Freelance wedding photographer

[lara6470]

Hello all, just curious to know how much a freelance wedding photographer charges a wedding studio (company) for his/her services in NYC.
I shoot for a wedding studio in NYC and I always shoot in RAW then convert to JPEG.
I give the studio both set of files. I spend hours in the conversion process, adjusting white balance, cropping etc..
I just feel that its to much work for the amount I'm getting payed.

[picturecrazy]

It all depends on your portfolio and experience, and what the market dictates... none of which I know so I can't tell you a number but that should be something you could determine. :)

[lara6470]

thanks for the reply picturecrazy .
I'm very well experience and normally shoot 800+ on an 8 hour wedding.
I get $425 for 8 hours. I'm not sure if i should ask for more money. I do get lots of work from this studio.

[picturecrazy]

$425 for 8 hours PLUS PP for a well experienced photographer sounds like a crappy offer to me.

[Big Mike]

What is stopping you from working for yourself rather than as a freelance for a studio?

[*Mike*]

$425 for 8 hours PLUS PP for a well experienced photographer sounds like a crappy offer to me.

Ditto. Its good without the post, but not with the shooting and you also doing all the PP.

[liza]

Who are you shooting for? Bella?

[lara6470]

No, not Bella. It's a studio in Westchester NY
How would I go about getting clients. With this studio every year i do About 30 grand, can i make more on my own. keep in mind that i have a day job and 30 grand a year only on weekend is good.

[ryancr711]

Not that I'm a math genius or anything, but I've dabbled with a calculator a time or two in my life. How do you figure 30 grand a year at $425 a piece? I get 52 x $425 = $22,100. If you shoot more than once per week on average, then I stand corrected, but the number seems a little inflated.

Aside from that, if you're shooting anything near this number of weddings, and you have another job, it seems to me that you could do a couple on your own until you get enough business to work totally independently from the studio. Just start out by making a nice portfolio and some business cards. Then figure out how you're going to handle the formalities (ie. contracts, prices, where you get your prints, etc). That should get you started.

[lara6470]

last year i shot 72 wedding.

[lara6470]

thanks to all for the feedback

[liza]

30 grand? Where do I sign up? :D

[lara6470]

the only drawback is that i don't have a weekend life. I want to shoot less but make the same or more (possibly). I just hate the "sales" part of the business. I like to shoot and never see the customer again.

[MJP]

I made at least 15 grand from wedding, sports and some parties, babyshowers..sideline, i hope there are no IRS here...oppsss..

[mizuno]

I made at least 15 grand from wedding, sports and some parties, babyshowers..sideline, i hope there are no IRS here...oppsss..

I hope there are.

I have no sympathy for tax cheats, if you are indeed doing so, as your post alludes.

[lara6470]

I do pay my taxes, the studio that i work pays me by with business check.

[Wedding Shooter]

Is it expected that you do the post processing? It seems totally unreasonable that you shoot and post process for $425.

When I shoot for other photographers in Perth (Australia) I get $100-$150 an hour with no processing - I just hand over a CD with the RAW files on it after the shoot. I get to keep the files to promote my own business as well. In US$ that is probably about $83-$125 an hour.

I have shot less weddings than you by the sound of it. Other shooters in Perth also get similar money when shooting for a studio - that is, at least one guy who I was going to hire as an assistant was getting that.

[MrTED]

I hope there are.

I have no sympathy for tax cheats, if you are indeed doing so, as your post alludes.

Here here...

[gheesom]

72 weddings, jeez, plus a full time job........the weddings alone are full time, Maybe set up in business with a friend, allow them to be the people side of the business.

As for tax cheats I am with mizuno

[liza]

I'd stick with shooting for the other company. Marketing and business expenses are a PITA. If I could find a deal like yours, I'd jump on it.

[Dave Jenkins]

Why don't you ask them for a raise? If you're shooting 72 weddings a year for them, you would not be easy to replace. I get $600 for second-shooting with no post processing. I would think you should be able to get at least that amount.

[JustKat]

My opinion---If you can go on your own you can usually gain more benefits from your skills. First off I will state that I don't cheat or play games with the IRS, I've been through 1 massive audit and I never want to go through another, even though everything came out fine, the stress and worry that I might have done something wrong was awful! I have an accountant that keeps everything in order for me so if an audit comes up, he sits there and answers questions about the ledgers and recipts with the IRS auditors.
Last year my gross income from my photography business was, to be exact, $147,000 (I don't just shoot weddings), my net profit was $15,000 after all deductions and taxes. I certainly don't live in the lap of luxury and I work my tail off, BUT I have a lot of nice assets that I wouldn't have if I worked for someone else. I also have a 10 month full time 5 day a week teaching job.

[lara6470]

Thanks again for all the feedback guys. My concern is that if I raise my price will I get as many weddings from them and if I go out on my own will I make more or less money after all the expenses of a business. etc..
I will take Dave Jenkins advice and ask for more money. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

[picturecrazy]

Yeah, ask for a raise. Even if it reduces the amount of weddings they give you, then you may be making the same amount as before but working a whole lot less. That's GOOD in my book.

[Wedding Shooter]

Ask for a raise or ask them to do the post processing.

[cwphoto]

For that sort of money I would just be handing over the CF card.

