Ask Me Help Desk - How much should I charge for photos

I have been practicing photography for well over 6 years ever since I was in high school I was doing photos,
only problem is that my problem is that I think I am undercharging and losing money on ink,paper,and labor.
I am currently charging $2.50 for an 8½ x 11 sheet of paper,
do you think I am charging too little.
every time I ask someone they can't come up with a good enough answer,
they always say something along the lines of
*i don't know how much other photographers charge for that type of photo*
please be honest on how much I should be charging
here are my services:facial reconstruction[cost $2.00 extra:blemish removal,eyebrow adustment,mouth adjustment,acne removal,boil removal],and chromakey[choose any background for free].

here are samples of my work[before] http://shinoga.webs.com/100_0966.JPG [after] http://shinoga.webs.com/300_pp_upsized.jpg

Really, what you need to do is go through all the steps of your job and make pricing accordingly. Anything in the 8 1/2 x 11 range in print should be minimum $5.00 for the cost alone. Chroma background maybe $2.50 because you do it a lot. And removal of blemishs should be at least $15.00.

Also you will want to consider a "sitting" fee as well as a floating traveling fee should you go away from the studio.

Look at the competition. Sears and other outfits charg for package deals and if that is who your going to compete with then your pricing will reflect that. In all truth your ideal pricing is what the market will bear in your area. And your skills are included in the product you sell.

I've merged your threads. If you want to follow-up use the Answer options, don't start a new thread.

I forgot to mention the software I use to do chroma key photography does the ob automatically for me so I don't have to manually remove the greenscreen here's a link to the site that makes the chromakey software

HTML Code:

http://fxhome.com/photokey-4-pro

should I still charge a fee for chroma key?

I accidentally forgot to make the link clickablehttp://fxhome.com/photokey-4-pro

This is the software I use for wrinkles blemishes etc.http://www.portraitprofessional.com/...FQEKbAodhWw7Lw

I know this is kind of an old post, but I just stumbled on it, so I thought I would chime in.

You're making things too complicated. Too many choices make it difficult for your customers. Include everything in your pricing, and sell them as FREE services. The other poster's suggestion of looking at package deals at other vendors is a good one. Those are the people you are in competition with. But there is a problem with that... you have to outfit a studio, and post production to match them.

I have to say that I'm not a bit fan of the chroma key. In your example, your subjects look not only angry, but in a very unlikely place. Don't use tricks in place of an honest exploration of your subject. You might think about learning how to shoot people in an outdoor environment. It's a lot more flexible, looks great, and you don't have the expense of a studio. You will also be doing something your competition can't... going to your customers and giving them real portraits... not just standing in front of the camera with a fake background of Yosemite.

Sorry... I didn't answer you question did I? Charge the same as other professionals. You need to sell your work as different from the others. Make it sound more valuable with more free features. Use phrases like "No extra charge for blemish removal". "Choose from hundreds of backgrounds...FREE". "Get a FREE 8.5 x 11 print for Grandma". "Our prints are rated to last 200 years". There are tons of ways to market your services. The big challenge for you is to create the package, then of course go out there and sell it. Finding customers is at the bottom of all of this. Don't ever think that selling cheap will get you anywhere. If your proposition is "Look how cheap I am", you're customers will never value your service. Charge for a "sitting" or "location sitting" a flat fee and deliver the package.

just so you know I gave up on photography,it made me depressed that I wasn't getting any new customers,
they wanted the photos to be free,I had to be lugging a 10x24 foot heavy greenscreen out on my driveway,I had to setup a table out in my driveway,I had to setup my power cords,my computer[hp pavilion a6430f],my printer[epson workforce 840],my lights,and all my other equipment.
it wasn't worth doing anymore because I had to setup everything heavy by myself,and that's when I said to myself it wasn't worth it anymore because I live in a town that has a bunch of people[mexican illegal aliens] that like everything to be cheap,
and technically I couldn't afford to be doing that,it's bad enough I was making a fool of myself charging a dollar for my photos but then they didn't even want to pay that either.
and after I spended/saved all the money I make each month which is 200 dollars to get all the equipment I needed,I also had to suffer to their mexican music outside and for what,a bunch of people who don't want to pay for my photos[thats when I gave up].

But now that I gave up a bunch of people want me to be doing photos for them,how ironic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by umashi

just so you know i gave up on photography,it made me depressed that i wasn't getting any new customers,
they wanted the photos to be free,i had to be lugging a 10x24 foot heavy greenscreen out on my driveway,i had to setup a table out in my driveway,i had to setup my power cords,my computer[hp pavillion a6430f],my printer[epson workforce 840],my lights,and all my other equipment.
it wasn't worth doing anymore because i had to setup everything heavy by myself,and thats when i said to myself it wasn't worth it anymore because i live in a town that has a bunch of people[mexican illegal aliens] that like everything to be cheap,
and technically i couldn't afford to be doing that,it's bad enough i was making a fool of myself charging a dollar for my photos but then they didn't even want to pay that either.
and after i spended/saved all the money i make each month which is 200 dollars to get all the equipment i needed,i also had to suffer to thier mexican music outside and for what,a bunch of people who don't want to pay for my photos[thats when i gave up].

Listen, all businesses have setbacks. But don't give up on your dream. Maybe try working weddings to get your name out there and save your passion for your art. That way you don't have to satisfy anyone but yourself. I say that as a longtime almost lifetime fascination with photography. It has led me into many different directions. If it is your passion then you will figure out how to make it work for you. Most photographers didn't hang out a shingle and get going. In the old days that might have been possible but in today's world and in the digital rhelm many believe they can do it for theirself. If you have the eye for it then you can truly see the difference.

Good luck on your future ventures and keep us posted. Keep your dreams alive.