Taking senior photos of a friend, advice needed

I'll be taking the senior photos of a friend ... but am a total noob at pricing and a beginner at portrait photography. Though I'm very excited, I'm a tad nervous.

You have to start somewhere though, right?

I'll be shooting with my T2i, a 50mm 1.8 and a rented 24-70 2.8 AND possibly a borrowed 70-200 2.8 IS. I'll bring a round 22" reflector if I need it seeing as I don't exactly have a flash yet (but will have one soon, not in time for the shoot I might add).
Would that be a good lens for the job? I assume it would be fairly highly recommended among users here for this type of shoot.

What I really need help with is pricing.
I don't see the need of this being a situation where I need to charge enough so that I make a large profit seeing as this is one of my first sessions. I figured ~100$ for around 50 (or so) edited pictures and anywhere from 1-3 hours of shooting (unlimited apparel changes) seems fair. But I'm not an experienced shooter.

This would cover the rental fees ($34 for the 24-70) the rest being a small chunk of change that I can save for college or something.

I could really use some help from some pros who do this everyday at least with a finger in the right direction. Any tips would be highly appreciated. I'd also love to see some work so I get get a feel for what to look for.

Take the shots and if they like your results then charge for rent and prints. You should take this as a great opportunity to have models that are willing to deal with your inexperience while you can learn something.

If you are not comfortable with doing this for free then you really should decline and direct them to a professional who knows what they are doing and guarantee satisfying results.

Considering that this is your first session, you are in-experienced in portrait photography and it's a friend, maybe it's not such a good idea to charge an upfront fee. Instead, use it as a learning experience and if all comes out well and they like the proofs, they can buy some prints from you. IMO, it's in somewhat bad taste to charge for a service that you aren't at least somewhat proficient in.....especially for a friend. That said, I think it would be considerate of your friend to cover the lens rental....although if you have access to the 50 and 70-200, the rental may not be needed.

drmaxx wrote in post #14252303
Take the shots and if they like your results then charge for rent and prints. You should take this as a great opportunity to have models that are willing to deal with your inexperience while you can learn something.

If you are not comfortable with doing this for free then you really should decline and direct them to a professional who knows what they are doing and guarantee satisfying results.

jra wrote in post #14254273
Considering that this is your first session, you are in-experienced in portrait photography and it's a friend, maybe it's not such a good idea to charge an upfront fee. Instead, use it as a learning experience and if all comes out well and they like the proofs, they can buy some prints from you. IMO, it's in somewhat bad taste to charge for a service that you aren't at least somewhat proficient in.....especially for a friend. That said, I think it would be considerate of your friend to cover the lens rental....although if you have access to the 50 and 70-200, the rental may not be needed.

Good points.
Maybe charging him I could go without. In fact, that's the best option.

As for the lens rental. I really wanted to get to use the 24-70 seeing as I've used it before to shoot an event. I was just asking for advice on whether or not it would be a viable lens to use for this situation.

You see, printing is a bit out of my hand as well.
Would I just use a service like Shutterfly (for example) and send them what they like?
Should I have them at least cover that too?

Edit: Scratch that printing part.
I would actually just use shutterfly. Seems to be a good option for small-med sized prints. Even the large photo prices aren't bad.

BlueCadet3 wrote in post #14256084
Edit: Scratch that printing part.
I would actually just use shutterfly. Seems to be a good option for small-med sized prints. Even the large photo prices aren't bad.

If you want to make the picture special then you also could check out metallic print (e.g. from mpix.com). Most people I know are very impressed about the effect and brilliance they have. (I personally don't like them too much - especially for portraits).
Additionally, you could think about mounting the pic on matboard...

BlueCadet3 wrote in post #14256084
As for the lens rental. I really wanted to get to use the 24-70 seeing as I've used it before to shoot an event. I was just asking for advice on whether or not it would be a viable lens to use for this situation.

You did not explain the situation - therefore nobody can help you with your lens choice. As for making portraits, jra already pointed out that the 24-70 is not really needed.

If you've never shot something like this before, IMO you should (edit!!) not be charging. This should be a trade for shoot. They give you their time (it is after all worth something) and you get a willing model to try things with.

Treat it like a paid shoot and provide say 5 poses fully post processed and let them bring you other work though word of mouth.

The 50mm and the 70-200mm will be more than sufficient unless you're shooting in a small room. 24mm is going to get you very close to the model, and you'll need to be VERY mindful of perspective distortion.

There's a good reason that the last hour before sunset is called the "golden hour." Use that time wisely. You'll get MUCH better results than shooting at 2 in the afternoon.

In my opinion: 50 fully edited photos is A LOT for a senior shoot. I'd aim for about 6 good, different, fully edited photos per hour of shooting. There's no valid reason (other than a bit of narcissism) to supply a large number of very similar shots - pick the best one from that location/outfit/pose, and run with it. Having said that, if you're having trouble narrowing it down, you could supply low-res, batch-processed proofs and tell the friend to pick six (or ten, or fifteen, or however many). Then do the full edits to the ones she picked.

Hm, if you were full-frame I'd have said the 50mm + the 70-200mm was sufficient for this kind of a shoot. If it was my first shoot I wouldn't hesitate to just use the wide that came with the kit.

