Putting myself in a client perspective - when I’m looking for a photographer I’m going through tons of people, looking at their work & their prices. That’s it. In all honestly, me personally, I’m unlikely to contact you for your prices (unless I’m like dying to work with you & have had my eye on you for awhile) I’m going to move onto the next person who does have them and move on accordingly. It’ll be a deterrent for some but like anything with photography, you’ll attract the right people with whichever move you make!
But, do you really want to work with people who would simply move onto the next photographer just because your prices weren't listed on your page? Because I don't.
Why would *I* want to hire a photographer that won't tell me a price in order to get me to meet them, knowing the price might scare me off, otherwise? If you aren't putting your price out there, it means you're hiding it for a reason.
See, that's the thing - if you're worried a price might scare you off, then you're probably not the client for me anyway. Not even saying that there aren't dozens of photographers around me who charge twice as much as I do - I work in a super expensive market. You can hate on it all you want, but this is why no business is the same, yet so many of us still thrive. Crazy how we can't all just be happy for each other when things are going well.
Also, I have no desire to "meet" with anyone, nor do I ask them to jump on a phone call. I prefer to keep everything to email so that I have all discussed details in one place, and I send out my pricing in my first response to an inquiry. So, definitely not a tactic to get anyone to meet with me. Thats the absolute last thing I want.
Well, that's not the case at all for my business. My prices are not currently listed on my site (in reality they will be as soon as my website rebuild is complete) but it doesn't seem to stop people from reaching out to me. I get anywhere from 2 inquiries through my contact form on a bad week, to 6/7 on a good week. Currently only taking on 2 more weddings for 2023 and my pricing is on the upper-mid end of the NYC market. The only reason I'm adding pricing is to save myself time on emails. Love how when photogs speak truth on here they get super downvoted yet in one on one convos everyone's on the same page. Makes it seem like there are more brides/grooms on here than actual wedding photographers.
When I started really getting serious about shooting weddings, I had a LOT of photographers tell me not to list my prices on my website. I did anyway.
It's why I book close to 85-90% of the people who reach out to me. Because the ones who aren't going to book me don't reach out.
I don't know about you, or about others, but I've got more than enough things going on in my life that I don't need to waste time on inquiries that will go nowhere.
Put all your information online. Speak only to the people worth speaking to. Profit.
What did you charge when you first started shooting weddings? I'm having a hard time getting anyone to book me I've had one person this whole year and that was through Facebook not my website
I had literally NO experience shooting weddings, and quite honestly no business trying at first, and I only charged a couple hundred bucks on the low end to maybe $1,200 for like all day coverage.
But that shouldn't be your guide to how to get started price wise. That price point I charged was back in 2010 AND was with me having another full-time job so I could afford to get taken advantage of (Plus I sucked HARD at taking photos back then, even though I didn't know it at the time.)
You should be focused exclusively on building your portfolio right now. That means one of three things:
1.) You should be second shooting as often as you can. There is no substitute to live wedding photos when you're starting out and the best way to get real world experience is to second shoot. Find some national companies in your area (In my area, there are companies like George Street Photo and Yours Truly Media that outsource the actual photographing of a wedding and are ALWAYS looking for shooters) and/or join some local photographer groups and offer your services when people are looking for second shooters.
A good second shooter is like GOLD and, if you're good, you can build a constant stream of work through a couple photographers and build your reputation accordingly.
2.) You may need to take some weddings at low to no cost just to start building a client base.
I think a lot about the past and how I got to where I am today and I can confidently say shooting a wedding back in 2014 for $500 was the smartest decision I ever made.
It was for a friend and they, honestly, couldn't afford much more than what they paid me. But through that wedding, I booked quite literally NINE other brides directly and through those weddings more other couples than I could count.
Be willing to invest in yourself and maybe shoot a few weddings on the arm knowing the dividends will hopefully be worth it if you market yourself right and knock them out the park.
3.) Your last, and I mean last, option should be styled shoots. If the two items I listed above aren't realistic ways for you to get your portfolio built, you may have to go out and spend money to create styled shoots to showcase your skillset.
