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

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Subject: [Leica] Reality check on pricing
From: bdcolen at comcast.net (B. D. Colen)
Date: Tue Dec 13 16:44:43 2005

Again, Scott - it's because of the view that "anyone can take a decent
photo." If cameras weren't consumer items, and only professional
photographers owned cameras, photographers would be paid based on the
quality of the images they produced.


On 12/13/05 5:15 PM, "Scott McLoughlin" <scott@adrenaline.com> wrote:

> 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.
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>>>>      
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
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>>>    
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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>>  
>> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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In reply to: Message from scott at adrenaline.com (Scott McLoughlin) ([Leica] Reality check on pricing)