# Highschool-Senior Portrait Prices?



## LittleMan (Aug 3, 2005)

I am going to do some Senior Portraits for my friend this week.  
He said he would pay me. But I'm not going to charge him any other than my film/printing costs. (because it's my first time and he's my friend)

I was just wondering how much the rate is usually for a Senior portrait photoshoot. (maybe around 3-4 hours)  What would you have to pay to get a professional photog to do a 3 hour long photo shoot?

Thanks!
-Chris


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## Alison (Aug 3, 2005)

3-4 hours would be a very long shoot for seniors. Mine usually last one and a half hours and that includes a few clothing changes. Typically I see my packages by prints vs. a pay for hour service. Are you going to be printing the photos or just turning over the negatives to the clients to print their own?


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## LittleMan (Aug 3, 2005)

AlisonPower said:
			
		

> 3-4 hours would be a very long shoot for seniors. Mine usually last one and a half hours and that includes a few clothing changes. Typically I see my packages by prints vs. a pay for hour service. Are you going to be printing the photos or just turning over the negatives to the clients to print their own?


I don't know what to expect, since this _is_ my first time doing anything like this.  Although I have shot portraits before and I know how, I have never charged anyone.

I am going to be shooting both digital and film by request of the client.  Now, whether I charge him per hour and just give him the negatives and let him do the printing or I sit down with him afterwards picking out the few he likes the most and charging him per-photo... which would be better?  Or is there an even better way other than that?

I am just starting out on this so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!


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## Ms. Leah (Aug 3, 2005)

Littleman, an easy way to do this would be to let the client know that you will include so many proofs for so much of a price. If they like the pictures and want to order more, than you can charge an extra price for copies. You are the photographer, so you own the pictures. If you would like, you could provide your client with the negatives or a c.d. of the pictures, but keep in mind that you wont be making any money off of the reprints. I like to provide people I know with a c.d. with all of the pictures and many variations of them (black and white, soft, soft edges). It makes them really happy and they tell all of thier friends. Your best bet is to not charge by the hour because either you will be rushed (being new to senior pics) or they will feel jipped because you may take longer than what someone who has been doing it longer may take. Good luck! :mrgreen:


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## LittleMan (Aug 3, 2005)

Thanks Leah!
I'll definately do that. 

I'm really excited, and I hope I will do good.


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## thebeginning (Aug 3, 2005)

i'm going to be doing the same thing (hopefully) later this year or next year.  your client sure is getting a head start with their portraits!


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## Christie Photo (Aug 4, 2005)

Hi, Chris.

This is a question that I'm re-examining myself.  One of my friends locally has decided to charge for his sessions.  What I mean is, in the past, most studios kept the session fee low and made their money on the prints.  SOME studios now charge $100 - $200 for a session and have dropped the print prices.  I haven't made a decision yet, so I'm trudging on the old way.

As for turning over negatives and/or files to the client, I think you might be doing them a diservice.  Most folks won't know how to procede with retouching, cropping, color and so on.  Most don't even know professional labs exist, much less what services they'll need or even the terminology.  For my family and friends, I handle this for them and let them pay my out-of-pocket.  (They have to be CLOSE friends...  with "best-friend" status)

So, back to your question...  how much for a session?  I think Alison is just about right with the 90 minute estimate.  In my studio, with four outfits, I charge $95.  For two outfits and 45 minutes or so, I get $45.  Outdoors is $50 additional.  Again, I'm not making any money here.  I get it on the print order.

I hope this helps.

-Pete


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## LittleMan (Aug 4, 2005)

> As for turning over negatives and/or files to the client, I think you might be doing them a diservice. Most folks won't know how to procede with retouching, cropping, color and so on. Most don't even know professional labs exist, much less what services they'll need or even the terminology. For my family and friends, I handle this for them and let them pay my out-of-pocket. (They have to be CLOSE friends... with "best-friend" status)


What about for your client that you may only see once?  Do you keep the negatives/files yourself or do you give them to the person?
It would be pretty easy to keep a file cabinet of all your past clients with their negatives in their file, and have them call when they need a photo enlarged.  Would this be workable?

I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions!
Thanks!


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## Christie Photo (Aug 4, 2005)

LittleMan said:
			
		

> Do you keep the negatives/files yourself...  Would this be workable?



Sure...  I have 'em all.  And I do get reorders.



