YOUR average client, package and more. Please contribute!

My average package is
- Engagement
- a whole wedding day
- Some prints
$1500

I consider an engagement session as an investment for me (getting to know them), so I don't mind to do it at all. Moreover, if the couple were happy with the e-session, it would be smoother to shoot their wedding.

I agree withe poster above, sometimes it is very hard to up your price when you started low . I want to up my price to > $ 2000 and it takes a lot of arm twisting with my current prospect clients *sigh*

When couples refer you to someone, they usually include the price that you gave them, so yah that prospect will expect that you would still be that price for next year. A drawback of setting your price low.

I like to include prints in my package. They are not that expensive, but make your package feels worth it in the eyes of clients.

Mario. wrote in post #4223456
Weddings are primarily word of mouth. One of the biggest word of mouth features is prices. You will have future customers asking why your prices went up. It's not impossible to work with, but it does get annoying. I've seen photos posted from you before, no reason to sell yourself short.

That's what everyone says, but I didn't find it to be true...

If you're talented enough (and Bryan is), the WOM is about how good the photos are rather than the price.

Mario. wrote in post #4223456
Weddings are primarily word of mouth. One of the biggest word of mouth features is prices. You will have future customers asking why your prices went up. It's not impossible to work with, but it does get annoying. I've seen photos posted from you before, no reason to sell yourself short.

I agree with you, to a certain extent.

But I do feel that I need to get a name for myself. My fiscial year I want to develop a great client base of FRIENDS that I have worked with. Friends, no clients. Because when I develop a relationship with the couples I work with, it goes beyond the business and the money part of the transaction. In the following years, I plan on working with couples that hire me based on who I am and what I can produce, not how much I charge. Word of mouth is the ONLY way this can happen. I need to generate this still.

All I can say that that we need to have a section on how to negotiate.

I still am not sure I get this whole "photojournalistic" style in wedding photography. Are you supposed to take the pictures as if you're telling some romantic story? If so I'd suck at that... I'm not a storyteller, I just like taking photos and capturing the moment as I see it. I'd hate to know someone hired me to take pictures in a specific style like Photojournalistic, because I don't think I could pull that off correctly.

Our basic package starts out at $750 or three hours at $275 an hour whichever comes first. That being said, I've usually got an idea as to how long I'm going to really be needed. We offer low resolution proof CDs and an online option as well, but not high resolution CDs and it still puzzles me that there are photographers that do (see my response in one of MrsOpie's older threads for why). I imagine that there are valid reasons in some instances, but I don't really trust anyone but my small list of labs to work with my images. I also work very closely with each client to insure that what they receive is not only what they asked for, but is worth what I'm charging.

seville spain is abit odd....

P1 -
450 euros
4 hours
small album

950
full wedding and big album

1450
full wedding, album and engagement shoot

3000
full wedding, albums and engagement shoot


friend of mine (who is also a photographer) does the weddings for free and then makes money when they order the album

we dont give digital cd's out here.

one thing i dont like about working out here is that sevilla is home to many budget brides