# aloha :) is charging $20.00 too cheap??



## travelingangie (Dec 30, 2009)

I'm just starting..an amateur basically. I have taken pictures of my friends before but for free. Is charging $20.00 for/2 hours/40 prints too cheap??


suggestions suggestions please :blushing:

:hugs: angie


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## CW Jones (Dec 30, 2009)

ummm well post some samples of your work $20 is maybe enough to cover 40 prints at Walmart with a coupon lol

I would say generally no. Again tho post us some samples, if its just point and shoot with no thought or framing then $20 is probably fine


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## travelingangie (Dec 30, 2009)

haha okay here's some of my black and white photographs..taken for my black and white photo class. please try and finish the entire slideshow and let me know whatcha think..some of the pics are overexposed lol

itim&White photos 

Here's a couple of colored pictures http://www.travelingangelaphotography.blogspot.com/
but I tool using my an old fuji s2 pro that dies every picture lol i have to keep turning it on again and again in order to take photos haha. now I got the nikon d5000 and i have taken photos. i will upload some of them tonight.. and i'll post it here.


umm. i have never ever taken a digital photo class before so i guess yeah 20.00 is fine for someone like me.


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## rufus5150 (Dec 30, 2009)

You have a good eye for composition. I was really surprised since most people that ask this kind of question have a portfolio that barely demands $20.

At this point you'd be better off trading your time for experience (maybe split the cost of prints with your subjects) and building your portfolio than you would be charging so little. You can barely cover your costs and by the time you're finished, you're making pennies an hour at best for quality photos.


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## Josh66 (Dec 30, 2009)

CW Jones said:


> ummm well post some samples of your work $20 is maybe enough to cover 40 prints at Walmart with a coupon lol



Yeah, $20 is pretty much free after materials.  Add in time & labor and you're paying them to take their picture.


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## jubb (Dec 31, 2009)

Way too cheap.  I think you'd be better off asking them to buy you lunch than that price while including prints.  You want to be the Luxury photographer, not the discount cheapo photographer right.


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## keith foster (Jan 1, 2010)

I agree with the other posters, you can't cover your costs at that price.
I think the advice of trading their time for yours and you get to build your portfolio is good advice.  Let them pay for prints they want for their own use and you get the rights to use the photos in your portfolio.

However you decide to go I think you have a good eye and have done an excellent job so far.  Can't wait to see what you can do with decent equipment.  Good luck!


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## Nicholas James Photo (Jan 1, 2010)

travelingangie said:


> I'm just starting..an amateur basically. I have taken pictures of my friends before but for free. Is charging $20.00 for/2 hours/40 prints too cheap??
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
This is a new year joke, Right?


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## Shockey (Jan 1, 2010)

Just keep shooting for free until you don't have to ask if your work is good enough to accept money for.
Taking pictures for people doesn't always mean you need to get paid for it.
I make a lot of money with photography and I still shoot people for free all the time.


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## travelingangie (Jan 3, 2010)

Hey guys thanks for the reply. The reason I asked is because there's a bunch of photo students in my school that charge 20.00. So I was just wondering.... just found out that they can print for free at school. That's why it's cheap. They can also check out equipment at school.  

but yeah, I wrote some sort of business plan and asked around about printing cost (snapfish etc.). So basically I will based the prices on printing cost. 

Today I will be taking pix of my friend and test printing using snapfish and mpix. 

and Shockey, I'm not asking if my work is good enough. I only askfor critiques so I can improve whatever needs improvement. .. but I know I do have a good eye.

I've taken pictures for free before.. so many times. but using crappy equipments. now that I finally bought a good camera I figured maybe I can try earning money from my hobby.


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## sinjans (Jan 3, 2010)

Way too cheap. I liked your set. I  think what shockey meant was if you were providing garbage photos then $20 would suffice 
But you should appreciate getting compliments like these. they are not  as common as you may think. good luck with it


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## CW Jones (Jan 3, 2010)

Don't sell yourself too short. You do have a good eye for composition. I would say try a trade off, find a model to shoot that is willing to do "Time for Prints" or "Time for CD" New models like doing this because they get portfolio pictures and experience... you like this because you get portfolio pictures and experience. Its a VERY fair trade off for someone looking to get deeper into photography.


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## lakers808 (Jan 3, 2010)

aloha to you to travelingangie lol.. u from hawaii also? wat city ? .. anywayz thats cool u might start ur own business .. wat kind camera u got ?.. i need some quick lessons from u if u dont mind ahaha


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## travelingangie (Jan 3, 2010)

lakers808 said:


> aloha to you to travelingangie lol.. u from hawaii also? wat city ? .. anywayz thats cool u might start ur own business .. wat kind camera u got ?.. i need some quick lessons from u if u dont mind ahaha



oh lol nope. i'm not from hawaii. i just like saying aloha lol. But actually i might go to hawaii for my bday which is on april.. Are there any hostels in hawaii? or mostly hotels.

i got the nikon d5000.  


aloha <3 angie lol


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## travelingangie (Jan 3, 2010)

CW Jones said:


> Don't sell yourself too short. You do have a good eye for composition. I would say try a trade off, find a model to shoot that is willing to do "Time for Prints" or "Time for CD" New models like doing this because they get portfolio pictures and experience... you like this because you get portfolio pictures and experience. Its a VERY fair trade off for someone looking to get deeper into photography.



yeah thanks. i just did that awhile ago. i have a friend that is interested in modeling and i asked her if she wants me to take her pix and she said yep


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## lakers808 (Jan 3, 2010)

ayte coo..l no hawaii is awesome  its great .. i have a nikond40 since im a beginner and im using manual settings right after i expermient with auto settings . been practicng for almost a month how bout u ?... ur gonna like it here .. wait hawaii Big island or honolulu Hawaii? lol


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## bennielou (Jan 4, 2010)

totally depends on where you are photowise.


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## lakers808 (Jan 4, 2010)

im just saying im from hawaii also .. and im a starting photgrapher..  what do u mean depends where i am?


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## Incognito (Jan 8, 2010)

Shockey said:


> Just keep shooting for free until you don't have to ask if your work is good enough to accept money for.
> Taking pictures for people doesn't always mean you need to get paid for it.
> I make a lot of money with photography and I still shoot people for free all the time.


 
I 100% agree.

From looking at your portfolio my honest opinion is to do free sessions and learn as much as you can. You do great landscapes and nice shots of "stuff" but your portraits fall short. The minute you start charging is the minute people start expecting more than you can give them.


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## Jamie71 (Feb 24, 2010)

With that $20, do they get to keep the 40 prints or are those just proofs?


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## ghache (Feb 24, 2010)

you can charge them 20 bucks for the shoot and extra for the prints. 

if you want to keep it cheap then charge printcost X5. its not gonna be that much enyway.


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