Family Portraits - Cost?

ive got another client...he's an old friend of mine, so of course i dont plan on charging him an insane amount

but none the less, whats a good starting point for some family photos? he wants some standard pictures on a white background and some in a nice park setting...he's also wanting some in b/w and others in vivid color

where should i base my costs on?

Just discount your standard rates to whatever you feel is fair per the level of friendship.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #15508382
Just discount your standard rates to whatever you feel is fair per the level of friendship.

understood..except this will be my 1st paid gig, as i have yet to do anything as a "professional"

all my current work has been done in my free time and total randomness

Professional photographers charge prices to cover their costs of business, rent, insurance, utilities, payroll, taxes, etc. Since this is all in your free time with stuff you already have your actual costs should be very little, e.g. mileage on your car, printing costs, etc. I would at most charge those since I find it pretty hard to charge friends unless your primary income is the service he wants.

Do you charge your friend for helping him paint his house? probably not.

ExplicitSnow wrote in post #15508391
understood..except this will be my 1st paid gig, as i have yet to do anything as a "professional"

all my current work has been done in my free time and total randomness

You are contradicting yourself. Which are you.

ExplicitSnow wrote in post #15508377
ive got another client...he's an old friend of mine, so of course i dont plan on charging him an insane amount

Irregardless, go free if you are an amateur without a working business model especially for friends and families. Or you can exchange for a thank you token like free meal or something.

ExplicitSnow wrote in post #15508377
ive got another client...he's an old friend of mine, so of course i dont plan on charging him an insane amount

ExplicitSnow wrote in post #15508391
understood..except this will be my 1st paid gig, as i have yet to do anything as a "professional"

all my current work has been done in my free time and total randomness

Well, let's see.......never charged before and an old friend. Why would you start charging an old friend as your first paid gig? I don't charge old friends. At most, leave it up to him or ask him to buy you a beer and a burger and enjoy your friendship.

and this is why i am asking...i want to have my ducks in a row...im an ASE master auto technician during the "9-5" hours...although they usually start @ 7a and dont end til 7pm or later

im using photography to possibly get away from my current profession...all help/suggestions is greatly appreciated

D Thompson wrote in post #15508821
Well, let's see.......never charged before and an old friend. Why would you start charging an old friend as your first paid gig? I don't charge old friends. At most, leave it up to him or ask him to buy you a beer and a burger and enjoy your friendship.

thats just it...he asked me how much it would be...i tried to not charge him, but he refused...so before i give him some $ amount, i figured id ask for advice here

Charge him $50 then take him to dinner or for beers with the $50. Done and done.

my father was a business man...he repaired cars for a decade before he got into a more lucrative career...but what he told me has always held true for anything i've ever done for my friends/family. charge your friends and family the most. no discounts, no nothing...my fathers theory was this...if he charges double for a transmission, vs the standard 33% margin, when/if that transmission fails, he will happily buy another one, because they've prepaid for service. you'll essentially be doing them a favor. same holds for photography...charge a mint...then give out gobs and gobs of prints, albums...etc...they'll be happier in the end.

ExplicitSnow wrote in post #15508843
im using photography to possibly get away from my current profession...all help/suggestions is greatly appreciated

now that is a pretty big step.

ExplicitSnow wrote in post #15508377
ive got another client...he's an old friend of mine, so of course i dont plan on charging him an insane amount

but none the less, whats a good starting point for some family photos? he wants some standard pictures on a white background and some in a nice park setting...he's also wanting some in b/w and others in vivid color

where should i base my costs on?

ExplicitSnow wrote in post #15508391
understood..except this will be my 1st paid gig, as i have yet to do anything as a "professional"

all my current work has been done in my free time and total randomness

So your first post makes it sound like you have an established business model with other clients..... then your second post claims that your friend will be your first client. You probably have not even gone through getting your business license, tax id number, and insurance yet (i'm assuming). I do not think you should be charging your friend anything unless you are having to use gas to get somewhere. Once you do finally move on and actually establish a business... I would still only ever charge friends and family your direct expenses for taking their pictures (i.e gas). I could not imagine telling any of my friends/family that they will have to pay my sitting fee or anything else.

ExplicitSnow wrote in post #1550843
im using photography to possibly get away from my current profession...all help/suggestions is greatly appreciated

This is a huge leap to go from whatever it is you are currently doing and hoping that photography will make up for all of it. Most people do photography as a side job.

I was in the same boat. I took whatever they gave me. I told them No from the very beginning. They insisted on paying. I never talked about price. At the end of the session she handed me $200. We parted ways, both happy, and without regret. It's like anything else... they will pay what ever they think the value is. Take what they want to give you and don't feel bad about it! Your time is worth something... even if you're not a pro.

ExplicitSnow wrote in post #15508843
and this is why i am asking...i want to have my ducks in a row...im an ASE master auto technician during the "9-5" hours...although they usually start @ 7a and dont end til 7pm or later

Photography's a REALLY hard way to make a living. Don't pin your hopes on it, tens of thousands of people try it every year, a few succeed. Suggest you retrain to an in demand, well paid job and keep photography as a hobby.

To answer your question: you don't charge old friends. Professional rates for family portraits range from $150 for a CD of processed images to $150 for the sitting and $250+ for prints.

When I've been in this situation, I donated my time but charged for whatever prints they wanted.