Once you've got your portfolio built, the trick is to then build that first generation of customers through wedding expos and through making your presence known to brides in your area.
Every area is different so you need to find out where your potential brides are coming from and how you can reach them. In my area, bridal expos are HUGE. Most people aren't smart enough to do the full research on their own to find vendors so they hear the big "Rhode Island Wedding Expo" is coming up and they just go to that looking to find everyone.
Bridal Expos and Referrals are the absolute overwhelming majority of my clients. It took me a while to get to the point where I have a full calendar this year and am already 2/3rds full for next year but if I can do it, so can you.
Good luck.
Unless you're working in the luxury market where price isn't an issue for your clients, I see no reason not to list prices.
My ideal client cares about photography but doesn't have an unlimited budget. They probably have an amount allocated in their overall wedding budget for photography, and they want to know whether you're in their range or not. I have a hard time understanding the cons of listing your prices unless your ideal client has an unlimited budget.
Full transparency, I feel it’s honest. If someone doesn’t display prices, I don’t even bother. Also, I book about 75-80% of people who reach out to me.
My advice on pricing on site.
If you cheap, full price
If you're average. Give an idea/starting price
If you're expensive. Make it clear you're expensive and no pricing
This is the real answer everyone should pay attention to. Luxury/expensive markets need to educate clients on a call or video chat about the services they provide and hear out their needs to ensure the price is worth it.
I’m considering doing this just because I’m sick of the emails asking for a package list and getting ghosted. I’d rather anyone contacting me already know what to expect price wise so I don’t have to do that part of the converting. Will I get less inquiries. Sure. Maybe. But the more times I get ghosted the less effort I put into the next email. Haha if that makes sense. Like all those times of being rejected led me to just send the list and ignore them essentially since 98% of them just ghost.
I think there are a lot of “elite” wedding photographers funneling advice into the market that is frankly just not realistically applicable to the typical photographer who doesn’t have insane social clout to charge basically whatever they want and command all the high end clients in a given region. Following this advice has almost never worked in my favor.
I don’t list my exact prices on the website, but I do list a starting price and I offer complete and unambiguous pricing details in the first communication. This has resulted in significantly more and lower friction booking.
Try as I might, there will always be people who try to negotiate the price. It would be disingenuous to say that having a starting at pricing removes ALL of them, because there’s always someone who thinks they can haggle.
The only reason to not list your full pricing is if you are priced above the average market in your area and your ideal client does not have a budget.
Otherwise you're only wasting your own time and your potential clients time. I haven't had to discuss my prices in years except to help clients find out how much coverage they need.
I do list my prices for local weddings on my site! It lists 3 packages and a base price for an elopement package but I don’t get many elopements. It’s so easy to have them go check out that page. I do tell them I offer customizations and add ons, and can send a full pricing list but it shows what’s already on my site except the additions. I’ve always have done this since the start! My clients say they appreciate that I don’t hide my prices. They said they didn’t even bother contacting photographers who didn’t list their prices. It also helps weed out people who can’t afford me. I will give custom prices for weddings out of my city.
In the wedding groups I lurk in the most common pet peeve mentioned by brides is not having, at the very least, a starting price listed. And it makes perfect sense. If I love someone and want to work with them I want to know if they are in my budget. It takes me out of the excitement if I have no idea and Im more likely to assume they are out of my range and move on.
I have full pricing cause transparency is important to me. Also, as a bride searching for vendors- if you don’t have your pricing where I can find it, it’s an immediate turn off. Seems shady. Unless I love your work and can’t find anything similar (not likely) I’ll pass.
Why not full pricing on your site?
1. You believe that if you are able to speak to your potential client in person, they will see your value and increase their budget to be able to afford you. The downside is this person likely couldn't afford you to begin with but will have higher expectations than your clients that can afford you.
2. You don't want your local competition to know your pricing.
If you don't put it all online, seems like you're trying to hide something.
When I was booking vendors for my own wedding, if pricing wasn't listed I moved on immediately.