I'd not charge for the first time.

I'd probably shoot about 150 and return about 20-30 fully edited shots. Part of your growth as a photographer will happen as a result of your looking at your own work and choosing which of the often similar looking poses / shots, are the best ones.

Since you don't want to shoot most portraits with a lens wider than 50, there is no real reason to rent the 24-70. If you don't understand why, look up perspective distortion. I agree, just charge a nominal feel upon completion of the work conditional on the clients satisfaction. Shoot a lot, edit the best. Offer them 30 or so to choose from. Tell them up front that you will shoot a lot and only show them the best, that its part of your process and some shots will not come out so dont expect to see every frame.

flowrider wrote in post #14260186
If you've never shot something like this before, IMO you should (edit!!) not be charging. This should be a trade for shoot. They give you their time (it is after all worth something) and you get a willing model to try things with.

Treat it like a paid shoot and provide say 5 poses fully post processed and let them bring you other work though word of mouth.

nathancarter wrote in post #14260405
The 50mm and the 70-200mm will be more than sufficient unless you're shooting in a small room. 24mm is going to get you very close to the model, and you'll need to be VERY mindful of perspective distortion.

There's a good reason that the last hour before sunset is called the "golden hour." Use that time wisely. You'll get MUCH better results than shooting at 2 in the afternoon.

In my opinion: 50 fully edited photos is A LOT for a senior shoot. I'd aim for about 6 good, different, fully edited photos per hour of shooting. There's no valid reason (other than a bit of narcissism) to supply a large number of very similar shots - pick the best one from that location/outfit/pose, and run with it. Having said that, if you're having trouble narrowing it down, you could supply low-res, batch-processed proofs and tell the friend to pick six (or ten, or fifteen, or however many). Then do the full edits to the ones she picked.

Christopher Steven b wrote in post #14260461
Hm, if you were full-frame I'd have said the 50mm + the 70-200mm was sufficient for this kind of a shoot. If it was my first shoot I wouldn't hesitate to just use the wide that came with the kit.

I'd not charge for the first time.

I'd probably shoot about 150 and return about 20-30 fully edited shots. Part of your growth as a photographer will happen as a result of your looking at your own work and choosing which of the often similar looking poses / shots, are the best ones.

gonzogolf wrote in post #14260506
Since you don't want to shoot most portraits with a lens wider than 50, there is no real reason to rent the 24-70. If you don't understand why, look up perspective distortion. I agree, just charge a nominal feel upon completion of the work conditional on the clients satisfaction. Shoot a lot, edit the best. Offer them 30 or so to choose from. Tell them up front that you will shoot a lot and only show them the best, that its part of your process and some shots will not come out so dont expect to see every frame.

Not to explain my reason and provide an excuse but, I only considered a price point due to the fact that they offered to pay me from the start. I guess I should've mentioned that. But, I understand how that's not necessary now.

I much appreciate all of this advice and will be keeping it all in mind!

As for lenses, I guess I'll scrap the idea of the 24-70. I'll take my 50, a 70-200 and my 18-55 kit (just in case).

If I do rent anything, it'll be an external flash.
They only problem with that is that since I have a T2i, all I'll be able to do is on-camera firing. Unless of course, I rent a cord too. (Which I'll probably do)

I wouldn't charge either, and wouldn't moving forward until you are very consistently saving most of your pictures, and agree that 50 is too many, it just becomes confusing for the client.

Since you are not to experienced, and this is for a friend, try to get a free senior portrait scheduled so you can make the mistakes on the other one and not on your friends portrait. try craigslist or something.

and during the shoot, have fun, keep them relaxed and laughing. no need for "cheese" then.

BlueCadet3 wrote in post #14251570
I'll be taking the senior photos of a friend ... but am a total noob at pricing and a beginner at portrait photography. Though I'm very excited, I'm a tad nervous.

You have to start somewhere though, right?

I'll be shooting with my T2i, a 50mm 1.8 and a rented 24-70 2.8 AND possibly a borrowed 70-200 2.8 IS. I'll bring a round 22" reflector if I need it seeing as I don't exactly have a flash yet (but will have one soon, not in time for the shoot I might add).
Would that be a good lens for the job? I assume it would be fairly highly recommended among users here for this type of shoot.

What I really need help with is pricing.
I don't see the need of this being a situation where I need to charge enough so that I make a large profit seeing as this is one of my first sessions. I figured ~100$ for around 50 (or so) edited pictures and anywhere from 1-3 hours of shooting (unlimited apparel changes) seems fair. But I'm not an experienced shooter.

This would cover the rental fees ($34 for the 24-70) the rest being a small chunk of change that I can save for college or something.

I could really use some help from some pros who do this everyday at least with a finger in the right direction. Any tips would be highly appreciated. I'd also love to see some work so I get get a feel for what to look for.

Don't rent the 24-70. You don't need it. If you need a wide shot, use the 50 1.8 backed up or take a panorama (google Bernizer Method)

I certainly don't think you need to give them any more than 10-25 photos. It's better to pick the best than to give her more photos. They will judge you on your best and worst photo.