# Fair Pricing



## Pure (Jun 11, 2009)

*4" x 5"* 
*4" x 6"* 
*5" x 7"* 
*6" x 9"* 
*8" x 10"* 
*8" x 12"* *
9" x 12"*
*10" x 13"* 
*10" x 15"* 
*11" x 14"* 
*12" x 18"* 
*16" x 20"*
*16" x 24"* 


I'm trying to find fair pricing for these size prints.  I'm far from a pro, but my work isn't point and shoot.  Being 18 is somewhat a disadvantage because I don't want to highball potential customers, or low ball myself.  Not to mention I don't want to come across as arrogant by charging too much.  All of these prints will be of theater/musical shows, not landscapes, etc.


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## MBasile (Jun 11, 2009)

The first step to figuring out pricing is figuring out your cost. Are you going to be printing these at home, or having them printed professionally?


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## Pure (Jun 11, 2009)

MBasile said:


> The first step to figuring out pricing is figuring out your cost. Are you going to be printing these at home, or having them printed professionally?




A lab, mpix.


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## Big Mike (Jun 11, 2009)

One way to think about it is that you are selling an image...which is also to say that you are selling your hard work and expertise in capturing that image and creating the finished image.  

So the size of the paper isn't really much of a factor....or maybe it shouldn't be.  

Really, if it's only going to cost you a couple dollars more for an 8x10 than a 4x6...should they be $30 difference in price?


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## Jim Gratiot (Jun 11, 2009)

Pure said:


> I'm trying to find fair pricing for these size prints. I'm far from a pro, but my work isn't point and shoot. Being 18 is somewhat a disadvantage because I don't want to highball potential customers, or low ball myself. Not to mention I don't want to come across as arrogant by charging too much. All of these prints will be of theater/musical shows, not landscapes, etc.


 
First off, if you do it right, quoting a high price will come across as confident, not arrogant. Second, being 18 shouldn't be a disadvantage unless you let it. Although some people are naturally biased against younger photographers, a really good portfolio and a professional attitude is generally more important than your age.

As for pricing, I'd take a look at a dozen or so photography sites and see what they're charging for these types of prints.  Take the average, and you'll get a pretty good sense of what the market will bear.

Good luck!


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## atbawrps (Jun 11, 2009)

Are you selling paper or are you selling art?


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## MBasile (Jun 11, 2009)

My pricing is as follows:
10x6.7 Petite Print (Paper)-34.49
16x10.7 Small Print (Paper)-35.99
23.9x16 Medium Print (Paper)-43.99
32x21.4 Large Print (Paper)-50.99
36x24.1 Grande Print (Paper)-75.99

The prints come from ImageKind.com. They aren't the cheapest, but I've used them before and like their quality. I took the price of the print and added $x for the smaller two sizes, $y for the Medium and Large, and $z for the Grande, increasing the mark up as I got to each higher category (this prevents the smaller prints form being relatively expensive).


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## KmH (Jun 11, 2009)

Pure said:


> *4" x 5"*
> *4" x 6"*
> *5" x 7"*
> *6" x 9"*
> ...


I wonder if you've given thought to how you will handle all the differing aspect ratios you have in your list of sizes. 

How will you crop if a client wants a 5x7, an 8x10, and a 12x18 of the same image. That's 3 different aspect ratios.

I would drop all the sizes that are a 3:2 aspect ratio.

If you're willing to do a little reading visit www.ASMP.org (American Society of Media Photographers) because they have information that would help you determine what your pricing should be.


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## msf (Jun 12, 2009)

Pure said:


> *4" x 5"*
> *4" x 6"*
> *5" x 7"*
> *6" x 9"*
> ...



I would suggest have different combinations of sizes on an 8x10 sheet, instead of selling individual 4x6, etc.  Dont forget 20x20, 20x24, 30x40, etc.   And canvas.



KmH said:


> Pure said:
> 
> 
> > How will you crop if a client wants a 5x7, an 8x10, and a 12x18 of the same image. That's 3 different aspect ratios.
> ...


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## KmH (Jun 12, 2009)

msf said:


> But 5x7 and 8x10 are some of the most popular sizes.


Yes they are, and neither are a 3:2 aspect ratio.


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## musicaleCA (Jun 12, 2009)

People will assign value to your work based on how much they pay for it (to an extent). It's a bit of a backwards way of thinking, but when purchasing a product, we all make this cognitive error at some point. (Our brains are very bad at valuations of anything.) Hence, if done right, having a solid price that covers your costs and earns you a profit will not sound like arrogance, but confidence and professionalism. Make sure you account for all the time you put into the image, including travel time, prep time, planning, checking your equipment, your equipment costs themselves, time to import the images, data storage costs, data backup costs (your clients might lose the images and want them again), post-processing time, retouching, the time it will take to confirm and place the order, and any shipping costs involved (along with anything else you can think of that I just missed). Then figure-out how to charge your client while making a profit that is fair to both parties.


