# what do you charge?



## Dylan (Oct 26, 2006)

If you sell your work how do you set the price? What factors influence price? Do you sell rights to a copy or the original? I don't think I'm good enough yet to expect much for my work however a co worker expressed interest in one of my pictures. I guess I had never thought about this before. I got interested in photography as an artistic outlet. I might just give her a copy but If this happens again I want to be prepared. ​


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## ironsidephoto (Oct 27, 2006)

i'd like to know that too. any advice would be great.


ironsidephotography.com


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## darich (Oct 27, 2006)

As an absoulute minimum i'd charge twice the cost of printing.
You could make it clear that it's an introductory price which gives you scope to increase it if your collerague comes back.

I sold a print to a colleage a few months ago - cost me £18 to print 2 (£9 per print) and i sold it for £25.
i sold one to a girl i know - cost me £18 to print and i sold it to her for £40.

Don't undersell your self but don;t over price - i can appreciate it's difficult but once you decide on a price don't buckle when asked "how much?"


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## dewey (Oct 27, 2006)

I think it depends on a lot of things... Is it the print only, or is it matted or maybe framed?  If it's more than just the print you have to figure those costs in as well.  It also depends on the size of the print, and how about another variable... your target audience.



I know that's a lot of variables, but they all figure into it.  I might charge $300 for a matted framed 8x10 if it's being displayed in the lobby of a bank or hotel, but that same photo might only sell for $175 at an art show... it takes some trial and error.  I stray away from the "wal-mart theory", which is why sell one photo for $300 with a $250 profit when you can sell 10 of the same photo for $75 each with a $25 profit... It's the same end profit... The less I have to print, mat and frame the better! 


Okay enough of my Sam Walton rant.  

The point is photograph sales is like the hotel business... the price changes depending on your demand and the audience.  When selling a matted only 8x10 to my co-workers at my "day job" I charge about $50... and I make it clear to them it's a steal so they don't have their neighbor calling me expecting the same print for $50.  BUT I also give them plenty of business cards and let them know if they sell prints for me I'll take care of them with some free prints of their choice... word of mouth is the best business tool. 

So tell us more about what you are selling.

~Dewey


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## Renair (Oct 29, 2006)

Well on average I sell 10x8s for 25.00 cost to me is 3 for pro printing through a fuji lab.  The 25 includes P&P.   If its for a friend or discount price I do it for 15


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## Dylan (Oct 29, 2006)

Well I don't know if I'm selling anything just yet however there is one picture that some people have commented on. Someone at work has expressed interest in purchasing a copy. Thanks for the input on this. it helps a lot.


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## Johnboy2978 (Oct 30, 2006)

When I asked this question of services such as doing wedding photography, I received the following recommendation: The price for an image is whatever the customer is willing to pay for it.  

No for prints that I have taken and others have wanted to purchase amount to $25 for the print, $30 matted, and $50 framed.  This is for an 8x10 print, which costs me about $3.


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## geoffe (Nov 5, 2006)

I have heard a lot from fellow professors to not sell your work cheap.  As a soon to be graduate student of photography, I sell my prints in the $200-$400 range.  I have no problem selling them but here is one thing to consider:  If a customer is buying your work, psychology tells us that if they pay more for it they think they are getting better art.  Well not better but they feel as though they have made an investment.  If I sold prints for $10 I would fear that the work would not be treasured and might end up in the trash. Besides, if a customer wants cheap art they can always go to WalMart.


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## supraman215 (Nov 6, 2006)

Let me just start off by saying I have no experience selling artwork but I tend to agree with geoffe. Art is truly in the eye of the beholder, and that eye can be greatly influenced by price. If someone sees a print for $1000 vs one for $10 they are going to think, this individual (with the $1000 print) must have spent a lot of time on this photo, and they must value their time. If you value your time and charge accordingly so will the people looking at your artwork. 

Art is one of those businesses where the cost of the materials is insignificant when you're looking at how you should price your work.

