Holiday Pricing

[ssim]

I had a call yesterday from a frantic bride who was having a difficult time finding a photographer for their wedding which was going to be on new year's eve.

She raised an issue which I had not ever thought of and not quite sure if I agree with it or not. The wedding was originally going to be later into 2007 but it was now moved up to 31 December. The people who she had originally gotten quotes from were now charging a premium to have them work on new year's eve. So she was starting her search over again.

Curiosity has got the best of me, how many charge a premium for taking an assignment on a holiday. I have mixed emotions on this one. I don't think I would want to say, "I normally charge xx.00 but because it is on a holiday it is now this much." If you are in business you are in business and take the work as it comes to you. If you don't want to work on a specific day don't take the work. However, if this is the norm perhaps I am out of touch with this part. It is something that I have never thought about.

[cdifoto]

I'll take what I can get. I'm not exactly a Joe Buissink (sp?)...so charging extra seems absurd. Unless of course they want something above and beyond just booking on a holiday.

If I had other plans I simply wouldn't book it.


EDIT: If you think about it, there are so many major AND obscure holidays, you would be charging a premium EVERY time you booked if you believed in that business model. At which point your rates would simply be high, not above & beyond. heh.

[picturecrazy]

I would charge extra and be quite upfront about it.

New year's eve and day is a time when families and friends get together and enjoy each other's company. Which is why I would NOT work that day. The profits from a day of work is not worth missing the fun family time. They would have to pay me a lot more money to convince me it was mildly worth it. I would charge quadruple or more, personally.... and I'd tell them that it's because my time with my family is very important to me, not because I'm a greedy bastard. I'd still rather NOT work than be paid quadruple.

[cdifoto]

I would charge extra and be quite upfront about it.

New year's eve and day is a time when families and friends get together and enjoy each other's company. Which is why I would NOT work that day. The profits from a day of work is not worth missing the fun family time. They would have to pay me a lot more money to convince me it was mildly worth it. I would charge quadruple or more, personally.... and I'd tell them that it's because my time with my family is very important to me, not because I'm a greedy bastard. I'd still rather NOT work than be paid quadruple.

Ok...then just don't book it. Rather than coming off as a money hungry shooter, just politely decline...

[song4themoon]

I have a two year old.. since he was born we havent celebrated NEw Years even because we were fast asleep by then :) If I got a job I would just be glad I got to have some fun and not charge extra at all....

[coreypolis]

depends on the holiday :)

theres not much work in dec here, I got married on dec 30 last year, partly to avoid the dec 31 issues and the fact than many people would want to do their own thing.

To me, I figure on dec 31 the wedding will be over before it really interupts any plan late at night anyways, so no biggie.



However, what about July 7, 2007. 7-7-7 is going to be a extremely popular date to get hitched on, and many are rightly, imho, charging a premium.

[cdifoto]

What's so significant about 7-7-7?

[coreypolis]

What's so significant about 7-7-7?
its a cool date to be married on, perople dig funny numbers, not to mention it happens to be right in the high point of wedding season around here.

[picturecrazy]

What's so significant about 7-7-7?

numerology... lucky 7. you know...

It's just another day to me. I booked it at my regular rate even though I had a million requests for it. For THAT date, I wouldn't feel good charging a premium.

[picturecrazy]

Ok...then just don't book it. Rather than coming off as a money hungry shooter, just politely decline...

haha, haven't you ever had people just not give up? I had a bride offering me triple my rate to bump another bride off a day so she could have it. There's no way I would do that. Some people just won't give up until you set the price at an unreasonable level.

[cdifoto]

haha, haven't you ever had people just not give up? I had a bride offering me triple my rate to bump another bride off a day so she could have it. There's no way I would do that. Some people just won't give up until you set the price at an unreasonable level.

I'm not that good I guess. Nobody's knocking my doors down.

[mizuno]

For any of the main holidays where I would rather be with my friends and family, I would consider charging a premium.

New Years Eve, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Easter Sunday etc

[cdifoto]

In the meantime I'd take the job at regular rates appreciating the fact that someone likes my work enough to choose me at all...


...then again maybe I'm just too humble to be a photographer...I don't consider myself God's gift to brides (just an expression, not injecting religion).

[twinsrus]

Why not do your job, then hang around for the New Year's Eve festivities? I probably wouldn't charge extra. Never do anyhting on NYE anyways except watch TV until the ball drops, then go to bed. Yeah, I know, exciting. Okay, I'm old.

