Al Beatty 0 Report post Posted February 7, 2009 Hi Guys, The last time I did any shoot-the-family-for-pay was the mid 70s when I did mostly family portraits. I did a lot of weddings at this time but have backed off them until recent years I've been working as a second camera at a few weddings each year. In these situations I charge the principle photographer on an hourly basis, my normal rates in these cases is $35.00 per hour plus travel/expenses (if needed). Last fall I did a shoot for the son and his family (Chrismas present) and wouldn't you know it, they showed the pics at a recent party and now I'm committed to 3 family shoots with 2 more possibles. Help! How/what do you pro's charge when you go on location with a family, capture a bunch of shots and subsequently provide a CD with those shots on it. I know how to charge for enlargements, etc. but how much should I charge for the shoot where the end result is a CD of the pics with no PP involved other than a quick sharpening in Lightroom and an Export (JPEG) to a CD? I'd sure appreciate your thoughts. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wulff 0 Report post Posted February 8, 2009 AL, no idea. I wouldn't take weddings and such myself, you couldnt pay me enough. Have done a couple but for only nephews, who like most young people dont have spare cash. So I did them free. Figure out how many hours its likely to be an go from there. Your being paid for your time. What would fly fishing mag pay a photographer for their time? While the markets are different a half day shoot for me (4hrs) can be anywhere from 300 to 500. A full day (8hrs+) 600 to 1000. With that they get a CD (raw + jpeg) with 100% of whatever I took and minimal PP and exclusive rights to the images for 1 year. I cant even show them online. I know a couple guys that do weddings and their starting price is typically $5,000 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peterjay 0 Report post Posted February 8, 2009 Al, I used to do portraits year ago, (when I couldn't find a way out of it) and I'd charge a non-refundable sitting fee up front in case they didn't like the proofs or would otherwise try to screw me. Usually around $50 - $75 (back in the 1970s - early 80's) I then charged them per print, and I made sure it was expensive enough that nobody'd hear about it and come looking for a bargain. I agree with John about weddings - I'd rather photograph a pride of lions wearing a zebra suit than do another one. Wedding photographers earn every nickel they make. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tybugs1 0 Report post Posted February 9, 2009 Al, I used to do portraits year ago, (when I couldn't find a way out of it) and I'd charge a non-refundable sitting fee up front in case they didn't like the proofs or would otherwise try to screw me. Usually around $50 - $75 (back in the 1970s - early 80's) I then charged them per print, and I made sure it was expensive enough that nobody'd hear about it and come looking for a bargain. I agree with John about weddings - I'd rather photograph a pride of lions wearing a zebra suit than do another one. Wedding photographers earn every nickel they make. PeterJay Is that with or without stinkem :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peterjay 0 Report post Posted February 9, 2009 Lynn, I don't know what Stinkem is, but it sounds like something my ex-wife used to splash on before heading out to work the truck stops. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Al Beatty 0 Report post Posted February 9, 2009 Hi Guys, Thank you so much for your suggestions. They were most helpful. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayMorr 0 Report post Posted February 9, 2009 Great question Al. I have been extremely busy doing portrait work. Rates can vary especially for family. However, I am charging $100 for a non refundable sitting fee that is paid up front. I then have rates for my photos with a small mark up if they need them printed out. I am charging $350 for a DVD with images and it includes up to 35 photoshop'd images. The images are for them to keep and own at that price. If the client does not want to own the rights to the images I charge less but I can use them however I want. Here is an example of a recent shot: And another: If the client just wants 1 doctor'd image such as the ones above, I charge $20 per shot. I hope this helps. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
