Group session fee

I need some input. I just dove into the paid photographer realm. I am just starting and am using the advice from partimephoto.com (site was recommended by someone on POTN). Basically, I don't charge a session fee or have a minimum order..."just buy the ones you love". Folks can either buy prints from me starting at $10 for a 4x6 and up or $10 for a digital file ($10 each pose/pic).

Here's the rub...Good news is I have been asked to shoot a girl scout troop of 13 girls before some leave for college! Woo hoo! The person likes themy stuff on facebook. Bad news...I can see this turning out to be a $10 sale of one file that they all intend to share. Technically speaking the file is only sold to one person, but we all know that once it's out of my hands it's out of my control.

Suggestions? Perhaps no digital file option?

First, your cost for a digtial file (of printable size) ought to be no less than 3 or 4 times your minimum print cost. Its one thing to provide a small unprintable digital file, but full rez ought to yield more profit than a single print. That said, you either should charge a group session fee, or special rate for the digital file, as you dont want to do this for $10.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16135585
First, your cost for a digtial file (of printable size) ought to be no less than 3 or 4 times your minimum print cost. Its one thing to provide a small unprintable digital file, but full rez ought to yield more profit than a single print. That said, you either should charge a group session fee, or special rate for the digital file, as you dont want to do this for $10.

Exactly! Thanks for your input.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16135585
First, your cost for a digtial file (of printable size) ought to be no less than 3 or 4 times your minimum print cost. Its one thing to provide a small unprintable digital file, but full rez ought to yield more profit than a single print. That said, you either should charge a group session fee, or special rate for the digital file, as you dont want to do this for $10.

Any suggestions on what the prices should be? It's hard knowing what will be too much and what will be not enough. There are plenty of photogs in my area doing $50 shoots for 20 pics on CD. I don't want to go there and I want to produce better work than that to warrant charging more.

NewCreation wrote in post #16135910
Any suggestions on what the prices should be? It's hard knowing what will be too much and what will be not enough. There are plenty of photogs in my area doing $50 shoots for 20 pics on CD. I don't want to go there and I want to produce better work than that to warrant charging more.

You should be determining your prices based on your costs of doing business and cost of sales. It doesn't matter what other photographers are charging as you don't have their costs.

Fair enough but I still in the stage of building a portfolio of shot other than family/friends. All I am saying is that for me, I'd like to produce work that warrants more than that. Otherwise, for me, it's not worth my time. That is my biggest "cost" in my book...at this time anyway. Well, that and gas money. lol

memoriesoftomorrow wrote in post #16136032
You should be determining your prices based on your costs of doing business and cost of sales. It doesn't matter what other photographers are charging as you don't have their costs.

It amazes me each time I see someone comparing their prices to someone else. I set pricing based on what I want/need the pricing to be... and if the customer doesn't like it, they can/will book someone else. That's perfectly fine with me because I'm not working for peanuts.

drvnbysound wrote in post #16136051


It amazes me each time I see someone comparing their prices to someone else. I set pricing based on what I want/need the pricing to be... and if the customer doesn't like it, they can/will book someone else. That's perfectly fine with me because I'm not working for peanuts.

That's really what I was trying to get at. That the others around me are working for what I would consider peanuts and I don't want to do that. And that I want my work to worth more than peanuts.

NewCreation wrote in post #16136045
Fair enough but I still in the stage of building a portfolio of shot other than family/friends. All I am saying is that for me, I'd like to produce work that warrants more than that. Otherwise, for me, it's not worth my time. That is my biggest "cost" in my book...at this time anyway. Well, that and gas money. lol

You should be factoring all the required for being in business. Otherwise you are just playing at being in business and will never break out of the bottom feeder loop. If you don't set realistic prices based on proper costs now you'll find all you clients are at those low prices. When you then increase you prices an actually want to stop playing at running a business and do it properly you'll find you have no referral base as people view your work as cheap. In order to know whether you are working for peanuts you first need to know how much the peanuts cost and what you are REALLY making.

A basic rule of thumb is that if you feel the need to ask others what YOU should be charging you are not ready for running a business.

drvnbysound wrote in post #16136051


It amazes me each time I see someone comparing their prices to someone else. I set pricing based on what I want/need the pricing to be...

I've ceased to be amazed by it. Over here about 95% of new photography businesses don't make it past the first 3 years. That increases to 97% not making it past 5 years. It has got to the point that I am amazed when someone actually knows how they should set their prices these days as they are in the minority.

memoriesoftomorrow wrote in post #16136101
You should be factoring all the required for being in business. Otherwise you are just playing at being in business and will never break out of the bottom feeder loop. If you don't set realistic prices based on proper costs now you'll find all you clients are at those low prices. When you then increase you prices an actually want to stop playing at running a business and do it properly you'll find you have no referral base as people view your work as cheap. In order to know whether you are working for peanuts you first need to know how much the peanuts cost and what you are REALLY making.

A basic rule of thumb is that if you feel the need to ask others what YOU should be charging you are not ready for running a business.

Point taken. I appreciate your frankness. I don't want to play business. I have done that with other ventures over my lifetime. Now I truly have the time to devote to do this properly. Any specific advice as I begin this is most welcome.

Just do it and lower any expectations of making any money. Use it as a learning experience, have you ever heard of an internship? LOL
What ever you make or don't make can be changed on the next shoot. Your prices are never set in stone based on the last job.
Learn and have fun. You'll have a good story to tell for years to come

NewCreation wrote in post #16136074
That's really what I was trying to get at. That the others around me are working for what I would consider peanuts and I don't want to do that. And that I want my work to worth more than peanuts.

Assuming your work is worthy... this is when you offer things differently than everyone else around you and raise your prices accordingly. Set yourself apart from others, provide clients with an experience, product, and service that they aren't getting elsewhere. Don't try and beat others on price, because there will always be someone who is willing to work cheaper than you are.When you offer the same product as your competition your customer will only evaluate cost, and customers will be indifferent. When you go shopping, do you compare prices? If so... do you think your clients do the same thing with you? If they see you offer an 8x10 for $75, and someone else offers them for $25... why should they choose you? As mentioned above, you have to create a way for the client to see the value in your product/service.

1. You want to earn money from the work.
2. You are pretty sure that if you sell an image file that it will copied and shared.

I think the answer would be to not sell an image file. Charge a one off shoot fee that assumes that everyone being photographed will want/get a copy. Because you are getting enough money you can just go ahead and give them all a high res file for printing and a lower res image resized for use on FB etc.

You can of course offer to have professional prints done for them as well, at an extra cost. Most probably won't want them but the option is there for extra sales. Obviously you would need to focus on the benefits of that option (no hassle for the customer and professional quality materials).

I would treat a girl scout troop the same as I would treat a sports team - group and individual photos. I would sell a digital file of the individual, but not the group. As you said, if you sell it to one, they all have it.