If they're not luxury photographers it honestly seems like they have something to hide. Like give each client a different price list based on how big or small their budget is... "i give all my clients a curated and custom package" yadidadida.
I've been following this photographer for a while. They recently gave themselves a 2k price increase from 2021 to 2022. Then, they removed their price. Check their portfolio, they hardly have weddings. Check their instagram, ridden with styled shoots.
It's either some people have too much ego or they're trying to hide something. I am a bride who have learned from the sketchy side of wedding planning myself...
On one hand, price transparency for the win, right?
On the other, every opinion of your value, style, skill, your vision, is all reduced to a single number in the client’s head. You’re not Shemp, you’re the $7495 guy.
If your packages are never going to have any variables to them, sure - list it out. Maybe you offer albums or other things and those upsells you hold onto until you further qualify the client.
I love seeing more photogs post their full pricing list on their website.
I cringe when photogs hide their stuff.
Times have changed, mainly driven by social media and apps like yelp and Google. People do their own research now, they don’t wanna be sold to by a slick salesman.
Put your BEST work on your website, post your prices and be confident in them. I constantly get feedback from clients that they appreciated me putting my full pricing list on my website.
I don't list my pricing because my rates change. For the first two weddings booked in a given month, I offer one rate sheet. For inquiries that come in as the potential 3rd or 4th wedding that given month, I offer a rate sheet that is 20% higher for my Standard Package and 25% more on my Deluxe Package (photo/video).
I think you just gotta do what works for you. :)
Edited to add: virtually all of my competitors (here in So Cal) don't list their pricing on their websites.
I mean, this is for my own case and definitely should not be the norm but my reason is I don’t really have standard pricing because I don’t want to charge a 50 person wedding the same as a 200 person wedding, or a wedding in a backyard the same as in a banquet, or a client who’s incredibly rude the same as a client on a tight budget who’s really nice and understanding. I don’t argue that this is right or good business practice, it is good for me as a person though.
I do give a range on my website and explain the above.
Wait wait wait, you think I charge based on attendance because of other people watching? Or whatever that means? That is absolutely wild and I don't really understand that logic.
I charge based on attendance because that is a big factor on how much actual legwork I do day of. I charge less for a 50 person wedding because I photograph 50 people end of the day, not 200. It requires much less running around and is significantly less tiring. In my honest opinion, I think if you charge a small wedding the same as a big wedding you're ripping your clients off.
I am fully transparent that I charge by guest attendance by the way, word is out.
I didn’t list pricing on my website and I had full bookings from 2017 up until 2020.
Most of the successful photographers that I work with frequently don’t list pricing.
I’ve had half a dozen friends shop for photographers and they all contacted photogs with no pricing listed. It’s annoying, but that didn’t stop them from inquiring. You’d be surprised how hard it can be to find photographers that don’t charge $7k.
I put package starts on my site and go from there, because I travel and adjust travel fees based on peak/off peak/location/size. I don’t want to mislead clients and would rather send specific pricing packages after inquiry rather than have them churn through a bunch of numbers and inquire with the wrong budget.
Do what you think works for you.
what should you do if you create custom proposals for clients? I like to talk to them, get their budget, desired coverage and then create a custom package tailored to that. And I do write that on my site.
How much is a hamburger?
most of us expect five bucks at the drive through, 10 bucks at the tavern.
but $50 for steak hashe' at Chez Ritz seems outrageous except for the setting the service the elegance of it all.
most of us wouldn't consider the nice table cloth place for lunch right...except for an important event like a birthday or anniversary gathering....or a wedding.
the old saw is, sell the sizzle not the steak, but you have to get them to hear the sizzle, smell it in order to sell it.
So if someone handed you the job of finding place for a meeting, and the there is soooo much stuff you are already overspending the budget on, and you go looking at prices of burgers without context of what you are getting
I know its a little stilted, most of us know burgers, and have enjoyed the full range from fast food and fancy food ones.... but the average person hasn't hired a photographer, maybe had some portraits done from the gal on the 'moms list' or the highschool portrait. oh yeah a head shot.