			
				LittleMan said:
			
		

> I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions!



No problem.  Let 'em fire!  You've got a bunch of help around here.

-Pete


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## summers_enemy (Aug 4, 2005)

Hi, I struggled with this a bit last year.  A coworker was graduating from high school and forgot all about his senior pictures until the last minute.  I got a desperate call from his mother saying "we'll pay you, please!". I agreed and took about 90 shots of him in 3 different locations.  I decided to give him one color print each, with each photo in color and black and white on a cd so the family could do their own reprints.  I asked for $75, they gave me $80 and were thrilled 

Around here, for most amateurish people I'm learning that the "standard" fee is about $125 for a cd with the images and one set of color prints.  So I don't think I did too bad :mrgreen:


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## Nikon Fan (Aug 4, 2005)

My brother just had his done, he wouldn't let me do it...and they had a 45 dollar sitting fee, and then they charged 5 bucks per proof. They sat down during the session and chose the shots off the computer right then. Then we were mailed the proofs and then will order off of those. This is one of the cheapest rates in my area, some people charge 75 plus for the sitting fee alone. 

My suggestion would be to know how much time and money you've got in it and base your price off of that.


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## LittleMan (Aug 4, 2005)

wow, thanks y'all! 
You guys are awesome!

Now that I know how I'm going to charge them/give them the pics... I have some questions about the actual photos/places.
I've searched down all of the past threads and I still have a few questions...

For outdoor portraits, do you just use a reflector?  Or what other lighting systems should I use?

Is it best to do outdoor portrait photography in the morning, afternoon, or evening?

Do you just have a list of places around where you live to go take the photos or what? (I found a super good spot for a more rustic feel)

Lastly, is it best if he wears lighter colors, darker colors, or more of a neutral tone?

Thanks!
And if y'all have any other pointers please do say!


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## summers_enemy (Aug 4, 2005)

I prefer them to wear darker colors, my Lumix has issues with blowing out whites (or perhaps it's my issue ).  In my town, there's a couple really good spots for portraits, there's some old brick schoolhouses that work nicely, an old Chinese temple and a big fountain in the middle of the next town over.  A lot of people will also do theirs at a lake nearby or it's becoming more and more common here to do the shots in a garden (either the photographers yard or the customers depending on how good of gardeners they are).

I prefer to do the portraits in the morning, overcast days work great if you can somehow get yourself in sych with the weather.  I also generally prefer "portrait" mode on the camera... that's probably amateurish but I love the skin tones it produces


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## LittleMan (Aug 4, 2005)

Thanks Summers,
I would still like to know what I should do about the lighting...
If I need a reflector, what color/size would be best?

Thanks,
Chris


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## Christie Photo (Aug 4, 2005)

LittleMan said:
			
		

> For outdoor portraits, do you just use a reflector?  Or what other lighting systems should I use?
> 
> Is it best to do outdoor portrait photography in the morning, afternoon, or evening?
> 
> Do you just have a list of places around where you live to go take the photos or what?



1)  I actually use the opposite.  In the studio, you place light where you need it.  Outdoors, the light is everywhere.  So, I block the light I don't need, leaving only the wanted lighting.  I almost always use leafy trees for this.  I'd be happy to explain this in more depth if you like.

2)  I schedule my outdoor sessions at the end of the day when the sun is low in the sky.  It's actually the open sky (not the sky with the sun) that I use for my light source.

3)  I have one location available to me that offers several different usable situations.  My main concern again is the lighting.  I must admit I'm weak about including other elements (weathered wood, concrete, etc.) in my outdoor work.



			
				LittleMan said:
			
		

> ...is it best if he wears lighter colors, darker colors, or more of a neutral tone?



The KEY here (pun intended) is to key the clothing with the background/enviroment.  When working on a light background (high key), use light clothing and props.  Deeper (low key) backgrounds need darker colors for clothing and props.  All this will help keep attention on the subject's flesh tones.  Now, this is not a hard, fast rule, but it will take a bit of experience to handle mixing the two successfully.

I hope all this helps.

-Pete


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## LittleMan (Aug 4, 2005)

wow, thanks Pete!
If I understand you correctly... you're saying that direct sunlight is a no-no. 
That is not a problem for me because around here there is an abundance of shade with all these oak trees.... lol

I was thinking... is it acceptable as a portrait photographer to suggest to the client that we go to a location like around here there is a place called enchanted rock and lost maples that would be a great photo location... they would be about 45 minutes away from here but I was just wondering if you know anyone who does anything like that? or would it be better to stick closer by?


