Thinking about doing a "Photo Day" Event...

[amccomis]

I'm just getting off the ground, and thought this might be a way to jumpstart the cash flow and jumpstart the word-of-mouth engines all in one go.

I have a "pro studio" about 3 miles from my house that offers by-the-hour studio rental, complete with all lighting, props, consultation desk, etc. Think they're charging about $70/hr.

I would book it out for say 4 hours on a Saturday morning. (cost: $280)

I would start by asking everyone I could, neighbors, family, friends, etc. to sign up to come over to get portraits done. (I live in a community with TONS of children and families, so it should be easy to book this, I think)

I would plan to book three groups per hour (so, 3 x 4 = maximum of 12 groups).

I would have them, upon registering for the event, pay a $50 deposit that goes towards their photo package, or if they don't buy any, the deposit covers their proofs/sitting fee. (50x12 = $600 = covers the $280 cost)

I would offer Individual Print Pricing: 4x5s at $5, 5x7s at $10, 8x10s at $15, 11x14s @ $35, and 16x20s at $75.

But encourage purchasing packages as follows:

Package A: 1 11x14, 2 8x10, 4 5x7, 10 4x5 = $125 (save $30)
Package B: 1 16x20, 2 11x14, 3 8x10, 4 5x7, 10 4x5 = $225 (save $55)

So my quesitons to the forum is -

Have you ever done one of these?

Do you think this will sell?

How do my packages and pricing look?

[ssim]

I think your pricing looks ok. It is dependant upon, to a certain degree, what the economic climate is in your area. You charge what the market can bear. Having said that, are you really going to charge family and friends the same you would charge someone off the street.

I do think that allowing only 20 minutes per sitting is a little skimpy on time.

I did something very similar where I contacted a few organizations and offered to do just head and shoulders of inividuals. I charged 75.00 and they got one 8X10 and the sitting. We did something very similar where we had them coming one after another to consume the better part of a day. I allowed 30 minutes per sitting for one person. I rented an empty office in a strip mall but I have my own lights and selections of backgrounds that I take in and setup. It worked well.

Good luck.

[amccomis]

Thanks for the reply -- charging family is tough... charging friends is tough... charging neighbors is a little easier, but you still have to wave at them when you come and go, and it's better to be a wave than the "I'm #1" symbol.

So, assuming the pricing is "good" maybe offering a 50% off discount for the first go-round, which will be all family/friends/people-I-know would be good, then I could use them as referral sources. My primary goal is to cover the cost and get some photos out there.

[MattSEG]

It seems the studio fee might be a bit high. Think about making a deal with them. If they give you a package, then it helps with your bottom line, and pass some savings to your customers.

[PhotosGuy]

Think about making a deal with them. It's worth a try. If this shoot goes well, you can bring more business back to them. If they give you a package, then it helps with your bottom line, and pass some savings to your customers. For personalized work like this, I think the $50 fee is good as long as you can deliver something they can't get at the mall for $10? ;). I would start by asking everyone I could, neighbors, family, friends, etc. to sign up to come over to get portraits done. (I live in a community with TONS of children and families, so it should be easy to book this, I think) You'll need to have some sample pics to show them how yours will look better. Have you ever done one of these? I did something similar years ago in a Ballet studio (kids) & it worked out well for a starving assistant photographer. What do you have to lose? ;)