Photography Pricing: How Much Is Your Art Worth?

By Author: Boyd Rankin
Total Articles: 77
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Not everyone gets to do what they love and get paid for it. Photographers belong to that small group of professionals who enjoy working with their passion while earning at the same time! Nothing beats the fulfillment of capturing gorgeous images. These are the product of your creative juices and hard work! Having said that, you need to know how to properly compensate yourself for all the time and effort you put into your craft. Here are some things you need to keep in mind when pricing your photography packages.

COST

Just like in any business you need to know how much a shoot costs you. You need to calculate how many hours you devote from the initial meeting with your client to your travel time to the actual shoot then onto the editing and printing. Now that's a lot of hours and you need to get paid for that. Not to mention the customer service you render by accommodating your client's calls and emails at any given time. You also need to factor in the equipment you use, along with the upgrades you make along the way. It's up to you if you want to have a fixed rate per hour regardless of the type of photography ...
... service you render may it weddings, birthdays, or simple portraits. Wedding photography services generally cost more in terms of time and effort as it involves a lot of details and coordination even when the wedding is over. If family and friends come knocking at your door, make sure you have a preset discount package for them and stick to it. There's no reason that you should lose money because you did a shoot for a friend or family member. At the end of the day, business is still business.

TARGET MARKET

Knowing your target market will help you charge your clients better. It will also guide you on the preferences of your clients. If you cater to the discerning "A" market, their ability to pay, comes with high output expectations. Thus, you will most likely put more hours into the brainstorming, the shoot itself and the editing. You can also compare your planned rates to other photographers who cater to the same market. You can charge roughly the same rates but you can also go a bit higher if you have something more to offer. Clients on a budget are another story. If you have low photography packages, you need to be clear on what are included and excluded in that rate. Bottom line, regardless of who your target market is your client, needs to be satisfied with the photos you took. Your output is your walking advertisement that is passed on by word of mouth. If your name is equated to quality photography then how much you charge will not even be an issue to your clients.

EXPERIENCE

This is what differentiates the rates of a professional photographer and a intermediate photographer. You need to put value on your years of experience and portfolio when calculating your photography package. Professional photographers charge higher for a number of reasons. First and foremost, their years in the industry, prove their reliability as a photographer.

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