i was thinking of having my first package start at 1300. 8 hrs coverage with my husband and I, low resolution cd, online gallery and engagement session.

but then i was thinking, for some reason there are people charging $500.00 for full coverage... (I laugh at this because this is what I paid my photographer but I will 100% tell you that I REGRET IT!!) but at 1300...will brides be like....i can get this "business" for 500...

I guess what I'm asking is....do you still think its in that level and should I go higher to get out of that...or do brides not think this way? my husband said..."i think we'de be okay" and I'm like..."maybe...we could use a 2nd, 3rd and 4th opinion though!!"

people had asked what they were before, and you dont even want to know. i was dumb too. *sighs*.



thoughts? honestly! =)

Carrie, have you and your husband run the numbers to determine what you will ACTUALLY be making after all is considered? Probably isn't very much, so you need to determine if the little money is worth the great amount of time, energy, talent.

If you are going to stay that low, maybe take out the disc of images and price it as an add-on. Are you offering albums? Smart album sales can increase your revenues.

Just some thoughts.

Hey there~
My husband and I keep raising our rates. And you know.. honestly.. our phone does *not* ring as much as before and that can be alarming to say the least. Like, no where NEAR the same amount (hehe!). But all of the work involved, all of the post processing and packaging.. that took alot of time away from our kids and we just finally got to the point where we said if we were going to do it, then it was going to be worth the effort.
I think that $500 is astronomically low. I'm with your husband.. I think you'd be okay sticking with the higher rate! And .. like anything else, there is a buyer's psychology and if you are priced too low I think people get suspicious of your service and talent.
Hope that helps, and good luck making the right decision for your family and your business
~Angela

p.s. Hey! What is that animal in your avatar?

the ever curious
Angela

I'm not saying I'm going to charge $500.00, I'm just sayin if I start at $1300 with the gallery, and time and then have higher packages that offer more.

I was just askin if brides and grooms would put us in the same category as the photographers charging a lot less and say, "if we can pay 500, why would we pay 1300?"

Oh, hes a chinchilla.

I think people know that there is always going to be someone who will take their money at whatever price point. Is your photography better than the $500 and $800 shoot and burn photographers in your area? If so then stick with the higher prices. If not, keep taking those gigs until you are better than those guys. You have to show clients that the value is there. You aren't worth it if you don't believe it. Also eventually seperate your art from your business. As artists if we don't feel good about our last shoot or last job we feel like we aren't worth a dime. But in reality everyone else sees the value in your work and will hire you because of that. Don't devalue yourself just because of what others are doing, or how you feel about your photos. Go off of what your clients and potential clients think of you.

-Dan