Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/12/13

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Subject: [Leica] Reality check on pricing
From: scott at adrenaline.com (Scott McLoughlin)
Date: Tue Dec 13 14:16:40 2005
References: <121320052141.16945.439F3FF900060748000042312205886172040C02019C990E04@comcast.net>

I also think $250 is more than reasonable.  I'm no pro, and the more
I read, I think I'm glad I'm not.  Heck, a 3rd rate techie can make a
good $50/hour for breething and $100 to $150/hour for doing some
decent work.  And that's 5 days by 8-10 hours per day.

Given the equipment expense, the long learning curve to develop good
skills, the hassles of dealing with several clients, the marketing expenses
or efforts to reach a sufficient number of relatively small $$$ clients,
the risk of unsatisfactory results (skill plays a part here too, but not
completely), the cost of film processing and/or the labor of lots of
PhotoShop post processing, and so on....

Whew!  Well, to me $250 seems like a downright bargain.

I know there are photogs who make good livings, have homes and
kids and cars and nice vacations and what not. But these folks who
manage to run a decent business for themselves seem like exceptions
in the photo biz vs. the work-a-day world.

Maybe I ran a consulting company for too many years, but I just can't
help thinking of work in terms of $$/hour.  Grease monkeys at the local
Mercedes dealer charge $100/hour (plus parts, of course) to fix your car.
What does a good 1 hour massage cost at a legitimate spa? Or skilled
leatherwork at a quality shoe repair? Consumers pay these prices, so why
should they balk at a "reasonable" rate for highly skilled, highly 
personalized
photographic services?

Fascinating to this industry outsider.

Scott

mcyclwritr@comcast.net wrote:

>Thanks for the pricing input, gents. 
>
>Gerry, if I could count on the parent(s) to order more than a few dollars 
>worth of wallet-size photos, which one of them would undoubtedly toss on a 
>flatbed scanner and print on the office inkjet 5x7 or 8x10, I could shoot 
>for a lower fee. But, that won't happen.  
>
>Slobodon, I like the quotable "you'll find no happiness...." Wisdom begat 
>from experience, I trust.
>
>B.D., thanks for reinforcement on $250 being more than reasonable. I fully 
>intend to let her visit the shopping mall portrait mill. 
> 
>
> -------------- Original message ----------------------
>From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@comcast.net>
>  
>
>>Chris - $250 is more than reasonable. And what kind of 'friend' starts
>>telling you there going to comparison shop for prices. You quoted a price -
>>stick to it. Let her go to the local portrait mill if that's what she 
>>wants.
>>
>>Unlike other artists, photographers are saddled with the problem that
>>everyone owns a camera, and everyone who owns a camera is a "photographer."
>>So on the whole, people tend not to value photography. If she thinks $250 
>>is
>>too much, ask her how much she'd pay to have a crappy portrait of her
>>daughter painted....;-)
>>
>>
>>On 12/13/05 2:28 PM, "Slobodan Dimitrov" <s.dimitrov@charter.net> wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>A senior portrait means a package price.
>>>The price referent is what the school's selected photography service
>>>charges.
>>>Anything outside of that is a specialty shoot, with the corresponding
>>>price.
>>>Outside of family, use the ASMP pricing guide for everybody.
>>>You will find no happiness with friends and quasi-friends and their
>>>photo requests.
>>>
>>>Slobodan Dimitrov
>>>Studio G-8,
>>>Angels Gate Cultural Center
>>>http://sdimitrovphoto.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>On Dec 13, 2005, at 10:03 AM, mcyclwritr@comcast.net wrote:
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>I got a call from an almost-friend asking if I could shoot her
>>>>daughter's senior portrait. And muy pronto, to boot. "I'd be happy
>>>>to," I said.
>>>>
>>>>Not knowing details on exact location, number of wardrobe changes,
>>>>etc., I quoted $250, which would include 4x6 proofs but not batches
>>>>of wallet-size photos or custom enlargements. Easily a half day,
>>>>counting schleppage.
>>>>
>>>>"Would it be less if you shot fewer pictures?"
>>>>
>>>>'Huh?' thought I.
>>>>
>>>>I explained the cost of proofs was incidental and the half-day I'd
>>>>put into a location shoot, etc., is where the cost would be.
>>>>
>>>>She said she'd have to check with a local portrait mill to compare
>>>>pricing. I encouraged her to do so.
>>>>
>>>>By the way, she "just loved" pix I shot at a baby shower, so
>>>>credible people photography is not an issue. Evidently, money is.
>>>>
>>>>Frankly, I felt I'd have to apologize to my Leica and Canon kits
>>>>just for snatching them out of the safe to earn a near-chump-change
>>>>$250 fee.
>>>>
>>>>I know many of you are superb photographers and have earned brand-
>>>>name status, so this probably isn't a fair question (apples and
>>>>oranges deal), but how would you have priced it?
>>>>
>>>>-Chris Lawson
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>Leica Users Group.
>>>>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>Leica Users Group.
>>>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>      
>>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Leica Users Group.
>>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>    
>>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Leica Users Group.
>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>  
>


Replies: Reply from bdcolen at comcast.net (B. D. Colen) ([Leica] Reality check on pricing)
In reply to: Message from mcyclwritr at comcast.net (mcyclwritr@comcast.net) ([Leica] Reality check on pricing)