For Photographers: Transitioning from Hobby to Professional {Graham NC Headshot Photographer}

Q: “I have reached out to many photographers and no one is willing to help when it comes to ideas, options, etc.”

“In effort to try and offer more of a more personal experience I really want to do more and offer more.. but not undercut the area photographers. I know each photographer seems to have their own niche… but I like to be fair with rates.”

• “Do you add any digital image to your packages or do you sell them separately? Or not at all..”
• “Secondly, print options.. I don’t know what to charge for the first print and then the ones there after.”

A: “One reason that you won’t get a straight answer is that so much of this is variable and specific to your own expenses, costs, desired profit per hour, target market, etc.”

“A few years ago, I decided to only sell my portrait images as prints. Meaning, when you buy a portrait image from me, you are going to get a matted print. That is the product, and… I also include free digital files for each portrait image purchased, printable by the client up to 8×10. If you don’t want the print, no problem, but the cost is the same. That was my choice to have a specific standard of product I’m offering.”

“It’s important for you to know that I am selective in what clients I take on and I intentionally limit the volume of photographic work I do. My ideal client is one that specifically wants MY photography, and not just the cheapest acceptable photographer. I’ve made choices specific to my circumstances that help me attract and repel. I want my clients to have a GREAT experience and a product that they appreciate. If I’m not the right photographer for them, I’m happy to make recommendations for colleagues that could be a better fit.”

“When it comes to prints, my philosophy is very much that you are not selling the cost of the paper, you are selling the experience/vision/talent of your photographic art that created something of value. While your art is presented on that $x.xx piece of paper or that $xx.xx matted print, the value is in what you created. While the cost of supplies matter, you don’t price artwork by what it cost the artist in materials.”

“Client’s buy the image from me at a price I’m comfortable with, and then I’m happy for my clients to print as many copies as they like from whoever they like, though I do offer suggestions on where to get quality prints.”

“This occasionally varies for different situations, meaning I might offer digitals-only for high volume events, specific to the job.”

“Your circumstances may be completely different. Maybe you want full time work, a high volume studio, specific income goals. I’ve found that no matter what you choose, there is someone cheaper, pricier, faster, “better”, more popular. You have to find out what is comfortable and sustainable (this one’s important, you don’t want to burn out) and works for your personality and financial situation.”

“To specifically answer your question about packages, I only offer “packages” for wedding clients. Personally I’ve found that I prefer à la carte or minimal volume discount selling. I don’t enjoy pushy upselling or convincing clients to buy with different savings schemes. Packages have not been especially helpful for me in my portrait sales. That’s my personality, not a suggestion for what’s “best” to do. I’ve chosen not to go the “Sale! Buy it now!” route in pricing and selling. I know that this affects who my client is and how they buy. Packages work really well for other photographers with different target markets, different personalities or selling style, so it’s definitely a personal choice.”

“To answer your question about pricing multiple prints, occasionally someone wants more than one copy of a single print, but most love being able to get that high quality matted print from me and then have freedom to print whatever other copies they want from the included digital file.”

Hope this helps!