PIXelations

After having researched various forums on the topic of what to do about pricing any paying photo jobs that may ever come my way, I have come to several conclusions.

Any consumer searching for a product to purchase is normally interested in the price of that product first. People in the forums indicated their suspicion of any web sites that do not provide adequate or accurate pricing information, regardless of the type of product or service. Providing general pricing information would at least establish a sense of legitimacy for my service. Some folks feel they won’t post prices to force the customer to call so that pricing can be better tailored to their specific needs. Other folks say that since I am not well-established, my prices should reflect this.

I don’t know what the answer is. I discovered that, of course, software is available to perform just about anything you need. There is a package here that can price many photographic situations. Until I actually have something I can call a “business”, I won’t spend the money for it. There are so many other details related to pricing that also need to be considered: model releases, service contracts that spell out exactly the service to be performed, and billing forms. This book which I did buy also comes with a CD with all of the forms any photographer could possibly need, and you can customize all of them. I do acknowledge that I need to be ready to answer the question, “So, what do you charge for…”. I was caught once when a co-worker asked what I would charge for a family portrait. I don’t want to be caught again.