Pricing your services as a professional photographer can be tricky. There are many things you need to consider, not only for yourself but also for other photographers in the field!
As a beginner or even advanced professional, there is no firm rule about how much of an artist you should be paid as. Your value will fluctuate depending on what market you target and what kind of images you want to make.
Your clients will influence the price that others offer for your service, so it is important to know who your audience is and what style of photography they desire.
By practicing your craft and studying different styles, you’ll find your self-price rising. Others will copy certain techniques and styles, which will increase your demand.
This article will talk you through some basic pricing strategies along with some easy ways to test yours! If you would like to see more articles on this topic then please visit our website at www.photographytipsonline.com.
Consider your customer
As mentioned before, you do not have to be the cheapest photographer in the market if you want to survive as a professional. But it is important to know how to price your services before opening your shutter for business!
If you feel that your competition is offering lower prices than you would like, then you need to consider what products and services they have that you don’t. This could include things such as lighter weight camera bodies, smaller size memory cards, or perhaps even free photo editing software such as Photoshop or Lightroom.
By having these products, they are able to draw in new customers who are looking for their product and/or service at a discounted rate. By being one of them, you will lose out on some clients, but you will also reap the benefits of reduced turnover.
On top of this, you should always keep an eye on the market for any tips and tricks you can pick up. There might be something you can add to your kit to increase sales or grow your client base. A lot of photographers start their day by going through all of the different equipment brands and types and seeing which ones sell and why.
Estimate your market
The second part of pricing is establishing a price for your service. This is typically done through estimating your market, which is defining what areas of work you will be competing with and how much you should be charging per photograph.
Your market can be determined by looking at similar services that exist in your area and determining what they are able to charge for their service.
By having comparable prices, you will know what people around you are paying for their services and you can get an idea of what yours should be. Yours may be slightly higher or lower than others, but not very much – it’s still in the same ballpark.
Generalizations cannot be used when figuring out your market as there are too many variables such as skill level, quality of photography, etc. That being said, you can use general numbers to come up with a price.
We suggest using low numbers for this. You can start off with $20 per photo (which is pretty close) and increase it as your business grows.
Remember, however, that growth does not happen overnight! It takes time to develop your skills and perfect your craft, so do not overprice yourself at the beginning. As you gain experience, you can raise your prices gradually and effectively.
Use marketing strategies to your advantage
As we have discussed, being aware of the market is an integral part in knowing how to price your photography!
But what if you are just starting out as a photographer and don’t know where the competition lies yet? Or what if you are a professional who feels like your prices are too high because of limited availability or lack of clients?
We can look at this from two angles- either go up or down depending on whether you want to win or lose business.
On one hand, you could choose very low cost pricing to increase your client base which may work for you in the long run. But it will take you much longer to grow as a artist than someone with more expensive equipment that isn’t seen often.
And while some people might not feel comfortable buying art online, there are ways to offer affordable photography services to those who feel this is for them.
Focus on your skills
Even though you’ll probably be doing some of this work for free, that doesn’t mean it won’t cost you anything!
Charging for your services can be expensive if you don’t know how to do it correctly. Sure, you could always just go into Target and take as many pictures as possible, but most people wouldn’t actually want their photos posted on Facebook next to “I love my dog so much” or whatever weird thing they would say in those situations.
You need to consider several things when pricing your service.
Offer many different pricing plans
As we mentioned before, you do not need a professional studio to take good pictures! That is why it is so important to have multiple price points for your photography.
You can offer low cost or free photoshoots, limited time only services (exposure posts via social media sites), one off portraits, and/or event coverage.
By offering a variety of service types and prices, your clients will be able to choose the best fit for them!
And don’t forget about online portfolios where you can sell all of your images for easy access for your customers.
Overall, there are several ways to market your photographic skills without having to invest in expensive equipment or space.
Be consistent
As with any career, being able to price your services is dependent on you being consistently good at it. If there are times when you feel like you’re going up against the wall, or that your skills seem to be declining then you need to re-evaluate how you do your job.
Price yourself honestly and see where you stand compared to others in your field. It may help to look into whether other photographers’ prices are lower than yours, or if their work is more popular than yours.
By having a clear picture of what your services cost and why, you will be much better informed when you decide to give someone an estimate.
It’s always nice to know before hand what people expect to pay for your service so you can plan accordingly.
Provide quality service
As mentioned earlier, being able to provide excellent customer service is an integral part of running a successful photography business.
Your clients will keep coming back if they feel that you care for them as people first, and then as customers second.
This takes discipline, though. You must be willing to put in the effort to give your best every time you interact with a client.
It’s also important to remember that while you should aim to make lots of money from your work, this won’t happen unless you are sincere about what you offer and who you cater for.
As photographers, we tend to view our profession more like a craft than a career. This can get us into trouble because it can lead to us offering very high end services to budget customers, or low-end ones that look really good!
You need to know when to take the pay rise and when to say goodbye to potential income.
Just because someone has enough money to buy your expensive package doesn’t mean that they want professional level images, or even image editing. A lot of times, people just don’t appreciate taking beautiful pictures of their loved ones and having to wait months before getting them printed or framed.
Don’t undercut yourself, but at the same time, do not go too expensive either. Find a balance that feels right to you.
And lastly, be honest about your prices.
Be friendly
As mentioned before, you will need to have a good understanding of how much money you want to make as a photographer. But beyond that, you must be willing to put in the effort to market your business properly!
Your marketing efforts will not pay off if you are trying to push products onto people with high prices. This is why it is so important to be friendly and approachable as a person — potential clients will feel comfortable seeking your services if you seem like you would enjoy their company.
You can play music or chat them up during a lunch break, but don’t try to sell them anything unless they ask first!
By being aware of this tip, you will already know what to do when someone asks about photography services.
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