[chuckw]

My opinion---If you can go on your own you can usually gain more benefits from your skills. First off I will state that I don't cheat or play games with the IRS, I've been through 1 massive audit and I never want to go through another, even though everything came out fine, the stress and worry that I might have done something wrong was awful! I have an accountant that keeps everything in order for me so if an audit comes up, he sits there and answers questions about the ledgers and recipts with the IRS auditors.
Last year my gross income from my photography business was, to be exact, $147,000 (I don't just shoot weddings), my net profit was $15,000 after all deductions and taxes. I certainly don't live in the lap of luxury and I work my tail off, BUT I have a lot of nice assets that I wouldn't have if I worked for someone else. I also have a 10 month full time 5 day a week teaching job.

WOW 132,000 in taxes and deductions? Time to get an accountant buddy, how can that even be possible?

[cwphoto]

WOW 132,000 in taxes and deductions? Time to get an accountant buddy, how can that even be possible?

Easy. You just need to spend a lot in the business. Sounds like he has a great accountant already, if he had that much income and very few deductions he would have a crappy accountant don't you think? ;)

[JustKat]

I don't know at what point or $ amount a photography "business" becomes a business instead of a hobby according to the IRS, it's been to many years for me. If I did not claim my deductions, I would just pay a lot more taxes. I already pay quarterly taxes all year and then get to pay another lump sum at tax time. Other than my teaching job, the majority of my life is involved with photography, so a lot of what I do or spend becomes a deduction from my income. I have worked hard to build my business and the benefits I enjoy from it are never seen with a wad of cash money in my pocket, they are in the form of the "nice assets" I mentioned. Allowed business deductions go way beyond just the cost of my photo equipment.
My accountant is great, he keeps me honest and out of bankruptcy.

[Yella Fella]

i was advised i'd get 100quid (UK pounds) per wedding at two companies currently, all expenses paid, no PP involved, just take pics and send it off back to HQ when done

[jt168]

Yikes, $425 for 8 hours of shooting + 2 to 4 hours of PP means they are paying you about $35-$40 per hour. Definitely better than most jobs out there, but I would imagine a profession like this deserves to be paid more than that amount.

Another question, how much is the studio charging the bride/groom for the weddings you shoot? Given you are in NYC area, I would imagine it's fairly expensive.

It probably doesn't hurt to start your own website, do some SEO, and see where it goes... all while you continue to work for this studio.

[Mike Reynolds]

my grandfather once told me "always pay your taxes, never cheat a client, produce what you prommise and you will prosper" as for the money? you have to make your own decissions on that but you do spend a lot of time and give up all your weekends that is something I am not willing to give at an price.

[lara6470]

Hello guys, letting you all know I won't be doing the PP anymore for the studio I shoot for and got a $100 raise. Also I'm going to start to try and get my own weddings. Here is the website I made with my Mac.

http://web.mac.com/larajimmy

[Mike Reynolds]

great news Congratulations

[LeesaB]

I agree Mizuno...and not too smart to post it on a public forum that has thousands of people belonging to it....You never know who is reading it....

[howzitboy]

gratz on the raise! for that money, no way u should do the PP work too.
gl on the solo career too!!

[laimis.s]

the only drawback is that i don't have a weekend life. I want to shoot less but make the same or more (possibly). I just hate the "sales" part of the business. I like to shoot and never see the customer again.

if you want more money you will have to face it one day. it isnt hard starting off as a wedding photographer. i recently shot a wedding (my first one), which in turn got recommended to two more people who want me to shoot their weddings. if you do a good job, people WILL want you again/recommend.

[th3r0m]

Hello guys, letting you all know I won't be doing the PP anymore for the studio I shoot for and got a $100 raise. Also I'm going to start to try and get my own weddings. Here is the website I made with my Mac.

http://web.mac.com/larajimmy

Congratulations on the raise and on your branching out to doing weddings by yourself!

Looked at your site. You have some very nice shots. Your website needs a bit of work however (not that I am by any means an expert). On the home page, I would straighten the horizon of main shot, also, get the couples names out of the menu bar. It looks very cluttered now and as you book more couples it will get very hard to find them. I would list them to the side and/or on a separate page. Also, make sure you thumbnails link to the correct photos. Also I would get rid of "I can create" and replace it with "I will create", make it a "for sure" rather than a maybe (if you get what I mean).

Also, make sure all of you thumbnails open the correct large photo. In Tiffany & Reids gallery, the gazebo thumbnails open the larger size of each other (rather than themselves, if that makes sense). My .02 cents

[lara6470]

thanks for the advice guys, I'll fix the little glitches.

[overclock]

If you hate sales then don't do it. I wish I would have bookmarked a post/thread around here a while back but it was talking about how running your own studio is 90% sales, 10% photography. You want people to buy and you have to sell them on it. I love sales. I didn't think I would but I learned it and I actually miss it. Consider hiring someone or getting a partner. I'd go with hiring because partnerships are extremely complicated.

As for the amount of time you spend vs. your pay, how much do you make hourly at your full-time job? I make $31 an hour at my desk job as an auditor. If you can make more than your FT job and meet your needs then by all means go freelance. It just depends on how you value your time. Which doesn't sound like your price is high enough as it is.

You might want to search/post in the business forum here on POTN.