Do you have a hard time deciding on your prices? Do you have an official price structure, or do you just come up with numbers? Are you always changing your price list or is it a constant?
You’re like me.
I’m not sure how to describe me from a few decades ago. You can be the best photographer but not knowing how much to charge is a dragon you cannot slay. When you don’t know whyyou set your prices the way you do, it can be difficult to stand firm, especially when clients try to bargain you down.
Here are my top tips for pricing your photos. Remember that these are not all original ideas. I learned about pricing photos from Alicia Caine’s book. I’m not paid to tell that. This book is a must-read! (It changed the face of my entire business.
It’s now time to start learning how to price your photography services.
1. Add pricing to your website
Add some prices to your site. It’s simple, but important.
You don’t need to publish all your prices. But you should at the very least list your most basic services.
It is important to manage client expectations. This will prevent clients from being sticker-shocked and trying to negotiate your prices. You can use a few guide prices to give your clients a point of reference. Make sure the prices that you don’t list make sense in relation with the ones you do. Otherwise, you may end up frustrating your clients.
2. Do not feel obliged to offer discounts
As Alicia Caine taught to me, I do not have to offer discounts for family members and friends and neither do you.
I don’t want them and I won’t accept them. I don’t expect it. This kind of discount isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I may give a friend an unexpected gift or knock off a price, but I am not generally open to it.
Why is it important? It doesn’t work well for me to underprice my service. I am less valued by the client, friend or family member. I also feel resentful about spending a week to edit a wedding that I was supposed to do for nothing. Alicia empowered me to say no.
3. Consistent pricing calculation
Don’t price your photography services according to how you feel on the day that you do it. Develop a set of consistent calculations to make sure that your pricing is always fair and logical.
You can, for example, determine an hourly price, estimate how much time you spend with each service, and multiply that by the number of hours.
Your pricing structure will be uniform if you keep your calculations consistent.
I used to price prints according to square inches. Since reading Alicia Caine’s book I use her pricing calculations. They’re much easier!
It’s important to have a consistent approach to pricing. This will make you more appealing to potential clients.
4. Charge for services upfront
You may be tempted to only charge for the images, photobooks or prints that clients purchase after the shoot. It’s a lesson I learned the hard-way: you should charge a session fee and require clients to pay in advance when making a reservation.
Why? By charging upfront, you can ensure that your clients are serious, and won’t take half a day off of your schedule, only to leave you hanging.
Don’t take just a deposit. Don’t just take a deposit. No session-payers yet, though I’ve seen plenty of deposit-leavers let me down. I take the money at the time of reservation. (I send them either a PayPal invoice or a self addressed envelope.) This falls under the “spent-money is forgotten money” category. So, a week after the session they can spend their money on photo products without feeling like they just lost money.
They will spend because they have already made an investment. It’s not to mention the emotional and time commitment during the session.
5. Refunds are not offered
You should always be clear about the fact that any money paid up front by a client – whether it’s a session fee, or a deposit, which I would recommend – will not be refunded.
You can have them sign a contract, which I find a bit formal. Or they can acknowledge that the fee is not refundable by acknowledging receipt of your email confirmation.
If you don’t charge upfront for your sessions, some people will try to get back their money after bailing on the session.
6. Add expiration dates to client galleries
After your photoshoot is complete, you will have a Client Gallery, which is a website where clients can browse through the images and choose their favorites. Some client galleries allow you to order prints from them directly.
It’s not enough to have a gallery of clients. This gallery should have a clearly defined expiration date. You’ll lose clients who intend to purchase , but never do. A deadline or expiration date will encourage them to make purchases within a reasonable period of time.
I’ve had customers go months without ordering. Watermark those suckers everywhere. Watermarks are okay, as they make it clear that swiping a preview is theft.
Final thoughts on pricing your photography
Here are my top tips for creating a pricing structure for photography and making sure that your clients do not take advantage of you.
This is based on a mixture of Alicia Caine’s amazing pricing advice and my real-world experiences. It works for me and I hope it will work for you too.