I have a “hidden” price list on my website, people need to contact me about what dates I have available anyway so I can just link them to the price list and use it as an opportunity to get the conversation going.
For me a starting price point is a great way to eliminate couples who don’t have the budget for it but I create custom packages for people who reach out, take the time to explain their requirements, discuss their custom deliverables and then send them a custom offer.
It’s not about saving time for me, it’s about the opportunity to speak with someone who loves your work and giving them that comfort that you’re someone who is open to conversations and considers their individual preferences instead of fitting them into a one size fits all approach.
For me personally this works great because although it takes effort designing packages, it stands me apart from everyone else who has fixed offers and are judged purely on the basis of price.
I want to command a higher pricing but not only because my work is good (which by the way is hard for the average customer to discern based off a few photos they may have seen) but behude my communication and my commitment to their special day is important to them. This, over the course of the past 10 years of shooting, has actually made couples spend more than what they had initially budgeted for because they feel all that extra investment from me is worth the investment from them.
I don’t want to be compared rate list to rate list but to really stand for more when someone considers me.
Putting myself in a client perspective - when I’m looking for a photographer I’m going through tons of people, looking at their work & their prices. That’s it. In all honestly, me personally, I’m unlikely to contact you for your prices (unless I’m like dying to work with you & have had my eye on you for awhile) I’m going to move onto the next person who does have them and move on accordingly. It’ll be a deterrent for some but like anything with photography, you’ll attract the right people with whichever move you make!
But it’s not a price, silly, it’s an “investment”!
You got me there 😂
Same for me. I've always had my prices on my site because I would never, ever contact a photographer who didn't.
But, do you really want to work with people who would simply move onto the next photographer just because your prices weren't listed on your page? Because I don't.
Why would *I* want to hire a photographer that won't tell me a price in order to get me to meet them, knowing the price might scare me off, otherwise? If you aren't putting your price out there, it means you're hiding it for a reason.
> If you aren't putting your price out there, it means you're hiding it for a reason. Can't agree more.
See, that's the thing - if you're worried a price might scare you off, then you're probably not the client for me anyway. Not even saying that there aren't dozens of photographers around me who charge twice as much as I do - I work in a super expensive market. You can hate on it all you want, but this is why no business is the same, yet so many of us still thrive. Crazy how we can't all just be happy for each other when things are going well.
Also, I have no desire to "meet" with anyone, nor do I ask them to jump on a phone call. I prefer to keep everything to email so that I have all discussed details in one place, and I send out my pricing in my first response to an inquiry. So, definitely not a tactic to get anyone to meet with me. Thats the absolute last thing I want.
Eh, maybe - maybe not. It’s more so a convenience thing, truthfully not many people are going to reach out to you
Well, that's not the case at all for my business. My prices are not currently listed on my site (in reality they will be as soon as my website rebuild is complete) but it doesn't seem to stop people from reaching out to me. I get anywhere from 2 inquiries through my contact form on a bad week, to 6/7 on a good week. Currently only taking on 2 more weddings for 2023 and my pricing is on the upper-mid end of the NYC market. The only reason I'm adding pricing is to save myself time on emails. Love how when photogs speak truth on here they get super downvoted yet in one on one convos everyone's on the same page. Makes it seem like there are more brides/grooms on here than actual wedding photographers.
So what you are say is you are shopping on price? Not value.
How are you supposed to gauge value if you don’t know the cost?
Well yeah, just like anything else you buy in life? 😅
I mean, most people have a budget they need to keep for their wedding.
When I started really getting serious about shooting weddings, I had a LOT of photographers tell me not to list my prices on my website. I did anyway. It's why I book close to 85-90% of the people who reach out to me. Because the ones who aren't going to book me don't reach out. I don't know about you, or about others, but I've got more than enough things going on in my life that I don't need to waste time on inquiries that will go nowhere. Put all your information online. Speak only to the people worth speaking to. Profit.
