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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Pricing Prints
Dirk Weaver, Photographer, Assistant
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Charlotte | NC | USA | Posted: 2:30 PM on 01.10.11 |
| ->> I need some help on pricing prints. I know that prices can be all over the place, but I just need a nudge in the right direction in pricing prints from 4x6 to 20x30. Can anyone offer some suggestions? Would one go as far as to conduct a competitive analysis or can you use general figures. Additionally, where can I find resources on the specifics for pricing images of celebrities and notables if it is even an option. I'll be using Photoshelter for both Rights Managed as well as prints. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. |
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Bradly J. Boner, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Steel Brooks, Student/Intern
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Missoula | MT | United States | Posted: 3:16 PM on 01.10.11 |
| ->> The link that Bradly posted looks pretty comprehensive, my photo professor tells us that we should charge double the amount that it cost us to make (and ship) the print. FWIW. |
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Dirk Weaver, Photographer, Assistant
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Charlotte | NC | USA | Posted: 3:21 PM on 01.10.11 |
| ->> Thanks guys! This is good stuff. I didn't event think to look on the Photoshelter site. I think I'm off in the right direction. |
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Israel Shirk, Photographer, Assistant
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Boise | ID | US | Posted: 12:45 AM on 01.11.11 |
| ->> If you're talking portraits, talk to a portrait photographer in your area. Usually they're glad to help out since it keeps them from getting undercut. |
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Bob Ford, Photographer
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Lehighton | Pa | USA | Posted: 9:22 AM on 01.11.11 |
| ->> Steel, the number I've heard from numerous photographers was 10X the cost, not double. |
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Butch Miller, Photographer
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Lock Haven | PA | USA | Posted: 10:31 AM on 01.11.11 |
->> Bob - Have to agree ... even 3x-5x would seem more likely than double ... the biggest disservice any business can do to harm itself is to not show a reasonable profit from the investment they place in commerce.
... double would be barely a break even point for many business models ... unless you don't want to consider the investment of travel expenses, insurance, cameras, lenses, flash, bags, cables, computers, software, internet service, website hosting, phone service and other utilities .... on and on .... you have to generate enough income to be left over after all that to actually show a profit large enough to live on ... even if print sales are an add on after shooting assignments for other clients, there is no need to shortchange yourself by selling prints for less than they are worth at fair market value.
There are two ways to calculate your price ... as high as your target market can stand without jeopardizing sales ... or ... what you feel your work is worth ... hopefully those figures match up and you are not taking advantage of yourself, your fellow shooters in the field or your clients ... then everyone involved wins. |
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Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | US | Posted: 10:39 AM on 01.11.11 |
->> Steel, so I should charge the customer $0.38 for my 4x6's? Hmmmm...not so much ;)
This is our typical, everyday pricing for traditional photographic prints.
4x6 @$9.97
5x7 @$10.97
8x10 @$21.97
8-Wallets @$21.97
4-3.5x5 @$21.97
11x14 @$32.97
16x20 @$69.97
20x30 @$87.97
30x40 @$159.97
Yes you should do a competitive analysis.
Even when we shoot other events I don't price my prints any differently. Everyone gets the same price.
If you're talking about portraits, there is a "Creative Fee" (i.e. sitting fee) paid prior to these prices. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 11:03 AM on 01.11.11 |
->> DOUBLE??? Please ask the professor to explain how he would stay in business selling $1.50 5x7's. You're not in the business of selling paper. You're selling images so what a print costs is almost immaterial. The cost of the print is just one tiny fraction of what the real cost is to get the image.
What I did was to look around and get a feel of what others in the region were pricing their work at. I then adjusted up or down based on whether I thought that my images had more or less value than those that I was seeing. And then within that number I left myself some wiggle room to be able to run a promo or other pricing event (sale).
Unlike Delane I do have two sets of prices. One for 'regular' games and events and and a second set for tournaments and fundraisers. The higher cost of doing business at a tournament demands that I charge a higher rate. Also those games are part of a tournament with a some team being named a champion so (IMHO) there is higher demand and more value in the images.
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Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | US | Posted: 11:19 AM on 01.11.11 |
->> OK, sometime we do modify our pricing (and packaging)...to make selling easier. It's easier to work with an even figure like $10, $15, $25, etc.
We've stopped working events that require a kickback (i.e. fundraiser). |
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Chris Hunt, Photographer
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Seattle | WA | USA | Posted: 11:50 AM on 01.11.11 |
->> If you're posting action or event galleries with hundreds of shots, then maxpreps.com is a good place to start with pricing. They keep their prices current and fair.
8 Wallets: $9.99
4 x 6: $7.99
5 x 7: $9.99
8 x 10: $17.99
16 x 20: $39.99
Rates would be different for portrait/wedding prints where you are shooting specifically for the client intended to buy the prints. In these circumstances, you are usually paid in advance and the creative/photography fee should cover all expenses and desired income. I'd never bet my income on the chance of someone buying prints. Usually digital images will be part of the package, but I'd still offer prints at a reduced price to encourage my client to get prints through my lab. I've already got my desired income, so offering less expensive prints allows me to control the quality of the finished product.
Prices are only as high as the market allows and location matters. I can drive 4 hours East and would have to lower prices significantly to fit the market. Browse the galleries of similar photographers in the area and check their rates. If rates are not published, then give them a call. You probably already know most the photographers in your area anyway. |
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Osamu Chiba, Photographer
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Vista | CA | USA | Posted: 12:50 PM on 01.11.11 |
| ->> I don't know if Steel (or his professor) meant strictly the cost of material. What he heard may include all of expenses, time (shooting, travel, and so on), etc. |
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Dirk Weaver, Photographer, Assistant
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Charlotte | NC | USA | Posted: 4:41 PM on 01.11.11 |
| ->> Thanks everyone! This is a VERY helpful discussion. |
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Mike Anzaldi, Photographer
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Oak Park | IL | USA | Posted: 10:31 AM on 01.12.11 |
->> this is a good discussion indeed. it's a complicated question, as it's quite obvious that if you're providing a customer with a CD of images, say from a childrens shoot, then it makes a ton more sense for the customer to order online or from walgreens. that said, the custom prints that i might make for someone not only take time and effort, but look 10x better than the 5x7's you're going to get from costco. the trick is selling the service. explaining to someone that your $9 5x7 is better than the $.89 pennies they'd pay at the drug store is a craft in itself.
you'd hate to simply conclude that it's too expensive, and not worth it for a photographer to make custom prints...but unfortunately for most clients, it is. they've already paid you more than they feel it's worth to snap pictures of their kid in the park. now we have to ask them to pay 10x the cost of retail prints. if you're not good at explaining the differences between your product/service and the drug store, then you won't be selling prints. of course this only applies if you are providing the customer with files.
good question, good answers. |
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Mike Braca, Photographer
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Providence | RI | USA | Posted: 10:14 PM on 01.12.11 |
| ->> You might want to also post this question on http://www.shakodo.com - Shakodo is a new social networking site focused on the business side of photography. I can't say how effective a resource it is because although I've joined I haven't really taken advantage of it yet. However, it looks extremely promising as a forum catering to exactly these kinds of questions. |
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