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## msf (Jun 13, 2009)

KmH said:


> msf said:
> 
> 
> > But 5x7 and 8x10 are some of the most popular sizes.
> ...



Hmm, I must have read your post wrong, I read it as you should only offer sizes that are 3:2 ratio.


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## Reegan (Jun 13, 2009)

Do you have a local department store? Dillard's does makeup and you only have to buy part of the product you liked! I have done it in the past for prom and have had friends do it for weddings! Hope this helps!


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## UUilliam (Jun 13, 2009)

what i would do is: find out how much it is going to cost for you to buy those certain sizes, find a printer (dealer) and stick with them, let them know you will be a frequent customer and try get the service as cheap as possible, add about 75% onto it, you get a 75% profit from every image you sell, but lower the percentage the dearer the image will cost... e.g. a printing service that will cost £10, you make £7.50 profit from, if it then costs £30, lower the percentage to about 60% meaning you make £18 profit from it and so on


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## KmH (Jun 13, 2009)

UUilliam said:


> what i would do is: find out how much it is going to cost for you to buy those certain sizes, find a printer (dealer) and stick with them, let them know you will be a frequent customer and try get the service as cheap as possible, add about 75% onto it, you get a 75% profit from every image you sell, but lower the percentage the dearer the image will cost... e.g. a printing service that will cost £10, you make £7.50 profit from, if it then costs £30, lower the percentage to about 60% meaning you make £18 profit from it and so on


Actually, you don't make a 75% profit because the cost of the print isn't the full extent of your operating costs.


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## Pure (Jun 15, 2009)

I just realized something.

Shipping.

I can either pay crazy prices at my local camera store to have my images printed, or go online and have them printed, but then shipping comes into play.

Do you guys make cilents pay for shipping, or do you cover it, and just include that price for the print?


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## B Kennedy (Jun 15, 2009)

all depends..if random people are ordering prints from an event I shoot, they pay for shipping.  If I get hired to photograph an event for a single client for a couple hundred dollars or so , and that price package includes a few prints, I mail them and include that price in my quote as well as whatever I offered them in the package.


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## Pure (Jun 16, 2009)

The thing is, I decided that I'd charge $18 for a 8x10 finished print.

The person wants 2 prints of each of her son. So $36+$6.45 for shipping. Which would equal $42.45. I somewhat know the mother.

Taking all of the advice from people, I didn't lowball my work considering that I didn't charge a sitting fee [it was for a friend], etc.

If you were a mother, and you saw this young photographer charging $40+ for prints, would you be turned off?

One guy already asked for a print, then changed his mind after hearing it was $24.

And yes, I watermarked the photos online.


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## B Kennedy (Jun 16, 2009)

Pure said:


> The thing is, I decided that I'd charge $18 for a 8x10 finished print.
> 
> The person wants 2 prints of each of her son. So $36+$6.45 for shipping. Which would equal $42.45. I somewhat know the mother.
> 
> ...



All depends on the print, type of picture, etc.  That pricing seems pretty good, mine is around that pricing as well.  $6.00 for shipping, that must be like ups ground or something?  I don't think that price is bad at all.  If its a great photograph, and of course great would be your standards, did it adequately represent what you shot, nice and clear, etc.  Then the price is good.  You will get people to pay that price, and no it's not an insanely high in my opinion.


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## Pure (Jun 16, 2009)

B Kennedy said:


> Pure said:
> 
> 
> > The thing is, I decided that I'd charge $18 for a 8x10 finished print.
> ...


 
The 2 prints are two B&W headshots of her two children that I did for a recent production my friend put on.  I'm using MPix probably, and the shipping is like $6.45 for 3-5 day shipping.


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## B Kennedy (Jun 16, 2009)

any low resolution copies to post here?


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## Pure (Jun 16, 2009)

B Kennedy said:


> any low resolution copies to post here?



uncropped, and untouched, just BW as of now


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## andrew99 (Jun 17, 2009)

To the OP:  Don't let your age hold you back, look at what Joey L has done, and he's only 18 or 19.



atbawrps said:


> Are you selling paper or are you selling art?



This is the best analogy I've heard so far!


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## Pure (Jun 17, 2009)

Thanks for all the help!

Just wanted to let you guys know I made my first sale of 2 8x10 prints!


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## iflynething (Jun 17, 2009)

andrew99 said:


> To the OP:  Don't let your age hold you back, look at what Joey L has done, and he's only 18 or 19.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Joey L: WOW!

~Michael~


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## andrew99 (Jun 18, 2009)

iflynething said:


> Joey L: WOW!
> 
> ~Michael~



Yeah, I know!  I think he is an inspiration to us all, no matter what our age!


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## B Kennedy (Jun 18, 2009)

Pictures look great! and Congrats on the sale.  Should be a nice confidence booster for what you feel your prints are worth


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