What to charge for prints.

Tim, I love your title. How do I petition for my own? I guess I need to get my post count up there, huh?

K.

Karen, take a look at this thread. Moderators sometimes give out titles they feel like, and I think people rarely get what they ask for. Not sure what you'd get if you asked for one, depends on how the moderator feels at the time I think I think they made an exception and gave me the title I asked for because it's true, and i've been around a while

I am not offended. I am a tuff cookie.

My pricing works for me, I can potentially make about 200 per hour doing it my way, and that is more than enough for me.

The market will not always tolerate a thousand-dollar-per-hour photographer... Some legends have day rates of more than $50,000... but i am sure i couldnt sell event portraits to people who make about $2,000 per month at a much higher rate.

The point is, i feel out my market, charge what it will yield me a good rate of business, and bling bling all the way to the bank. Its not like i am a hack doing weddings for half price or anything like that.

if people wont pay more than one dollar, you have 2 choices...
-charge a dollar
or
-stay home and work on your post count on POTN :-} .

I look forward to karen's inputs - you seen to be new and posting often, you'll be Tim caliber very soon, i'm confident.

Mike, with all due respect, there's no way you can make $200 per hour doing it your way. I charge nearly 4x what you charge for prints alone and I can't make $200 an hour at those rates.

Do you know what your daily break even rate is?

Karen

karensimmons wrote in post #2389118
Mike, with all due respect, there's no way you can make $200 per hour doing it your way. I charge nearly 4x what you charge for prints alone and I can't make $200 an hour at those rates.

Do you know what your daily break even rate is?

Karen

I am an Active Duty US Air Force Member. I cannot be a professional photographer at this time (Our country will not allow it). Therefore, i do not have a typical "break even rate" as does someone with overhead. I break even before I even roll out of bed. All the money I make just goes into the stock market.

At this point my only expense is time (I do this instead of rotting infront of a television) and film (oh wait i quit buying film about 6 years ago).

My break even rate is $0.00 and event sales are very lucrative when you do it right... not as much as weddings, but worth the time even so.

When i said $200/hr i meant time shooting, and we all know there is prep and processing time to figure in... so lets call it $15.00 per hour, whatever, it is still more fun than a job in the mall. It is not hard to make $800.00 off one event. (Saturday night from 6-9pm) - That is more than a weeks pay for an E-5 that has been risking their life in the military.

no point in hijacking this persons thread though. i am not being pretentious, it is just my view on his pricing scale.

That's false thinking. I understand that on active duty you can't moonlight - my husband was in the service as well for years. I do get that. But you need to break the mindset that your break even rate is any different from any "real" business. Whether you're being subsidized by some other job or not, you incur business costs and you should know what those are. When you say you have $0 overhead, you're simply lying to yourself.

Karen

One overhead is your equipment: camera, lenses, memory, flashes. Bodies are typically replaced every 3 or so years. That's an overhead. So is any postage, insurance, fuel to get somewhere, vehicle costs, etc, etc.

Just as a general idea, here's just some of what I count in my overhead costs:

Annual business license
Rent or mortgage
Utilities (gas/elec)
Phone
Cell phone
Office supplies
Bank fees/credit card fees
Insurance (liability and equipment coverage)
Lawyer
Accountant (Tax)
Memberships (WPPI, etc.)
Subscriptions (various magazines)
WPPI Convention (budget to travel and attend)
Other training/education budget
Advertising (magazine ad, online listing, etc.)
Promotional Materials (postcards, business cards, brochures)
Samples (Albums, Large Prints)
Web Site (domain fee, hosting fee)
Internet access (cable bill)
Computer upgrades/additions
Equipment Repair & Maintenance
Camera upgrades/equipment additions

My salary/pay
Assistants for weddings

TAXES (in the US taxes on self employed income are going to account for 40% or more of your income).

Karen