How much should an amateur photographer charge?

I've been asked by many people lately to photograph their events, starting January.
I gained some experience by taking pictures of my friends at other events I was invited to, and I got 63 out of 450 pictures "right" (I also used bracketing), so I guess I still have a little bit more to learn.
I was asked by my friend's math teacher to take picture at her son's Bar-Mitzvah party. I thought charging about 500‏‏ ‏₪ which is about 125 $, because I also get a meal, and she didn't want heavy photography throughout the event, only group pictures of the family and guests with the Bar-Mitzvah kid. She also asked me to take pictures of her and her kids some-when else because she wanted to make a surprise for her husband's anniversary, which I thought charging 300₪ for (about 80$).
Now, I keep seeing people on the web saying amateur photographer should charge about 100$ (!!!) and hour, and it seemed crazy for me, because I'm about to charge only 125$ for about 4 and a half hours.
I know that the equipment is also a consideration when talking about price. I still need about 500$ to cover for my equipment (money I loaned from my parents). And I also think I should get a speedlight/wider lens, so it's another 500$ to the loan.
What do you think?

A lot of things to consider..

First remember that events are different from portraits. Most bar mitzvah photographers in Israel will start at around 1500 NIS for just basic shooting (around acceptable 400 shots), at least in the Sharon.

A portrait shoot starts at around 1000 NIS an hour and can run much more depending on the requirements and the photographer.

Just starting out, without the equipment yet you will need to compete with the pros and likely pretty young (as you say you are borrowing money for gear from your parents) I suggest you stay a good 25% at least below the prices charged by pros in your area until you get a portfolio or client list built up.

At the moment I would say you are definitely underpricing yourself, but since you have a personal connection to these people, and you are starting out, I don't think it is a tragedy. Beyond that I feel that when you are starting and still mainly shooting people you know, you need to decide on a base price to use as a starting point, and then negotiate with each client depending on their needs and connection to you. Also don;t forget the time you will spend in post production.

There is no hard and fast rule as far as pricing is concerned, you just need to feel your way along, especially when you are still just an enthusiast who is good enough to make a little cash with his camera. You don't want to charge a pro's rates until you can provide a pros results, but you also don't want to undercut the pros so badly that you make your clients think you are just some noob with a good camera, and piss off people who depend on their photography fees to feed their families.

Amateurs, don't charge. Professional means you get paid. Has nothing to do with the quality of your gear, how many years of experience you have etc.

I hate to be harsh, but most likely you are getting requests to shoot, not beacuse you are good, but because you are cheap and inexperienced in the BUSINESS end of photography.

If you are only getting 63 decent shots out of 450 then you most certainly should NOT be charging anyone. Owning a camera, does not make you a photographer. You need to get with a local pro and assist him or her for at least a year or so before you ever take someones money. It is not about bracketing, gear or style. You have not had your hands wrapped around a camera long enough to understand exactly how it works in every situation.

Choose one lens, and one subject matter and work you butt off to get good images of that subject. You need to learn all the properties of light, and how it behaves.

Here is a quick quiz,
define reflectance, diffused, point and direct light sources.
Learn about edge transfer, shadow detail, highlight detail and the inverse square law.
Shoot a still life using nothing but an open window and a reflector.
Learn about plane of focus, and depth of field.

All of these subjects apply daily in the life of a professional photographer. How?? What is the best way to shoot a group shot in low light and get everyone sharp??

Why does everyone who owns a dslr suddenly see $$$$ signs ?

LBaldwin wrote in post #15411557
Here is a quick quiz,
define reflectance, diffused, point and direct light sources.
Learn about edge transfer, shadow detail, highlight detail and the inverse square law.
Shoot a still life using nothing but an open window and a reflector.
Learn about plane of focus, and depth of field.

Guess I missed that quiz... When I started shooting I was never that fussed about anything technical. I either looked good or it didn't and that was all I was bothered about.

LBaldwin wrote in post #15411557
Amateurs, don't charge. Professional means you get paid. Has nothing to do with the quality of your gear, how many years of experience you have etc.

Errm... No.

Professionals should make a profit. Amateurs in the main do not need to. That's the big difference in business terms.

I've never been a pro photographer but in my formative years as a musician, I can assure you that I certainly did charge for a lot of my work and this income served to offset some of the costs of gear purchase, tuition, etc. You're not suggesting that, whatever their chosen trade, someone would or could go from being a non-charging amateur to a full fee charging professional overnight? And a little positive encouragement from a pro to an amateur wouldn't go amiss either.

