What you think about my portrait package price?

[-Justin-]

$150 for 90-minute session
$50 for each additional hour

Then the client can purchase pictures from me if they feel for the following prices:

8x10 $20
5x7 $14
4x5 $10
4x6 $10
8wallets $15
11x14 $65
16x20 $95
20x30 $165

I'm still trying to decide on how and what to charge for a cd of edited images. Maybe just include a certain number of edited images on a cd with a watermark/copyright. Just mainly not sure on a price or number of images for the cd.

What do you all think? Thanks in advance guys, been putting alot of thought into this.

[form]

The key line from Frank Norris' book, the Octopus: "Whatever the traffic will bear."

I doubt I'd get work at your rates, but that's me.

[Alleh]

Can't judge prices without knowing the quality of service.

[tim]

Multiply your print prices by between five and ten and they'll be professional rates. The business is changing though, but work out your profit at the end of the year assuming you photograph two portraits a week and sell a reasonable number of prints. At your prices it wouldn't be worth my while, you'd be making minimum wage.

[-Justin-]

My site is Justin Sansing Photography
I've been researching a good bit and found that a set "sitting fee" is highly recommended.
I was thinking of possibly doing $150 for the 90 minute session and including a cd of edited images with my watermark or logo on the bottom where it didn't interfere with the main part of the picture.

[PeaceFire]

Here's my issue with "90-minute session", a client may go "Well, I only want a 30 minute session, can we do that and I'll give you $50?". Which wouldn't make it worth your while. I don't put a time limit on my portrait sessions. I go until I get what I feel the client is paying for. If I feel we need a few more frames, I will do that. If I feel we nailed it after an hour, I'll be on my way. Here is how I work my prices:

Portraits: $150, includes 2 setting changes within the same location and two outfit changes.

I don't negotiate on that in my actual pricing. If someone e-mails me and says "can we have three outfit changes?" I would respond with "yes, that will be $XX extra". So just do a base price and brief description of what it includes.

As for the actual pricing, I think it's great. It's what I charge. And I actually make a great living. I have a car, live in a nice condo, pay my bills, sure I don't have a lot of "spending" money, but I do photography because I love the art of photography, not to make a million on AND the majority of my clients are military- if I charged any more I'd never work and would go CRAZY with boredom. If you WANT to make a million doing photography, yes, you are not charging nearly enough. But if that's not your goal, your prices are fine.

[-Justin-]

Thank you very much for that piece of advice!
I really like how you setup your price, I'm going to change mine to that also.

Do you include a CD of the pictures with your base price?

[PeaceFire]

I do. Everyone told me that was a horrible idea and I'd never sell prints, but so far I've made more money making people prints and albums then I have doing the actual portraits. So I don't think that has taken away from my business. But that's a person preference. You could offer that or offer a certain amount of prints with each session (like 10 4x6s and 5 8x10 for portrait sessions and then charge for each digital file).

[-Justin-]

I think what I'm going to do is put the edited pictures on a cd with a watermark and only make them in like a 4x6 or 5x7 size so they can't go and have giant versions printed.
They will have to order them from me if they are wanting versions with no logo or bigger

[Karl Johnston]

Originally Posted by form

The key line from Frank Norris' book, the Octopus: "Whatever the traffic will bear."

This should be stickied

[-Justin-]

Haha, agreed

[Aeth]

Most people want from a CD is something they can email to friends or put on Myspace/facebook. Make sure that they give you credit of course.
This way, they get "viewable" images, and if they want something for their wall, they can pay you. I wouldn't give them anything larger than 800x600 images though.
Just throwing in my 2cents.

Originally Posted by -Justin-

I think what I'm going to do is put the edited pictures on a cd with a watermark and only make them in like a 4x6 or 5x7 size so they can't go and have giant versions printed.
They will have to order them from me if they are wanting versions with no logo or bigger

Originally Posted by PeaceFire

I do. Everyone told me that was a horrible idea and I'd never sell prints, but so far I've made more money making people prints and albums then I have doing the actual portraits. So I don't think that has taken away from my business. But that's a person preference. You could offer that or offer a certain amount of prints with each session (like 10 4x6s and 5 8x10 for portrait sessions and then charge for each digital file).

[tim]

I don't know a single professional portrait photographer that will sell or supply high res images. Most won't even supply low res. It's shooting yourself in the foot, removing any potential you have of making money from the print. The business is changing, but still the low end guys tend to do digital, the good photographers do prints.

I supply low res if people pay for it, usually 600 pixels on the longest side.

[-Justin-]

I agree with both of you. I planned on providing a cd of low res proofs with my watermark on them. They can order prints through me

[hypertech]

A lot of this depends on the market you are in and what consumer you are targeting in.

Tim, your suggestion that he charge $100-200 for an 8x10, well, there is a very small market for that if there is one at all. I took a look at your website and I don't understand your comment that you only supple low res if people pay for it. Your site says all your packages include low res and if they pay, they can get hi res photos.

I sell cheap CDs with 1200x1800s and they are big sellers at events and do well for me but I am also able to get a lot of orders in one day. If I was doing portraits, the model probably wouldn't work. To me, print sales are a hassle and if people want to print their own 4x6's, I have no problem with it. I like selling files and people want them - it works out well for both sides.