Photography pricing

Whether you’re a professional photographer or you’re doing it just as a hobby, the amount of money to charge for your work can really be confusing. With so many thoughts in the mind, one thing you need to know well in order to properly price your work is the cost of doing business. Are you asking a pay for your work from the people? If yes, how do to come to the price structure?

Did you think enough before giving out your price? Did you check what price the other photographers were charging or did you just pick a random number? People in the market discuss how their business has bloomed so much that they could afford to quit their day jobs but if you compare the price they charge and the work they do, their prices are quite low. There are plenty of things to be taken care of before you set the price.

The price you set should be able to cover all the expenses you have for your business. It is not only the amount of time you work. For instance, if you charge for one hour of portrait session, it’ll take one hour of your time itself, minimum of half hour to reach the location, an hour for culling and proofing, half hour of pre session consultation, a minimum hour of ordering session and also preparation time to set up your gears for the shoot. That almost four hours excluding the session time. You might think that you’re making way more than what you’d make at your job, but what about other external expenses like fuel, software, camera gear, supplies and also taxes.

You must realize the importance of knowing your cost of doing business. You need to make up for every expense you’ve to taken and also have money for future expenses on equipment or gears. You’ve got to gather the pieces and start analyzing. You may say you’re a creative person and you might say you aren’t good with the numbers, but you know everything you need to know. Whether you have a photography job or not, the price that you ask is the amount of money you spend. Even if you have a job that covers all the expenses. You should still charge enough that will cover your expenses. After all, it is not good that you have to spend your personal money for the session rather than person

Here's a list of things where you should spend your money:

1.Office / Studio –

First, you need to factor in all the costs related to operating that space. Doesn’t matter whether you have a workspace at home or if you have to rent a separate space.

2. Photo Gear

No camera gear, no business! Plan what gear you’ll need for the sessions or replace with the year.

3. Computer Equipment –

At least one computer is required to run the business, and many photographers have more than one.

4. Equipment Maintenance and Repairs –

Add your price for the yearly camera maintenance services and computer repairs.

5. Posting and Shipping –

Non billable posting and shipping — sending in the equipment for promotion, mails, repair holiday cards and many more things

6. Advertising and Promotions –

Advertising and promotion includes business cards, brochures, marketing tools, social media paid promotions, marketing in various services like Constant Contact, MailChimp and AskMimi, Sticky Folios and Animoto, which is a Video Marketing service.