Itai. I think there is no scale of charges for your work - you should charge what you are happy with, but only do the gigs on which you are confident of delivering and which will add to your experience in a positive way. At the same time, be very clear with the client about your previous experience and what they expect as an end product. If they expect a full pro shoot for little money, walk away.

In terms of gear, your lens is something of a limiting factor but as you suggest, a flash unit is a priority as are spare batteries and memory. If you prepare thoroughly, there's no reason not to justify a fair fee through great results.

Be professional in your approach and you'll eventually be up there with the best.

JohnB57 wrote in post #15411804
Professionals should make a profit.

Nope. Les had it right. Professionals are people who get paid to perform work. Running a business is a whole different topic.

To the OP: From your description, I don't think you're ready to charge people for your services. But if you want to improve your skills, then accept these invitations pro bono, assuming there is no budget for a real pro. Ask for reimbursement of expenses perhaps (mileage and the cost of any media you actually consume to deliver what they ask for).

I wish you well. Just remember that if someone wants to hire a professional and is prepared to pay for it, you aren't helping anyone by accepting the job on the cheap.

LBaldwin wrote in post #15411557
A
Here is a quick quiz,
define reflectance, diffused, point and direct light sources.
Learn about edge transfer, shadow detail, highlight detail and the inverse square law.
Shoot a still life using nothing but an open window and a reflector.
Learn about plane of focus, and depth of field.

Pffft!
I doubt if more than 5% of people here could come close to passing that test!

Mine would be to pick up a "Blad with a standard lens and a light meter and go shoot The church and formals of a wedding using no more than one pro pack of film.

99% of people here wouldn't get past taking a light reading let alone setting the camera or loading the film. How they would get on without auto focus, zoom lenses and all the other things a modern camera does for them would be a comedy to watch.

Singularity96 wrote in post #15411560
Why does everyone who owns a dslr suddenly see $$$$ signs ?

LOL.
Small minds - Big eyes.
Only those w small minds think they see DSLR $$$$.

Singularity96 wrote in post #15411560
Why does everyone who owns a dslr suddenly see $$$$ signs ?

The only time I see $$$$ signs is when I am deciding which one to buy.

So I'm guessing that you feel a little guilt for charging? ; )
Here's an idea: Shoot for free. BUT charge for prints. And mark them up. Now, if/when you sell them, you'll know what you're really worth?

For every hour of shooting, you probably have 2-4 hours of editing to do. So four hours=~12 hours.

Is it only worth $10/hour to be away from your family? $10/hr to work instead of have fun, spend time with your kids, relax, go to the beach, etc?

These questions always bring out the battle lines being drawn. If the person asking you to take the pictures has seen the kind of work you do, then you should feel no guilt in charging them if they want to hire you. You should be honest with them about your abilities and not portray yourself as a seasoned pro. Unless you have backup gear, you should also make them aware of that and that if something breaks you are not going to get the pictures.. OR, rent some backup gear for the day and include in your price. Also keep in mind that for hire, you are going to have to factor in more than just the time you will be at the event. That is to some degree the easy part, or at least the fun part. You will likely spend an equal amount of time after the fact processing and delivering the finished product. Its probably a good idea to write up a "contract" or statement of work to make sure there is no ambiguity with them on what you are going to do, or not do, for the money being paid.

For what its worth, I have done a lot of professional work and still will not take on jobs like weddings or similar events for friends. To me, its not worth taking a chance on a ruined friendship for the money I might make, and I don't do weddings presently, yet THEY thought I would do a good job. They've seen my sports work, school pictures etc... and were ready to give me a check to do a wedding. In my mind, I was the responsible one that knew I was not up for the job to the level of work that I would consider acceptable, so I told them no. They ended up hiring a professional wedding photographer that did a fabulous job. Just because someone you know thinks you are a great photographer doesn't mean you are, and certainly doesn't mean the work they've seen transfers to the work they want you to do.

So it comes down to what you are comfortable with, and just be honest about your abilities with them... even if they disagree with you and think you are the world's best photographer.

You could even consider having her pay you whatever she feels just for your services, that way you don't feel too bad in case you don't live up to the standards and she's not too upset considering what she paid.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong in charging someone for an event you photograph, you are using your equipment that costed you money and spending your time at this event. We just need to make sure our prices reflect our abilities.

Curtis N wrote in post #15412356
Nope. Les had it right. Professionals are people who get paid to perform work. Running a business is a whole different topic.

What I said is that professionals need to make a profit because they are in business to make personal income by doing so. That's what running a business means.