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## Vmann (Aug 5, 2005)

eromallagadnama said:
			
		

> My brother just had his done, he wouldn't let me do it...and they had a 45 dollar sitting fee, and then they charged 5 bucks per proof. They sat down during the session and chose the shots off the computer right then. Then we were mailed the proofs and then will order off of those. This is one of the cheapest rates in my area, some people charge 75 plus for the sitting fee alone.
> 
> My suggestion would be to know how much time and money you've got in it and base your price off of that.




I'm with this way

 If you charge the sitting fee they tend to take things more seriously
 You give them options and follow through with the proofs lets say ten then they pick the ones they like and print from there. I make people pay for everything not alot but it presents a more professional image and people tend to not try and take advantage or manipulate the sitution if there being charged everytime they change things around on you. Then in the end you charge for the package prices they pick. 
 I also never give negs. or cds out (unless cd is low enough quality that images could never be reproduced) 72DPI and wallet like size). Nothing is worse then a stingy person only buying enough shots only to get a CD and reproducing your work over and over again without aknowledging you. Also you run the risk of the person producing at best marginal prints only to have people view your work and have it not capture your true potentiol and losing business because of this false reputation.


Good luck... money is always a hard thing to figure out. The question really is what is your time and effort is worth


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## Alison (Aug 5, 2005)

Vmann said:
			
		

> I also never give negs. or cds out (unless cd is low enough quality that images could never be reproduced) 72DPI and wallet like size). Nothing is worse then a stingy person only buying enough shots only to get a CD and reproducing your work over and over again without aknowledging you. Also you run the risk of the person producing at best marginal prints only to have people view your work and have it not capture your true potentiol and losing business because of this false reputation.
> 
> 
> Good luck... money is always a hard thing to figure out. The question really is what is your time and effort is worth



I agree with much of what you said, but I've found a good market it selling the images on a CD. I don't do many seniors by choice, but in the wedding market it can be very profitable to charge by the hour  ($125-200 in my area) for your time and allow them to buy the images to put on a CD (usually $300). In my area, there aren't many affordable wedding photographers for couples who don't want to spend more than $2000+ for a starting package. When you factor in the time and expense of creating an album I actually make more profit per hour this way. Interestingly, I still get orders from family and friends off my website even though the couple has printing rights to the images and I've also had some brides that just want to have easy access to printing and still order a full package (album, etc) and pay the extra for having the CD. It can be a great add on tool. 

Certainly not for everyone, but my wedding sales and bookings have increased because I do offer this service.


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## LittleMan (Aug 5, 2005)

Thanks guys, that definately makes sense...


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## Tally Ho (Aug 5, 2005)

I have discovered that generally speaking, the best outdoor lighting will be found about 10 to 12 feet back under the edge of the tree line where it meets the open treeless area.  

My outdoor studio faces east, so when I shoot there it is in the late afternoon.  This time of year that is about 6:00 P.M.. The sun is setting in the west, and the soft daylight from the eastern sky is streaming into my woods.  I pose the subjects so there is a shadow on the side of the face that faces the camera.  For females this means their body is facing the dark area of the woods and they turn their face back toward the light source.  For males their body and their face is facing the light source.  I have posted an example image demonstrating the above technique for females.

Tally Ho


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## LittleMan (Aug 5, 2005)

And the lights in her eyes... is that just an effect of what you did?
It's not a seperate light... correct?


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## Alison (Aug 5, 2005)

Chris, I use a fill flash and/or a reflector when shooting outdoors so that can give catch lights as well.


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## LittleMan (Aug 5, 2005)

AlisonPower said:
			
		

> Chris, I use a fill flash and/or a reflector when shooting outdoors so that can give catch lights as well.


White reflector or silver?  and what size would be good?


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## Alison (Aug 5, 2005)

The one I use is white on one side and silver on the other. I also have a diffuser. I'm not at home and I don't know the size off hand, but unfolded it is a little less than the width of my arms.


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## LittleMan (Aug 5, 2005)

AlisonPower said:
			
		

> The one I use is white on one side and silver on the other. I also have a diffuser. I'm not at home and I don't know the size off hand, but unfolded it is a little less than the width of my arms.


Thanks! 
I've been thinking about getting one.


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