Sitting Fees

I apologize in advance if this has been asked numerous times but I did a search and didn't find the type of answer I am looking for.

I currently run an on-location portrait photography business. I live in an area comprised of 7 cities where customers are quick to do their business 20-40 min away from home without a blink. That being said, my on location fees are $30 within a 20 min drive and $50 over that (I have it marked by local landmarks but that would mean nothing to you guys)

I feel like I have gotten to the point where I am worth more than $30 but I still want to stay reasonable so that I keep getting clients. On the other hand, I have had a few sessions (rare but it happens) where people pay me the $30 I put hours into their album and they buy nothing. So I have done all that work for $30. Which is a total ripoff to me.

So I'm thinking $50 for a 20 min radius and $75 for the longer distance.

My website it www.amykillian.com if you'd like to see my current skill level/offering.

Thoughts?

I should also note that this is currently my side job but I'd like it to progress into my full time work in the not to far off future.

Thats about what I am at. I have $50 for our studio sitting fee and $75 for location fees in the local area. Keep in mind I am in a spread out area so the Lompoc/Santa Maria Valley areas are 20-30 min away from my house. And with $4.05 a gallon on base (cheaper) and $4.27 off the base I should be charging $200 (kidding) I also price depending on location if it is outside those areas. Its not uncommon to drive an hour here. Central coast of California is a lot more spread out than LA where I am from. So I think your 50/75 is a good idea, but thats IMHO.

You have to balance how much higher fees will put people off vs profit. I wouldn't do a portrait that cheap. I charge $250 but include $150 credit in the package.

As a consumer, I think the "sitting fee" with rebate is probably the best option. That way, people feel like they get their money back when they purchase photos so it is a win- win.

I am not sure about the rest of the Country but in my area there has been a huge increase in multiple session child photography. Parents want to get photos of thier kids at Christmas, Birthdays and other special events. I think the problem with higher sitting fees is that many parents will start to shy away if they have to pay a large sitting fee several times a year, especially if they have multiple children. Maybe a solution to this would be to have a lower rate for children/ multiple sittings and a higher rate for other portraits.

Like I said, I am a consumer, not a professional. These are just some of my opinions from the consumer side.

Amazing work BTW. And nice to see another Virginian around, I grew up in Frederickburg

I don't really think it is too big of a deal... It depends what you shoot i suppose....

I'm 18 and live in a smaller town and i charge 250 for my sitting fee, haven't had anyone turn me down yet...

I think that no matter what your price is you'll always have a client base who is looking for your work.

Thanks for all of the input guys. You really have me thinking here...

Two thoughts:
Charge a $50/$75 sitting fee but also offer an unlimited year's worth of sitting fees for $150 (this only applies to one individual, ie child) If anyone other than the child alone is involved the normal sitting fee would apply even if they've already paid the $150.

Charge a $100 sitting fee and include a $50 print credit (I'd have to figure out how to do this with my website software)

Thoughts on either option?

You might want to rethink either doing the unlimited or raise up the price a little. You run the risk of having someone come every month and use the unlimited sitting fee and not order anything afterwards. You know there are those people out there that will think, hell I paid for it, might as well use it. But then think about getting prints and say, ah... maybe next time. If you are going to do that I would think 250 at a minimum.

Never offer unlimited, people WILL take advantage of it. I offered unlimited wedding coverage once and was there for 14 hours. Now I offer 8 hours, with additional time per hour. Charge a fee for each sitting.

Thanks for the info. I've been contemplating a session fee as well. I felt guilty charging someone for the session. Many other photogs in my area charge anywhere from $150-250 per session. I wouldn't want to charge $30 and they think, "You get what you pay for," and go with another photog. Amy, I love your work and the area you are in. We hit Williamsburg at least once a year w/ the kids. They really enjoy it, too.

Like asysin2leads I'm finally looking to do something similar to you as I've finally found after 10+ years of having a SLR that portraits etc are what I enjoy most that is viable for a part time money earner that I can really knuckle down and specialise in.

From what I've seen of the photos on your site your time is easilly worth much more than you are currently charging. I know it's a different place in the world but back in the UK I'd be looking at charging £100 ($200) but here in CZ i'd probably go for 2000CZK ($125), these figures would be a minimum. See what other photographers are charging in your area and set your prices accordingly. The print credit idea sounds really good and something I'd not thought about, POTN is a goldmine of great minds.

Like has been mentioned don't sell yourself short or some potential clients may think cheap prices = cheap results. This is going to sound very cheesy but there is no such thing as overcharging, if you're a good enough salesperson you can make anyone think that the price they pay is a steal for what they're getting (within reason of course)

Good luck moving forward

Thanks guys. You brought up great points about the unlimited sitting fee. I think I'll ditch that idea for now.

I'm going to do some more research on sitting fees in my area, but as of now, I think I'll plan for the $100 with a $50 print credit.

Thanks again everyone. You have helped me so much! And thanks also for the kind words about the quality of my work. I have a hard time believing that I do a "professional" grade of photography but that's what everyone keeps telling me so I guess I just need to suck it up! (and it's nice to hear it here and not from just family and friends who are of course bias)

Instead of the unlimited sessions, why don't you limit it? For example, do a milestone club and charge $x.xx which would include sessions at 3, 6, 9, 12 months. Make it just discounted enough to be cheaper than doing them all ala carte but still worth your while. You could even do a holiday version as well. They'd save a little on a session fee and you'd be guaranteed the repeat business because they would have prepaid. It's the same principle as buying in bulk.

And, $30 for an hour on location is WAY too cheap. Charge them the session fee and a travel fee outside of a certain radius.

sevillafox wrote in post #5490788
Instead of the unlimited sessions, why don't you limit it? For example, do a milestone club and charge $x.xx which would include sessions at 3, 6, 9, 12 months. Make it just discounted enough to be cheaper than doing them all ala carte but still worth your while. You could even do a holiday version as well. They'd save a little on a session fee and you'd be guaranteed the repeat business because they would have prepaid. It's the same principle as buying in bulk.

And, $30 for an hour on location is WAY too cheap. Charge them the session fee and a travel fee outside of a certain radius.

I like that idea. I'll have to incorporate that. Thanks, foxy!

My primary photography rate is this: I charge $75/hour for my time and include 4 enhanced photos per hour, plus all of the originals on CD. I'm always thinking about remodeling that plan, but it's the one that I sell. To pack up and go mobile, I add $0.50 per mile one-way to my hourly rate - portrait shoots only.

I have offered a $25 sitting fee option with the requirement that someone purchase a minimum print package of $29. I have yet to have a single person follow through with even booking a session for this, so it's not on my website anymore.

Most of the shoots I do don't involve any prints, a stark contrast to my beginnings a few years ago, when my money was made exclusively on the prints.

I've made more on hourly rates, especially with general event coverage. Portrait shoots haven't made me as much as events, but then I'm not charging very high dollar for portrait sessions and so event sessions, which take longer, are worth more to me because they're often 2-3 hours, as opposed to the 1 hour portrait sessions I get.

I also used to offer a number of prints with my rate, but it seemed like more people wanted the bare bones "CD only," so I also took that out.

I'm always looking for a better type of offering that will still make me money, and this thread has been quite helpful. Rebates and all that seem like an interesting angle.

I agree about not offering unlimited sessions; an offer of "one/two sessions of so many hours per month for one year" might be an idea.