Family photos? Charge?

if it was something you were going to anyway i would say just do it but dont treat it like a wedding take your time and try to have have a half way decent time but since you have to go out there just for that i would just decline if you dont want to and agree that asking for $100 will just make you that jerk that wants money but if you decline then your just busy and its not generally as big of a deal

your not going to like my advice but it's family, shoot it for free. I do not charge family and friends.

I disagree, You have Family and then you have eh, family... (the eh, being the ones you are related to but not close to)

If they are willing to pay to rent a hall and dj, etc then they can at least pay you for your time/trip and $100 is completely reasonable... Considering it will cost you the $20 plus 2 hours of your time on top of the time spent there.

Let's say you do go ahead and shoot this for "free", the next expectation will be that you give them prints and/or the disc.

If it were for your sibling/maybe even grandparents I'd say shoot for free, a cousin... CHARGE them!

Sledhed wrote in post #9322751
your not going to like my advice but it's family, shoot it for free. I do not charge family and friends.

RachelC1184 wrote in post #9323250
I disagree, You have Family and then you have eh, family... (the eh, being the ones you are related to but not close to)

If they are willing to pay to rent a hall and dj, etc then they can at least pay you for your time/trip and $100 is completely reasonable... Considering it will cost you the $20 plus 2 hours of your time on top of the time spent there.

Let's say you do go ahead and shoot this for "free", the next expectation will be that you give them prints and/or the disc.

If it were for your sibling/maybe even grandparents I'd say shoot for free, a cousin... CHARGE them!

I like your style ... and couldn't have said it better myself.

Dokk wrote in post #9323279
I like your style ... and couldn't have said it better myself.

Haha, thanks!

I consider my cousins family, maybe we are just closer than most. Even if they offered to pay me, I wouldn't take it.

Its your family and its your choice, personally I would do it for free as that is the way my family works, the last thing i would do is bleat on the internet and seek advice on what is pretty much a personal choice on your part.

If you weren't going to the event, I would just turn them down politely and tell them you already have a job on that day. It's not arguing over $100 and does seem like a lot of work/effort for free. Plus, you'll then become the "free family photographer" at all future events and you won't be able to charge then if you shoot this for free.

My brother is in a trade, and this is the reason why he does not take jobs for family or friends (only his immediate like my parents). He always says it's not worth it to charge low and lose or not make money, but people get offended if you charge a fair rate. So he avoids it altogether.

Your Mom has comitted you and you are stuck. BUT explain to your Mom,you will do it for "Her" this time, but please do not do it again or She will be very embarressed. It might turn out OK. But you have to set the Boundries as tough as it is to do.

Butch Cassidy wrote in post #9324661
Your Mom has comitted you and you are stuck. BUT explain to your Mom,you will do it for "Her" this time, but please do not do it again or She will be very embarressed. It might turn out OK. But you have to set the Boundries as tough as it is to do.

Thats the plan. I mean, my cousin already wrote on my facebook about it, so I'm committed!

Its funny. I've been shooting weddings since Jan 09, and my partner has been shooting for a good four years longer than I, and knowing this, she wouldnt refer me to a family friend who is getting married. It's definitely a case of her not seeing me as a professional.

gregpphoto wrote in post #9324894
Thats the plan. I mean, my cousin already wrote on my facebook about it, so I'm committed!

Its funny. I've been shooting weddings since Jan 09, and my partner has been shooting for a good four years longer than I, and knowing this, she wouldnt refer me to a family friend who is getting married. It's definitely a case of her not seeing me as a professional.

That's sad, your mother should be your biggest fan and should be the one telling everyone she knows about you! My mom markets me and I don't even live in the same country!!! But always have business when I come to town...Haha!

I wouldn't do it. When everything is said and done free stuff is treated like free stuff.

I think you may already stuck with this event because you didn't answer with a clear no from the start. I think I would do it for free this time, but charge for prints. However, from this event forwards make it your clear policy that everyone pays because this is your work. This way you won't hesitate to say no in future.

As someone already said - stop bleating about it on the internet. You are stuck with doing it now so show some style - do it for free and do it well. This could be the start of something good for you. Make it clear the next time someone suggests you do their sweet sixteen that you charge $500 for family and $1000 for others (or more, whatever).

I don't think its right for your family to require you to do the work you do for a living for free unless they do the same thing. If your uncle was a mechanic, would he work on your car for free? If your aunt was an interior designer, would she do your house for free? If the answer is no, then you aren't in that sort of close relationship with them.

Personally I have family members who I wouldn't hesitate to help any way I can, anything and for no money, but I also know that in general unless they couldn't afford otherwise they wouldn't put me in that spot.

Personally I would go, DONT shoot 1000 images, shoot 300, minimal batch post processing, and give them a DVD with the images on it. Say clearly that this is a one time thing, and that you aren't willing to do it for anyone all of the time, since you aren't. Make sure they understand what the going rate for professional photography is - YOUR going rate. You charge X amount for a 5 hour party, and people hire you for that money, but this one time you're being nice enough to give it for free because they didn't understand and you didn't want to disappoint them.