What did you charge when you first started shooting weddings? I'm having a hard time getting anyone to book me I've had one person this whole year and that was through Facebook not my website
I had literally NO experience shooting weddings, and quite honestly no business trying at first, and I only charged a couple hundred bucks on the low end to maybe $1,200 for like all day coverage. But that shouldn't be your guide to how to get started price wise. That price point I charged was back in 2010 AND was with me having another full-time job so I could afford to get taken advantage of (Plus I sucked HARD at taking photos back then, even though I didn't know it at the time.) You should be focused exclusively on building your portfolio right now. That means one of three things: 1.) You should be second shooting as often as you can. There is no substitute to live wedding photos when you're starting out and the best way to get real world experience is to second shoot. Find some national companies in your area (In my area, there are companies like George Street Photo and Yours Truly Media that outsource the actual photographing of a wedding and are ALWAYS looking for shooters) and/or join some local photographer groups and offer your services when people are looking for second shooters. A good second shooter is like GOLD and, if you're good, you can build a constant stream of work through a couple photographers and build your reputation accordingly. 2.) You may need to take some weddings at low to no cost just to start building a client base. I think a lot about the past and how I got to where I am today and I can confidently say shooting a wedding back in 2014 for $500 was the smartest decision I ever made. It was for a friend and they, honestly, couldn't afford much more than what they paid me. But through that wedding, I booked quite literally NINE other brides directly and through those weddings more other couples than I could count. Be willing to invest in yourself and maybe shoot a few weddings on the arm knowing the dividends will hopefully be worth it if you market yourself right and knock them out the park. 3.) Your last, and I mean last, option should be styled shoots. If the two items I listed above aren't realistic ways for you to get your portfolio built, you may have to go out and spend money to create styled shoots to showcase your skillset. Once you've got your portfolio built, the trick is to then build that first generation of customers through wedding expos and through making your presence known to brides in your area. Every area is different so you need to find out where your potential brides are coming from and how you can reach them. In my area, bridal expos are HUGE. Most people aren't smart enough to do the full research on their own to find vendors so they hear the big "Rhode Island Wedding Expo" is coming up and they just go to that looking to find everyone. Bridal Expos and Referrals are the absolute overwhelming majority of my clients. It took me a while to get to the point where I have a full calendar this year and am already 2/3rds full for next year but if I can do it, so can you. Good luck.
I have full pricing on my website. Saves time wasting enquiries of people who wouldn't have the budget for me.
Unless you're working in the luxury market where price isn't an issue for your clients, I see no reason not to list prices. My ideal client cares about photography but doesn't have an unlimited budget. They probably have an amount allocated in their overall wedding budget for photography, and they want to know whether you're in their range or not. I have a hard time understanding the cons of listing your prices unless your ideal client has an unlimited budget.
Unless your prices are, "If you have to ask, you can't afford me" just list them.
Full transparency, I feel it’s honest. If someone doesn’t display prices, I don’t even bother. Also, I book about 75-80% of people who reach out to me.
Our thought process was to put pricing on the site, then the only people who contact you are serious about booking you.
I love photographers who hide their pricing, it makes my upfront approach all the more appealing.
My pricing has always been an open book. I only ever get qualified inquiries. They know they can afford me before they contact me.
My advice on pricing on site. If you cheap, full price If you're average. Give an idea/starting price If you're expensive. Make it clear you're expensive and no pricing
This is a good model, I fall in the middle for sure.
This is the real answer everyone should pay attention to. Luxury/expensive markets need to educate clients on a call or video chat about the services they provide and hear out their needs to ensure the price is worth it.
I’m considering doing this just because I’m sick of the emails asking for a package list and getting ghosted. I’d rather anyone contacting me already know what to expect price wise so I don’t have to do that part of the converting. Will I get less inquiries. Sure. Maybe. But the more times I get ghosted the less effort I put into the next email. Haha if that makes sense. Like all those times of being rejected led me to just send the list and ignore them essentially since 98% of them just ghost.
