- A DVD with 400 of the best images and a Personal Usage License


Yes I know one of the Jim's is going to say this is a bad idea.

[OsmosisStudios]

Your prices are about half of what they should be. At best.

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Your prices are about half of what they should be. At best.

Low for my body
Of work or just low in general? Given where I live it's about average on what iv seen.

[OsmosisStudios]

Low. Put it this way: worst-case scenario is that the customer doesn't order prints. You get $50 for 2-3 hours (if not more) of work. Congratulations: you're making minimum wage. And that's just for a simple portrait session.

Not only that: you're giving away a LOT of photos. A simple 1-2 hour photo session will not yield OVER 30 images of sufficient quality. It just wont happen. I dont know how you're getting FOUR HUNDRED for a 6-8 hour wedding.

Yes, yes, your big thing is prints, but that just adds more time and expense to the deal. Your print prices aren't high enough either, but thats another issue.

[Ambrosia76]

In bhursey's Defense People in Georgia are CHEAP! things do generally run a lot less here than in other areas. I see it in my business all the time. Half of them don't care if their dog comes back looking like crap as long as it is cheap, I send those people down the road, it isn't my style when I do my job I do it well and expect to get paid accordingly. I was just having a discussion with a friend of mine who runs a photo business here and was complaining about all the people trying to be cheap. One reason I am not looking to get into photography as a professional.

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by Ambrosia76

In bhursey's Defense People in Georgia are CHEAP! things do generally run a lot less here than in other areas. I see it in my business all the time. Half of them don't care if their dog comes back looking like crap as long as it is cheap, I send those people down the road, it isn't my style when I do my job I do it well and expect to get paid accordingly. I was just having a discussion with a friend of mine who runs a photo business here and was complaining about all the people trying to be cheap. One reason I am not looking to get into photography as a professional.

Exactly. I am compeating with a ton of verry cheep new photographers who just baught their camera last month and is charging 50$ for a cd of images. And the all have no idea about the theory in photography. My othe major competitor is jc pennies. I know sad. I price hunted a few studios around here and it's scary how clos their prices are to mine.

[Ambrosia76]

We have a ton of Craigslisters here charging $30 for a session and CD. The corporate Studios around her offer 'no session fee, and a ton of prints cheap" or a High Res CD with all images for $100.

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by Ambrosia76

We have a ton of Craigslisters here charging $30 for a session and CD. The corporate Studios around her offer 'no session fee, and a ton of prints cheap" or a High Res CD with all images for $100.

Yep exactly... I wish I lived in a diffrent part of the country.

[UlpilotSC]

Originally Posted by Ambrosia76

We have a ton of Craigslisters here charging $30 for a session and CD. The corporate Studios around her offer 'no session fee, and a ton of prints cheap" or a High Res CD with all images for $100.

I think that's everywhere now. With facebook like it is, everyone with a point and shoot is now a "photographer offering services". Before I'd pay $200 for a sitting fee and prints, I'd just buy my own point and shoot and a little desktop tripod and take my own pictures, and so many people have the same thoughts.
They don't understand that photographers are more than just button pushers.... And there is a learning curve. You don't just buy a new camera and put it on auto and take a ton of pictures.
If someone really wants scanned images though, they're going to get them. Scanners are cheap. If people don't have a scanner at home, they can find one, at work, a friends house, Walgreens.... You might as well bite the bullet and offer them.

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Low. Put it this way: worst-case scenario is that the customer doesn't order prints. You get $50 for 2-3 hours (if not more) of work. Congratulations: you're making minimum wage. And that's just for a simple portrait session.

Not only that: you're giving away a LOT of photos. A simple 1-2 hour photo session will not yield OVER 30 images of sufficient quality. It just wont happen. I dont know how you're getting FOUR HUNDRED for a 6-8 hour wedding.

Yes, yes, your big thing is prints, but that just adds more time and expense to the deal. Your print prices aren't high enough either, but that's another issue.

The 400 is over 2-3 photographers. I normally have around 3000 taken with me and 1 or 2 second photographers combined. I cut that down to around 500. My wedding photographer had 550 keepers and he only sold prints and was basicly one of the 2 best photographers in my town. I payed about 2.5 grand. It was worth every penny. That was with a 10x10 25 slide renaissance library album. Every local wedding photographer here I have talked to locally has been around what I am at number wise if selling prints because it gives the customer more options. Maybe this needs to change if going to the digital option. I only know the world of prints. Portrait sessions 1-2 hour portrait session normally yealds 25-50 photos if you include artistic edits. 6-10 hour wedding 500 images. Im wondering if I just need to take the numbers out of the packages that way I have some flexibility. Normally the numbers include the artistic edits. I need to get the wording refined to update the web page.

You have seen my quality of work. What do you think I should be charging. Most of the professional photographers in my town of Georgia have a sitting fee of 50$-75$... And those are some studios with 20-30 years of business. The economy in Georgia was hit very very hard. Especially in Georgia. To give you an idea. My home value lost over 200%. We are the highest in the country now regarding this. We even beat out Detroit.