Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
If you’re a photographer, chances are people have asked you to take photos of them. No, not for the full price of your service, because “you’re too expensive.” Or even better, they want it done “for exposure,” or because you’re friends and “you own that big fancy camera.”
Well, the next time this happens, we have a song for you. It was written and performed by Laura Jane Barnes (Woah Dude) of Simply Crochet, and it’s meant for all artists and creatives selling either their work or their skills.
A fashion photographer based in New York City has been called out by a model on TikTok for allegedly charging plus-size models $100 extra for photoshoots.
Photographer William Lords’ pricing was shared by model agent Megan Mesveskas after she received an email from his photography studio with the breakdown of his fees.
I don’t know about you, but this time of year is traditionally when I officially lose it. I don’t what it is about December but suddenly all my former clients and people previously sitting on the fence about booking a shoot decide that they MUST have those photos done now, no yesterday! And I invariably find my previously empty December turning into back-to-back shoots, all night editing sessions, and my poor son pretty much being adopted by the babysitter. Sounds like a good problem to have but sometimes it’s nice to strive for some kind of work/life balance, and actually see your loved ones occasionally.
If this scenario is ringing any festive bells for you then according to photographer Katelyn James it might be time to consider raising your prices in 2022.
Should you or should you not add your prices to your photography website? Some say one, some say the other, and there are many shades in between. And of course, each of the approaches has its good and bad sides. In this video, photographer Chelsea Nicole will guide you through the pros and cons of all of these approaches. She suggests the three best strategies for adding pricing to your photography website so that you gain a lot of clients who are willing to pay what you ask.
“What should I charge for my photography?” “Where can I go to find out how much to charge?” Commercial photographer and long-standing educator and mentor Don Giannatti says that of all the things he’s ever asked about photography, pricing related questions are by far the most common. He tells it like it is in this video about how to approach pricing your work.
Because I’m based in the UK, every time a new camera is released, I always hear “It costs so much more in the UK than it does in the USA!” But how true is that claim? Is it just that the US price doesn’t include tax and the UK price does? Or is it really that much more expensive in the UK?
Well, camera price comparison website Nukeni decided to take a look at the new Canon EOS R3 to see what its suggested retail prices were like around the world. They scoured Canon websites in 166 countries and found prices for 26 of them. For countries where tax was not included, they added it, to see how things really stack up.
Whether or not to turn your passion into a profession is a very tough decision in my book. I have my reasons why I haven’t done it, but there are still plenty of reasons to turn your photography hobby into your job. Have you decided to do it? Awesome! Now it’s time for another tough part: finding your clients and setting the prices. Sean Tucker has made an inspiring and informative video that will help you on this journey, and it’s a must-watch if you’re just starting out your career as a professional photographer.
It’s standard practice for commercial photography clients to ask photographers their ‘day rate’. Most estimates that photographers provide start with a day rate before going on to production costs and expenses.
Now I used to think I could simply take it for granted that anyone involved in the industry would be able to appreciate this isn’t exactly what a photographer or for that matter any independent creative professional working on a short term project earns for every single day of the year.
I’ve realised that the world of photography is in so much flux that this isn’t a safe assumption and now I much prefer to provide a rate for each job. My reasons can be best illustrated with an example.
As a professional photographer, you probably have different packages and pricing options you offer to clients. But if there’s a specifying pricing plan you’d like them to choose, how are you going to make people choose it? In this video, Nick Kolenda teaches you some psychological tricks that will help you guide your clients towards the pricing plan you want to sell the most.
Structuring your prices as a wedding photographer or any business in the creative industry can be a difficult task, especially if you’re self employed/running your own business. Not only is the creative industry a competitive one, it’s also a very saturated market with some very interesting pricing structures.
With so many businesses charging less and less for their services, it’s easy to price your own services too low, but go in too high and there’s the potential you might loose custom. Pricing your services is a huge task in itself, but once you reach that point you then have questions to ask yourself regarding deposits, payment plans, where will you advertise your prices and will you offer discounts.
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