Am I lowballing?

[rhys]

I was reading the threads about lowballers and wondered whether I was lowballing. I know there are a lot of budget photographers so there's not really a whole lot of point in competing on price. How does this sound?

We are primarily location photographers. This means we come to you. For shoots requiring a studio, advanced notification is required.
Our packages are as follows:

On site:
Portaits of one person $75.
Portraits of a group $100.
Portraits of several groups $100 per group.
Family celebrations - birthdays, parties, family reunions, Graduations etc $75 per hour.
Religious occasions - Christening, Bar Mitzvas, Funerals, Confirmations etc $75 per hour.
Legal photography - starts at $75 per hour.
Commercial photography - starts at $75 per hour.
Weddings - start at $800.
Documentary photography - starts at $75 per hour.

In studio - add $50 per hour.

Photos can be delivered in the following ways:
1. CD/DVD of high-resolution JPEG images $75
2. Prints - start at 75 cents for a 6x4. We can also provide most other photo merchendise - please ask.
3. Online delivery - we upload to a passworded file-sharing website from which you can view and order prints directly.

[bigjon0107]

It all depends on your area's market. But I know around here, the Bar Mitzvas prices you said are really low. Those in most cases are shot like a wedding and many people charge about as much.

Also, the CD is really low in price, even more so for a wedding (where they order really large prints...gallery wraps...at $100 a pop if not more). Think of all the prints that people want to order for grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, etc... They would just buy the CD and have them done much cheaper, (don't know you print prices, but mine start at $2 for a 4x6) and taking a good chunk of profit away from you. So you should charge accordingly.

But like i said, we would not be able to tell if you are truly overpriced unless we knew the market there

[rhys]

Well, a lot of sites don't give prices.
I checked out some via Google and found:
1. Wedding photography plus a leather photo album $3,800
2. Portraits $100 1st hour, $50 for each subsequent hour (reminds me of the 3rd hour free game)
3. Headshots $175, location photos $300,
4. Weddings $400
5. Weddings $750

I suspect I'm on the low end but I don't think I am the lowest.

[Karl C]

As part of developing your business plan, did you perform a market analysis? Market research? Identify your competition and their approximate pricing structure? Develop your cost analysis? Projected cash flow? Income? Losses? Marketing plan? Three- and five-year financials?

I have the gut feeling you raced through writing a business plan without performing due diligence.

[rhys]

As part of developing your business plan, did you perform a market analysis? Market research? Identify your competition and their approximate pricing structure? Develop your cost analysis? Projected cash flow? Income? Losses? Marketing plan? Three- and five-year financials?

I have the gut feeling you raced through writing a business plan without performing due diligence.

Actually I skipped through the financial part as it's not really that relevant. I could have set up doing photography as a charity but I'd rather get paid money instead. I don't want to lowball and I don't want to charge too much. I feel I probably paid too much attention to the lowballers I encounter. For example, there's a guy on Craigslist charging $400,the photographer my wife hired who charged $500 plus prints and a wedding photographer I met who charges $750.

[Primm]

Actually I skipped through the financial part as it's not really that relevant. I could have set up doing photography as a charity but I'd rather get paid money instead.

Hmmmm, you don't see the discrepancy between these two statements?

If you want to get paid money for something, you need to see the financial part as relevant.

When you say you could have set it up as a charity, does that mean you don't expect to make a living out of it? And you're content to be a part-time photographer? I'm just curious about this statement, everything else I've read from you indicates you would like to make this into a profession, but you seem to be going at it a bit half-assed.

[Oneslowz28]

Actually I skipped through the financial part as it's not really that relevant.

Rhys you never cease to amaze me. I look foward to reading your post every day. For the last week you have made me laugh more than I have in 3 months. Whats next? You gonna tell us that your going to purchase a P&S as a backup?

[Steve Parr]

Actually I skipped through the financial part as it's not really that relevant.

Um... Help me out here: If you're asking if you're low-balling, how is the financial part "not really that relevant"?

[rhys]

Rhys you never cease to amaze me. I look foward to reading your post every day. For the last week you have made me laugh more than I have in 3 months. Whats next? You gonna tell us that your going to purchase a P&S as a backup?

Lol. No. I have heard of wedding photographers using G3s though.

I want to make money from photography. The fact is that as my family income is sufficient to live on without making money from photography, it's not essential that I make money from photography. Personally and for my own pride, I'd love to make a sizable chunk though. And yes... it will be a full-time job for me.

It's a pride thing - not a financial thing.

[XTshooter]

Lol. No. I have heard of wedding photographers using G3s though.

I want to make money from photography. The fact is that as my family income is sufficient to live on without making money from photography, it's not essential that I make money from photography. Personally and for my own pride, I'd love to make a sizable chunk though. And yes... it will be a full-time job for me.

It's a pride thing - not a financial thing.

In my opinion, if you're planning on starting a business but you're not willing to run it like your life depends upon it succeeding, it's guaranteed to be a flop in no time.

I just don't understand your contradictary statements that seem to pop up every day. "It's not essential that you make money from photography" but you'd still "love to make a sizable chunk." "The money's not important" but you'd "rather get paid." You have a TON of very basic questions that you need to answer for YOURSELF before you take one more step toward starting your own business. But then again, you've already been told this my numerous people and it doesn't seem to help.

You want to start a business and be successful, yet you state, "the financial part isn't really that relevant." Step back, re-read that statement and try to understand how absolutely asinine that sounds to some of us (especially those of us that have taken the time to build and run our own businesses).