Jeff


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## ladyphotog (Nov 6, 2006)

Alot depends on if you are selling in a commercial sense, for instance to a company for use in their advertising, or a portrait of a person or as fine art. Art should always be more expensive for several reasons. For an fine art print you are selling a print that is intended to be displayed for a long period of time and therefore needs to be printed in the most archival way possible. And I do not print alot of prints of the same image, just like a painter will not paint 100 of the same painting. An art print should be printed well, matted and kept away from the glass and framed or ready to be framed by the consumer. I charge for a 16x20, which is usually the smallest I will print for $450.00 and I go up from there. A fine art print that is hanging in a gallery is much more. Do not underprice yourself. The problem comes in if you try to raise your prices and you have gotten a word of mouth referral they will be rather upset when you have higher prices for them. Been there, done that. This is especially true for wedding photographers. The best thing to do is join a photographic association or group, for instance ASMP, PPA, WPI. Fine art is a different matter and you should check some near by galleries to see what some photographers are charging for their art prints. I don't sell negatives or my copyright and I will never sign a contract for work for hire. Always have a contract and invoice for all of your work, even for an art print. Again those photo associations and groups can help you with the wording of those contracts to cover yourself and your client. I hope that helps.


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## fightheheathens (Nov 6, 2006)

my girlfriend used to make and sell jewelry at art fairs and in stores. she did this for all of highschool and a year or two in college. She told me that often times if sales were slow, she would raise the price of her stuff. She would sell ear rings for 18 dollars (made from glass found on the beach and silver wire, it cost her about 1 hour and 25 cents to make a pair)
If sales were slow she would raise those earrings up to 25-30 dollars and she said that would almost always increase her sales. 

As far as copy rights go, i never would sell the rights to the actual image. As i do mostly film, this isnt so much a problem because i can always prove that i have the negative to this image. Additionally if i dont sign the actual front of the image and instead sign somewhere on the matt or frame, i make sure to sign the back of the image. even when i give my pictures away as christmas presents to my parents


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## mysteryscribe (Nov 6, 2006)

I do love to see these discussions.  They tend to always amuse me since I'm not in the business anymore.  My only problem is finding the money to buy paper now.


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## Tyson (Nov 28, 2006)

Can anyone tell me what I should charge for a photograph that is going to be used in a travel magazine? It's kind of off the mark, but I use remote control aircraft to take low level photos. I have a request by a local travel magazine to produce a picture of a particular bridge. Any ideas people? I have never done this before.


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## SHUTTERtoSPEAK (Nov 29, 2006)

geoffe said:
			
		

> I have heard a lot from fellow professors to not sell your work cheap.  As a soon to be graduate student of photography, I sell my prints in the $200-$400 range.  I have no problem selling them but here is one thing to consider:  If a customer is buying your work, psychology tells us that if they pay more for it they think they are getting better art.  Well not better but they feel as though they have made an investment.  If I sold prints for $10 I would fear that the work would not be treasured and might end up in the trash. Besides, if a customer wants cheap art they can always go to WalMart.


+1


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## dsp921 (Nov 29, 2006)

www.fotoquote.com
Good S/W package for setting prices.  Not really worth it if you are only going to sell a photo or two to co-workers, but useful if you want to get a little side thing going.


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## phil-ray (Nov 29, 2006)

at the monent i can get 16' 18 proper photos , not just cheep prints, done for £5, and charge 20 quid for them.

if a person wants a photoshoot of there car done, i charge £20 for my time be that 20 minutes or 5 hours, as its only a side line and its advancing me in photography, esp car photography, as thats what im very much intrested in, i think its a fair price, if not a little cheap


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## rmh159 (Nov 29, 2006)

geoffe said:
			
		

> I have heard a lot from fellow professors to not sell your work cheap. As a soon to be graduate student of photography, I sell my prints in the $200-$400 range. I have no problem selling them but here is one thing to consider: If a customer is buying your work, psychology tells us that if they pay more for it they think they are getting better art. Well not better but they feel as though they have made an investment. If I sold prints for $10 I would fear that the work would not be treasured and might end up in the trash. Besides, if a customer wants cheap art they can always go to WalMart.


