Awkward Situation...

I received a text message this morning asking how much it would cost to have pictures taken at her 21st "without photoshop and such?" = /

I usually charge $250 for a 21st which gives the client around 500 pictures on cd, 50 printed, all photoshopped etc.. and this was what was originally proposed/discussed.

The other thing is, I'm invited to go either way..

So now I'm in a moral dilemma. I'm not really comfortable handing over a set of pictures that will have sentimental value un-worked. But it's not really fair to me if I put the work in for nothing?

So, my question is, would it be unreasonable to ask $150? I'll print 50 out like usual and hand the rest over on cd. And I'll more than likely photoshop the family shots anyway.
I also don't wanna lose the job all together.

Thoughts?
Thanks

why would you photoshop the pics?
if you dont have LightRoom or something get it.. at least picassa...
Id rather pull out every tooth with a pair of pliers than open 500 images in PS or even 50...

you have to process the images anyway...


ok so why are you considering charging less? tell them they have to be precessed either way and you DO NOT give unedited images...

It's not intense editing or anything. Usually the places are quite dark so I'll fix up the WB in some or crop some..

I feel like I should lower it to $150 cause by the sounds of the text they didn't quite seem comfortable with $250? (they're not short of money either which i know for a fact, so i'm really surprised and annoyed at the cheapness .....)

First things first- you need to charge more. Way more.

Second things - If you want to do it without photoshop, charge the same but give less images. Explain to her why you're worth what you charge, or if you're going to charge only $150, you need to let her know that she won't be getting 500 images or whatever. Send her ten that are retouched and edited instead.

YEs - and as gravy said, never give out unedited images, unless it's a commercial client who does their editing in house or you are working for someone who outsources the editing. Or unless they're giving you a TON of money.

gravy graffix wrote in post #10734308
why would you photoshop the pics?
if you dont have LightRoom or something get it.. at least picassa...
Id rather pull out every tooth with a pair of pliers than open 500 images in PS or even 50...

you have to process the images anyway...


ok so why are you considering charging less? tell them they have to be precessed either way and you DO NOT give unedited images...

What's the problem? You can always batch process photos.

That said, I wouldn't lower my price.

What is your typical process? Stick to that. If they like your work, then they need to understand what goes into it. I have clients that go out and buy the same camera, lens, and flash I have thinking it will produce the same shots and in the long run they will save money. Only, the realize later that there is more than goes into it than just point, push, print. Now, they bought a camera they don't even know how to use and they are still paying me to do their properties.

It is very hard for the typical person to understand that the finished product is very rarely the same as the original image on the camera. Sure, every once in a blue moon the image right off the camera is absolutely perfect as-is...but that's not the norm. If it was, we wouldn't need such large CF cards, now would we?

tumblingdice wrote in post #10734453
It's not intense editing or anything. Usually the places are quite dark so I'll fix up the WB in some or crop some..

I feel like I should lower it to $150 cause by the sounds of the text they didn't quite seem comfortable with $250? (they're not short of money either which i know for a fact, so i'm really surprised and annoyed at the cheapness .....)

Katie, all the more reason you should stick to your standards and pricing. Granted, I don't text much but how do you get out of the "sounds of the text" that they're not comfortable with your price structure? Sounds like they're just being cheap at the expense of your hardwork and talent.

Typically how many hours is a 21st shoot? I have not done any myself - just weddings and other social events - but 500 sounds like a significant number for such an event. Also, if you are invited anyway I see a little bit of a dilemma. People extend the same courtesy to me for weddings but I tell them I'll do one or the other - be a guest or photographer but not both.

And I will second what Mike and Gravy said: do NOT give out unedited images. That is NOT representative of your best work and will not put your efforts in their best light. Doing know post processing just places you in the same category of most P&S shooters..... not saying they are necessarily bad, but you are the pro and this is how you market yourself.

Thankyou so much for the great advice guys. I quoted her $200 and stuck by my standards, I'm not happy putting my name to something not 100%. Haven't heard back from her yet but if not, I suppose I'll put her bar tab to far better use than i would have if i was working

Fingers crossed!

Cheers guys

Excuse the ignorance, but how did you "stick to your standards" when you charged her 50$ less for (an underpriced package imho) no reason?

I have to agree with the others, never give out originals and you're already underpriced by at least half. I think you'll find that an on-site job like this with 500 photos on a CD can bring $1'000 or more if you have a reputation for being good at what you you.

Offering you less or wanting less is simply a way of saying, "I'll let you do it if you're cheap". And I'm not really risking anything at $100 because all my friends will give me their camera shots. You won't satisfy someone that clearly doesn't value your work enough to pay your price.

Charles

When I hear that someone "does not want Photoshop and such" that implies to me that they do not want something overly processed. Perhaps they do not want skin smoothing or such. I would get clarification on what their post-processing expectations are because, as a RAW shooter, I post-process everything though usually only for WB, contrast, saturation and perhaps a little cropping if needed.

I would never release full size RAW images, if that is what they are expecting. (Well, okay, I would but they'd pay through the nose for them)

Naturalist wrote in post #10743158
When I hear that someone "does not want Photoshop and such" that implies to me that they do not want something overly processed. Perhaps they do not want skin smoothing or such. I would get clarification on what their post-processing expectations are

to me, it implies a cheap client who wants to nickel and dime your price down.

Agree with that, too.

Naturalist wrote in post #10743158
When I hear that someone "does not want Photoshop and such" that implies to me that they do not want something overly processed. Perhaps they do not want skin smoothing or such. I would get clarification on what their post-processing expectations are because, as a RAW shooter, I post-process everything though usually only for WB, contrast, saturation and perhaps a little cropping if needed.

It seems to me that saying "no need for PP" means "please slash your price"!

You should not alter your workflow in any way. You can always offer a rebate (which you did) if it's for a friend. It depends a bit on how serious this business is for you and how much you rely on its revenues, but also on your experience.

At the beginning, I used to shoot friends' events for free, then a friend of a friend called me to offer me a paid job because she had seen my work after one of those free events. Since then, I have been proposed many paid jobs, including my first wedding this week-end!

In short: offer discounts if you think it can bring you more paid jobs in the future.