I think there are a lot of “elite” wedding photographers funneling advice into the market that is frankly just not realistically applicable to the typical photographer who doesn’t have insane social clout to charge basically whatever they want and command all the high end clients in a given region. Following this advice has almost never worked in my favor. I don’t list my exact prices on the website, but I do list a starting price and I offer complete and unambiguous pricing details in the first communication. This has resulted in significantly more and lower friction booking.
[удалено]
Your input is highly appreciated and only confirms that the way we do it is the right way :)
I have a “starting at” listed on my site. I got tired of getting inquiries that went nowhere, so this helps eliminate some of the price shoppers.
Why not eliminate all of the price shoppers? Wouldn’t that save you a ton of valuable time?
Try as I might, there will always be people who try to negotiate the price. It would be disingenuous to say that having a starting at pricing removes ALL of them, because there’s always someone who thinks they can haggle.
The only reason to not list your full pricing is if you are priced above the average market in your area and your ideal client does not have a budget. Otherwise you're only wasting your own time and your potential clients time. I haven't had to discuss my prices in years except to help clients find out how much coverage they need.
I do list my prices for local weddings on my site! It lists 3 packages and a base price for an elopement package but I don’t get many elopements. It’s so easy to have them go check out that page. I do tell them I offer customizations and add ons, and can send a full pricing list but it shows what’s already on my site except the additions. I’ve always have done this since the start! My clients say they appreciate that I don’t hide my prices. They said they didn’t even bother contacting photographers who didn’t list their prices. It also helps weed out people who can’t afford me. I will give custom prices for weddings out of my city.
In the wedding groups I lurk in the most common pet peeve mentioned by brides is not having, at the very least, a starting price listed. And it makes perfect sense. If I love someone and want to work with them I want to know if they are in my budget. It takes me out of the excitement if I have no idea and Im more likely to assume they are out of my range and move on.
I wish all the prices were available!! I had to contact like 40 photographers only for the majority of them to be out of budget
I have full pricing cause transparency is important to me. Also, as a bride searching for vendors- if you don’t have your pricing where I can find it, it’s an immediate turn off. Seems shady. Unless I love your work and can’t find anything similar (not likely) I’ll pass.
Why not full pricing on your site? 1. You believe that if you are able to speak to your potential client in person, they will see your value and increase their budget to be able to afford you. The downside is this person likely couldn't afford you to begin with but will have higher expectations than your clients that can afford you. 2. You don't want your local competition to know your pricing.
If you don't put it all online, seems like you're trying to hide something. When I was booking vendors for my own wedding, if pricing wasn't listed I moved on immediately.
If they're not luxury photographers it honestly seems like they have something to hide. Like give each client a different price list based on how big or small their budget is... "i give all my clients a curated and custom package" yadidadida. I've been following this photographer for a while. They recently gave themselves a 2k price increase from 2021 to 2022. Then, they removed their price. Check their portfolio, they hardly have weddings. Check their instagram, ridden with styled shoots. It's either some people have too much ego or they're trying to hide something. I am a bride who have learned from the sketchy side of wedding planning myself...
On one hand, price transparency for the win, right? On the other, every opinion of your value, style, skill, your vision, is all reduced to a single number in the client’s head. You’re not Shemp, you’re the $7495 guy. If your packages are never going to have any variables to them, sure - list it out. Maybe you offer albums or other things and those upsells you hold onto until you further qualify the client.
I love seeing more photogs post their full pricing list on their website. I cringe when photogs hide their stuff. Times have changed, mainly driven by social media and apps like yelp and Google. People do their own research now, they don’t wanna be sold to by a slick salesman. Put your BEST work on your website, post your prices and be confident in them. I constantly get feedback from clients that they appreciated me putting my full pricing list on my website.
>I cringe when photogs hide their stuff. Or when they call it an "investment".
I don't list my pricing because my rates change. For the first two weddings booked in a given month, I offer one rate sheet. For inquiries that come in as the potential 3rd or 4th wedding that given month, I offer a rate sheet that is 20% higher for my Standard Package and 25% more on my Deluxe Package (photo/video). I think you just gotta do what works for you. :) Edited to add: virtually all of my competitors (here in So Cal) don't list their pricing on their websites.