 
+2

Something else to keep in mind is that you need to value your work just as highly too. I also think if you're going to sell it for that price you need to make it look as professional as possible. Frame, matte, signature, etc. Exciting stuff. If your work is good enough that people want to buy it, take some pride in it.


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## fmirenzi (Dec 15, 2006)

I agree with most people in here that the price of a work depends on various factors, mainly: who is the interested buyer, size, and medium. Obviously if you are selling a work with mat and frame your price should be much higher than if it were the print alone. Generally speaking, if you are respresenting yourself as an artist when selling your work, no buyer is going to expect to pay $10 for a decent size print....people know that art is expensive and anyways people who are interested in art dont mind spending large amounts of money. I know many people without a passion for art that buy art even from students for thousands of dollars....just because it's art they are getting and it looks nice in their house.

_____________________________________________________________

http://www.ellasfoto.com


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## Christie Photo (Dec 15, 2006)

Tyson said:
			
		

> ...I use remote control aircraft to take low level photos.



Fascinating!  Have you posted any of those here?

As for pricing, my first thought is you're providing something that nobody can.  A magazine is probably used to buying some stock images...  likely a BUNCH of stock images, and may be paying anywhere from $75 - $300/image depending on where it appears, how large it appears and their circulation.  The price of stock photography is ALWAYS negotiable.

I think if you create a custom image... just for them...  and it takes you half a day to get it done, you should be able to get AT LEAST $600...  maybe more if they really need the image.

Pete


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## neea (Dec 16, 2006)

For me, selling prints locally is very tough and sometimes discouraging.
You need to understand your targeted audience and where I live there arent many people who are willing to spend alot on random art.
I've noticed that my pictures definatley need to trigger something in the viewer in order for them to consider buying it.

I also asked a local business owner (flower store owner that sells lots of artsy fartsy nick nacks) what she thinks I should price my stuff at.
Our price ranges were pretty much dead on.


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## druzilla (Dec 28, 2006)

geoffe said:


> I have heard a lot from fellow professors to not sell your work cheap. As a soon to be graduate student of photography, I sell my prints in the $200-$400 range. I have no problem selling them but here is one thing to consider: If a customer is buying your work, psychology tells us that if they pay more for it they think they are getting better art. Well not better but they feel as though they have made an investment. If I sold prints for $10 I would fear that the work would not be treasured and might end up in the trash. Besides, if a customer wants cheap art they can always go to WalMart.


this is so true, but still you cAnt overprice


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## ksmattfish (Dec 28, 2006)

If I'm selling a photograph of my personal work to a person to hang on their wall at home it's $25 for a 10"x10" or smaller print, $55 for a 15x15, $100 for a 20x20, $150 for a 25x25.  These are lab prints; high quality but pretty cheap for me.  Matting and framing is extra.  I prefer to sell prints in a mat, because I feel they are more likely to be framed than a loose print.  These are unlimited edition photographs.  I feel happy if someone considers one of my 8x10s to be worth about the same as a nice CD/DVD set or mid-priced art book.  I would be taking and enjoying the photos whether they sold or not.

I charge more for my hand printed gelatin silver prints; approximately $75 for an 8x10 or smaller print with no mat and no frame.  They aren't limited edition intentionally, but realistically I rarely ever print more than 25 or 30 prints in one or two sizes.  It takes more time, effort, and materials expense, and traditional process BW prints aren't as common these days.

I charge significantly more for commercial or public use of a photograph.  How much depends on where, how much, how long, etc...  To purchase the copyright to a photo from my personal work would be $3000+ depending on which photo.  I wouldn't say that any of my photos are priceless, but there are plenty where I'd place the price tag outrageously high because I really wouldn't want to sell the rights.


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