[tim]

I probably wouldn't charge a premium if I have no particular plans, but if I had a family i'd charge a premium if I accepted a job on the day at all.

[Scott_Quier]

haha, haven't you ever had people just not give up? I had a bride offering me triple my rate to bump another bride off a day so she could have it. There's no way I would do that. Some people just won't give up until you set the price at an unreasonable level.
FWIW - In this scenario, I see the relationship between the first bride and the photographer as a contractual obligation. Bump the bride, you're in breach. Same with family. If you have plans, you have plans. No amount of $$ will change that, unless taking that job is the difference between putting bread on the table or my children going hungry.

Put another way, you come into this world with only your untarnished name. It's up to you at to the condition of that name when you leave.

Charging a premium for days that are (or are likely to be) in high demand, that's just simple supply-and-demand economics. You charge what the market will bear to achieve maximum performance from your min-max function.

[tlc]

i would charge 'holiday rates'. when you work in an office and work on a holiday, they pay you triple time. why shouldnt you receive extra money for working on a day where everyone should be at home with their family? regardless if you have one or not.

[PIXI_666]

I had a wedding 2 days before christmas, BUT in saying that it was basically the weekend where everyone goes away for christmas, i would have charged more for that, but i basically didnt want to plan my life around someone else's wedding so i said a simple no, i am away that weekend. No dramas :)

I would charge appropriatly, 20% on top of all my costs....

[xandria]

In the corporate world (and if you had paid employees) you would be expected to be paid or to pay at least time+1/2 for holiday hours worked. It shouldn't be any different for an independent business person. I wouldn't take the job if I wanted the "day off", but if it wouldn't interfere with my personal plans for the holiday I would take the job and simply add 50% for "holiday pay". I don't think it's unreasonable or "money hungry" to do so. Surely a B&G should expect to pay a little more when they choose to hire people on a nationally observed holiday.

[th3r0m]

I agree with the OP, if I did not want to work the holiday or had plans with family then I would just say no, however if working the holiday is something I am willing to do, I would work it at my normal rate. In this case, December 31st (New Years Eve) is not actually a holiday, so I couldn't justify asking for a premium to shoot that day. In cases like these my rates would only change in regard to supply and demand, if I had 30 people asking me to shoot on New Years Eve, then my prices would definitely go up. Just my two cents.

[Mike Reynolds]

Their loss your gain if you want to work that day go for it I would decline that day because I treasure my time with my family at all cost

[BrittanyElise]

I agree that it depends on the holiday and it's significance to you. It is absurd and IMHO, wrong, to charge a premium to a Jewish couple on or near a particular Jewish holiday if you, yourself, are not Jewish and would not be doing anything anyway. If you celebrated Christmas and the couple wanted you the day after Christmas so that you had to leave your family early, than I can see the idea of charging a premium. The money must be right for some to leave their family early or miss seeing them altogether.

Now, I had an online consultation with a photographer who was a potential candidate to photograph my wedding. Her normal price for the package I was interested in was $1000, but since my wedding date (07/07/07) was such a popular date, she had raised it to $1600. Now this is a genius idea for some to bank some $$$, but to me, it was somewhat unethical so I sadly laughed and declined. To each his own, I suppose.

[islandphoto]

I am booked for Christmas eve... I didn't even think to charge extra - now I'm wondering if I should have....

[mizuno]

Now, I had an online consultation with a photographer who was a potential candidate to photograph my wedding. Her normal price for the package I was interested in was $1000, but since my wedding date (07/07/07) was such a popular date, she had raised it to $1600. Now this is a genius idea for some to bank some $$$, but to me, it was somewhat unethical so I sadly laughed and declined. To each his own, I suppose.

I'm not sure that you can really say that it's unethical to charge more for a particular day. It's the prerogative of the photographer to choose what his/her pricing structure will be for any particular date.

It's a simple supply and demand equation. 07/07/07 just happens to be one of the most desired wedding dates that anyone can remember. All markets are driven by supply and demand. If demand outweighs supply, we see prices rise. If supply outweighs demand, we generally see prices drop. It's no unethical at all, it's astute business.

[MagicallyDelicious]

everyone else charges for holidays.

You get paid more in a normal 9-5 job for holidays,

Taxi's charge extra for holidays,

Its more expensive to fly on holidays,

Why shouldnt it be more expensive to hire you for a holiday? Its your day off your giving up.

Just depends how much new years eve means to you as to wether you accept or not.

[MagicallyDelicious]

All this talk of 07/07/07 im feeling the need to find someone to marry just so I can say I got married then! lol