Church Directory

Ive been ask to shoot my churches directory. I dont think I will have any problem with the photography. I do have problem with the price. Do you just take the picture and work off what you sell. Then give the church the pictures for the directory. Or do you charge the familys fort photographs and then also charge the church for the CD. If anyone could help me it would be great.

The way the company my husband worked for when he did church directories was this.
The church gets the CD for free, one shot of each family on the CD.
You make your money off of selling each picture to the individual families and whatever else each family wants (ex. picture of just the kids, picture of just mom and dad, another pose of the family besides the one for the directory, etc)
You can also make money if people who don't attend come to take their picture on that day (if the church allows it) and you sell to them as well. (Like if the Smith's tell their neighbor next door and they come or if Suzy's boyfriend who is in college in another town comes and they want their picture together or family from out of town come in and want a family portrait with whoever goes to the church etc)
You sell a-la cart sheets/pictures or you can put together packages. You show them the picture that day on your laptop or whatever and you can charge them half then and half when they come in or however fits you.

THank you very much. THat is kind of what I had in mind. I just was not sure I shoot mainly rodeos.

What kind of pricing would you suggest. For my normal is $20 for an 8x10 $13 for 5x7

That I don't know because I don't know what is normal for where you live. Here where I live that is really expensive and I wouldn't buy it, but thats just me. especially $13 for one 5x7 here is a LOT!!
Do you think the majority of people at the church could afford that?
If you price it so high that only one or two families buy from it, you aren't going to make anything so you want to adjust your prices so that more people will buy.
I don't know how the church is but you have to consider, many people may not have their picture taken very much and don't know how prices run so that may seen expensive for them.
Here I would hear the excuse "Why pay that much when I can go to WalMart and get a whole package for less than that"
Which is true and since it is going to be a basic formal family shot in a small area (since it has to be a certain size for the directory and not this real creative photographic masterpiece, it really isn't going to be a lot different wherever you go to take it and I use to work for CPI (who owns the Sears and Walmart studios) and no problem to take pictures that look as good or better than the family pictures that are taken for church directories (I also worked for a very well known church directory company, the one my husband did, but in their school and senior portrait division)
Remember these pictures aren't going to be your normal photographs you are use to taking. You shoot rodeos, something that is unique, they can't get that actual scene again of the picture you took so it would be worth more.
You have to give them a good deal since this is a basic church directory regular formal family shot they can go anywhere and get. Familes also buy packages more than they buy an individual so I would offer both. Maybe 1 16x20, 1 8x10, 1 5x7 and then put together packages. I don't know if you are familar with traveling photographers who come to different towns and set up a table outside of a grocery store and give away free 8x10s if you make an appointment, then you take your pictures and a few weeks later they come back and have all these packages put together and you just have to buy them then.

The company I mentioned my husband worked for in the directory business that I worked for in the other department, this is what they offer
• A FREE directory for every family photographed plus additional directories to use in welcoming new members
• Either a FREE 8x10 color portrait or portrait coupon for each family photographed
They also offer Free Online Directory as well.
Now this is different since you aren't actually making the directories, but giving the church the pictures for them to print their own??
This is why many churches actually go with professional companies who do church directories. They aren't out any money then since they don't have to pay for the printing. The company is paid from the sales to the individual families, as you are doing. If the church decides to produce its own directory, however, it must budget all of the expenses or find ways to pay for the project, either by charging for each directory or by selling advertising (another time-consuming job)

HammerCope wrote in post #5289681
Ive been ask to shoot my churches directory. I dont think I will have any problem with the photography. I do have problem with the price. Do you just take the picture and work off what you sell. Then give the church the pictures for the directory. Or do you charge the familys fort photographs and then also charge the church for the CD. If anyone could help me it would be great.

How big is the church? Who will do the scheduling? How many can you do in one sitting? Where will you take the pictures?

Titus213 wrote in post #5293740
How big is the church? Who will do the scheduling? How many can you do in one sitting? Where will you take the pictures?

I still have to talk with them more to ask questions. All I have right now is a phone message that they would like me to do it.
I do know that the pictures will be taken at the church on a Sunday after services and 2-3 week nights. I will be able to sell the picture I take and they will be making the directory from a CD I provide them with.

It's a good opportunity but it's tough to compete with Olan Mills and the like. They did our last church directory (several years ago) and as mentioned above they do the directory printing for the opportunity to take the pictures and then offer the pictures to the members. Getting folks to show up when scheduled turned out to be the biggest problem for the photographers.

Olan Mills used to do the directory for our church. They dont want to use them anymore. Because they had reports of elderly people getting pressured to spend $500-600 on pics.

Use Lifetouch, they don't pressure like Olan Mills.

I worked for lifetouch. Oh yes they do.

I have been asked to work with LifeTouch on our church directory and they give everyone directories and a free 8x10 they assured the pastor they wouldn't pressure at all to sell but will be offering some pretty expensive packages (I guess they have to for what they give away) We will see if they pressure or not next week. I am also surprised that many people wont even LET you take their photo for free. We called over 30 people yesterday that didn't sign up and only 2 did over the phone with many flat out NO's. Good luck with the venture.

Wow 18months! I've never heard of them taking that long.
I worked for Lifetouch as well, not in the church directory business but thats what my husband worked for in the sales part. I guess it depends on your salesman because they are paid commision so if you have a greedy pushy salesman then they will be.
All I can say is good luck with the whole thing and I am sure it will turn out well.

Sounds like it could be fun, and it could be a nightmare. Unless the church is paying a fee I don't think I'd go with the free 8 x 10's. But I do think the prices should be very reasonable as most everyone having anything to do with the church is on a tight budget and this just has to be considered.

My mom and dad just had their church directory, got their free 8x10, and wouldn't spend a dime with Olan Mills cause they were very high priced. The shot was, of course, nicely done. They could easily have run up a package costing hundreds. But not MY dad! lol

Good luck with the crunchy little details, enjoy the people and the opportunity, and God Bless!

At my church you only got the directory IF you had your picture taken.
That's the incentive to get people in. (no free pics though) Then you can buy the pictures if you like. When my kids were younger that was our best chance to get a nice family photo. Now that they're older and out of the house we don't bother anymore. Usually volunteers did the phone calls and set the appointments.