Automotive Photo shoot services and pricing

How many shoots are you booking per month?

jwhite65 wrote in post #16272842
Love #2! Am curious how you took it

Thanks! The M3 photo is a rig shot.

bradttu wrote in post #16273557
Looks like you're doing well. Your updated photos compared to the ones you posted last year have greatly improved. Great job!

My primary focus is automotive photography. What type of rig are you using? I had a DIY rig for a while and then bought one from Rig-Pro. Great stuff.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks! I'm using Rig-Pros 20' boom and proper supporting components.

JacobPhoto wrote in post #16274401
How many shoots are you booking per month?

Right now I'm at 2-3 automotive/rig shoots per month. My schedule changed over the end of summer so I'm hoping to able to book more. I also have a list of clients that are waiting pending scheduling. My photography/videograph​y is also part at the moment.

Your photography has REALLY improved since the beginning of this thread. That STI shoot looks fantastic. Congrats.

I am right on the verge of starting to book some automotive shoots as well. How are you finding your business? Craigslist or word of mouth from friends? Sponsoring local car shows? Handing out business cards during shows/cruises?

How are customer accepting your prices? Any hesitation at $100? You say that all photos are watermarked, but then say that they have the option of watermarked, un-watermarked, or signed prints. Can you explain this a little more? How many people are actually buying prints? Have anyone ask for full sized files so they can print themselves? Would you offer it if you increased the price?

Myboostedgst wrote in post #16286817
Your photography has REALLY improved since the beginning of this thread. That STI shoot looks fantastic. Congrats.

I am right on the verge of starting to book some automotive shoots as well. How are you finding your business? Craigslist or word of mouth from friends? Sponsoring local car shows? Handing out business cards during shows/cruises?

How are customer accepting your prices? Any hesitation at $100? You say that all photos are watermarked, but then say that they have the option of watermarked, un-watermarked, or signed prints. Can you explain this a little more? How many people are actually buying prints? Have anyone ask for full sized files so they can print themselves? Would you offer it if you increased the price?

Thanks Andrew.

My business as of the moment is all word of mouth and outbound. I have not used craigslist yet. I have not done any sponsoring at any local car shows but I have been handing out business cards. I am also still doing photography outside my full time work schedule.

Most customers are accepting my prices. There is always hesitation with car enthusiast who would rather spend money on car parts versus pictures, especially if their cars are not completed to their liking. However, my prices do reflect the quality of my photography and I do stand by my prices the best I can. The market has a perceived value toward photography and when you can set the bar for your photography, customers can appreciate the price based on your quality work. There are times I consider I should be charging more but that may push customers away.

As of right now, I do watermark all digital images I push to the web. Most of my customers don't mind the watermark. I do reserve the rights to my images whether or not they want a watermark. But all digital images have copyright EXIF data attached from the original source. My digital images are also exported for web only so anyone who wanted to print it themselves would have a bad time doing so. I also provide prints. I have an 8x10 booklet of prints that I show to the customer before and during the shoot. When I show the prints, they feel more inclined to order one when their photos are finished. I have separate pricing for prints on top of the photo services. The customer can choose whether or not they want the watermark on it, but I"m moving towards no watermark and personally signing each print.

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. Your current business model looks very close to how am I setting mine up. I am building up my name as of right now, trying to get most of the people in the local scene to recognize my work. Then it will be time to start offering actual shoots.

Please keep this thread (or at least me) updated as you progress. I would like to know how you are doing and the steps/hurdles that you encounter.

Update

I've had a busy month for jton•media. Check out my glorified tumblr website, jtonmedia.com and www.facebook.com/jtonm​edia. I've been getting a lot shoots scheduled, including a big event Road Rally Charities that I'm still working on for video and stills. I'd say this month is looking at close to 20 shoots with a little video in the mix.

The only hurdle I struggle with is making time to offer my services with a full time job that keeps me at work til 6 and 7pm, which is now cutting close to prime time shooting.

-Jimmy

i see ur pics jton on nasioc. never disappoint i did get paid $1 to take pictures of my fiends car, but im no were near your skill level.

jton wrote in post #16270776
Here's are some example of a full set (photo shoot and rig shot)
**http://flic.kr/s/aHsjH​UwmyR**

NICE highlights in those!

Man your work has really taken off. Congrats! Booking that many shoots per month just seems crazy.

From the looks of it, seems like most of your work is rig shots. Rig shots seem to be the one type of shot that everyone falls in love with, and that your average Joe-Blow can not achieve with their DSLR and kit lens. I have been considering picking one up to offer shots that others in my area can not achieve.

Liked you facebook page and plan on watching it to get some ideas for future rig shots.