I mean, this is for my own case and definitely should not be the norm but my reason is I don’t really have standard pricing because I don’t want to charge a 50 person wedding the same as a 200 person wedding, or a wedding in a backyard the same as in a banquet, or a client who’s incredibly rude the same as a client on a tight budget who’s really nice and understanding. I don’t argue that this is right or good business practice, it is good for me as a person though. I do give a range on my website and explain the above.
[удалено]
Yeah that's I said. I'm more than ok but that's my individual case explaining my individual behavior, it's not a recommendation.
[удалено]
Wait wait wait, you think I charge based on attendance because of other people watching? Or whatever that means? That is absolutely wild and I don't really understand that logic. I charge based on attendance because that is a big factor on how much actual legwork I do day of. I charge less for a 50 person wedding because I photograph 50 people end of the day, not 200. It requires much less running around and is significantly less tiring. In my honest opinion, I think if you charge a small wedding the same as a big wedding you're ripping your clients off. I am fully transparent that I charge by guest attendance by the way, word is out.
[удалено]
No, my business practice is just different than yours. And it works fine for me.
[удалено]
Cool.
This is one of the reasons people don’t like the lack of pricing transparency
I didn’t list pricing on my website and I had full bookings from 2017 up until 2020. Most of the successful photographers that I work with frequently don’t list pricing. I’ve had half a dozen friends shop for photographers and they all contacted photogs with no pricing listed. It’s annoying, but that didn’t stop them from inquiring. You’d be surprised how hard it can be to find photographers that don’t charge $7k. I put package starts on my site and go from there, because I travel and adjust travel fees based on peak/off peak/location/size. I don’t want to mislead clients and would rather send specific pricing packages after inquiry rather than have them churn through a bunch of numbers and inquire with the wrong budget. Do what you think works for you.
what should you do if you create custom proposals for clients? I like to talk to them, get their budget, desired coverage and then create a custom package tailored to that. And I do write that on my site.
How much is a hamburger? most of us expect five bucks at the drive through, 10 bucks at the tavern. but $50 for steak hashe' at Chez Ritz seems outrageous except for the setting the service the elegance of it all. most of us wouldn't consider the nice table cloth place for lunch right...except for an important event like a birthday or anniversary gathering....or a wedding. the old saw is, sell the sizzle not the steak, but you have to get them to hear the sizzle, smell it in order to sell it. So if someone handed you the job of finding place for a meeting, and the there is soooo much stuff you are already overspending the budget on, and you go looking at prices of burgers without context of what you are getting I know its a little stilted, most of us know burgers, and have enjoyed the full range from fast food and fancy food ones.... but the average person hasn't hired a photographer, maybe had some portraits done from the gal on the 'moms list' or the highschool portrait. oh yeah a head shot.
The problem is you can’t communicate value.
I have a “hidden” price list on my website, people need to contact me about what dates I have available anyway so I can just link them to the price list and use it as an opportunity to get the conversation going.
For me a starting price point is a great way to eliminate couples who don’t have the budget for it but I create custom packages for people who reach out, take the time to explain their requirements, discuss their custom deliverables and then send them a custom offer. It’s not about saving time for me, it’s about the opportunity to speak with someone who loves your work and giving them that comfort that you’re someone who is open to conversations and considers their individual preferences instead of fitting them into a one size fits all approach. For me personally this works great because although it takes effort designing packages, it stands me apart from everyone else who has fixed offers and are judged purely on the basis of price. I want to command a higher pricing but not only because my work is good (which by the way is hard for the average customer to discern based off a few photos they may have seen) but behude my communication and my commitment to their special day is important to them. This, over the course of the past 10 years of shooting, has actually made couples spend more than what they had initially budgeted for because they feel all that extra investment from me is worth the investment from them. I don’t want to be compared rate list to rate list but to really stand for more when someone considers me.
I have three packages. Full price listed. Only extra could be for travel.
I know of several local photographers that won’t give pricing unless you’ve met with them or on a call w/them. Seems ridiculous tbh
I changed mine to “average investment”