Pricing your Self
I have been asked lately from people starting to take on portrait photography as a paid services. I have been been a paid photographer since 2006. Many people are un clear how to price them selves as photographer.
First are you doing it as a full time job or doing it part or just on your free time.
Full time photographer:
you need to figure out are you going to work from home or run out of a office space/studio space. Once that is figured out how, much is your rent, utilities, taxes, health care, advertising, website fees, and the list keeps going on and on for all the expense.
Now how much do you want want to make to pay your personal bills, walk around money, savings and so on. I figured out your self would $100/hr and your business then needs to make some money. Once you figure out all your expensis it’s usually works out to be $200-$250/hr or shoot for around $1500 a week.
Part time:
If you have a full time job and looking to shoot some photos to make some money on the side. Take your regulars hourly wage and double or triple it depending on how good of a photographer you are. Then figure out what you can write off in your house register your business so you can benefit from have your own part time business and figure out your city’s bruise sis licenses. Don’t be cheap you are still doing people a professional service so do a professional job at a professional rate.
I no longer shoot photos full time. Have my Rates changed yes, are they under cutting studios? No. My new clients are now just hiring me and my gear. I don’t have a studio, I have slimed my gear down, and all my expense are less now due to I don’t do this full time. I still have taxes to pay on the money I make, I still have insurance and I still have to keep the gear I own in working order to do the job that I am hired to do. My Hourly rate is anywhere from $25/hr to $100/hr depending on the job and what I am all doing.
Don’t sell your self short. Get paid for a service you are providing. If the person companies about your rate as them to do their job for a fraction of the price. We all need to get paid to live in this world So get paid what your worth.
NEW EDIT!
Curtis and I have been working with novo watches for a bit over a year now here is the new edit we did. Disclaimer not all the footage is ours it was supplied to use from the riders of the novo team. ENJOY!
Falling Objects in Lethbridge
Some friends of mine got some great footage. as of right now this video now has 4400 ish Views. It was uploaded Saturday January 26th. I just sent my friend off with on of my POV Cameras for a week in the Americas so I will have a new edit going up next month some time when I get the camera back.
Check it out.
The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.
Video is done by my co filmer and editor. CH DTF
RedBull Illume
This year I am entering Redbull Illume. It is a world wide photography challenge for action sports. I have a few ideas for some really cool photos my dead line is april 30th 3013 so I have a small window to get some great shots going.
I have 2 life style photos ideas in the works. I will be covering my shoots with my new AEE POV cameras that are now supported of ISO FOTO Studios. Stay tuned for videos and photos.
CB
I don’t Do much weddings these days but when I do its for awesome Friends
This is Jordan & Selena they got Married September 1st. My Lovely wife Melissa Belter assisted me with taking photos and all that fun stuff. The wedding was awesome weather was a normal windy day in Lethbidge and I spent lots of time ducking plastic BBs being shot at me while taking photos.
Here are a few photos:
Photos of Girls in the middle of no where
I love taking photos of action sport, but the odd time I take portait of Girls in cool environments. This is Brenna from AXS Images. She is a up and coming modle in Lethbridge. Dispit here being short she was awesome to work with and I can’t wait till we work together again. Here are a few photos from our session.
Would you do your job for free?
ISO FOTO Studios offer services. Photography, Web Design, Videography. These services cost money to make. Here is the break down of and 1-2 hour photo shoot.
Days before the shoot. (1-3 hours of my time)
-Emails, phone calls to organize the shoot (cost of internet, and cell phone)
-Driving around to find location (gas, insurance, car maintenance)
-Charging batteries, cleaning gear (cost of batteries and the gear)
Day of shoot (1-3 hours of our time)
-Travel to shoot location (gas, insurance, car maintenance)
-Photo Time! (cost of the wear and tar on all my photography gear)
Photo shoot done (2-6 hours of my time)
-Drive back to my home office (gas, insurance, car maintenance)
-Upload photos (Computer, card reader, Hard drives, software ect.)
-Selecting the best ones (Computer, card reader, Hard drives, software ect.)
-Editing (Computer, card reader, Hard drives, software ect.)
-Online viewing/ordering (web software, online storage, website)
-Deliver Digital ( Cost of disk, or online storage to download from)
-print deliver 9cost of prints, postage or vehicle expense)
Everything done backup to office site location or archive (Computer and software of site storage cost)
if I were to have non of the equipment to do what I do and was asked to produce a photo shoot to pay for everything I would need to produce just one professional photo it would cost thousands of dollars to do so.
So next time you ask someone that is doing a service to work for you, stop and think I wonder home much it cost for them to give me the service I am asking for.
I didn’t get everything I own for free I worked hard to have the things to do the job I do. If My service did not cost me anything to produce then it would not cost you anything to receive.
Just take a second and think to your self what if I was asked to do the job I do everyday for free or little money, Would you still do it? I don’t think you would so why should I or anyone else.
My time and tallent start at $100 a hour, prints start at $40, and finally digital rights start at $200 or single images at $60 each. My pricing is fair.
To write this Blog it just cost me money. My computer, My web hosting, software, interent, and electricity.
I have been in the industry for over 9 years now. I don’t need to take a photo for my portfolio I have 142634 photos on my hard drive right now and that is not including any of the photos that are archived off my computer from prior years.
Cody
Rossland, BC
Every year is head out to Rossland to get some well need R&R. Well my idea of R&R is hurling myself down a mount on my Mountain bike.
While I was there I shot and produced a promo video for a Bike Dirt Jump Contest called Hucken Berries Jump Jam. Its held every year in Rossland and its lots of fun. Here is the quick little video.
After the video shooting was done we still had some day light and I pulled out the lights and the big camera and shot some pretty cool dirt jumping photos.
New things to come
Welcome to ISO FOTO Studios and new company that was birthed from Shutterbug Photography. I am still updating this site with new photos, web site, and video projects that myself and the other people i work with have produced. Please pook around and if you need anything please contact me via email any time.
Cody
Today I have bad news
Today I found out I have a bulging disk in my lower back. I have idea how this happened maybe years of biking, my new sport of roller derby, or the hours I spend sitting at my desk answering emails and editing photos.
After a 3 hour trip to Lethbridges wonderful ER i was told keep doing what your doing and 90% of the time it will go away. The doctor did not diagnose my back injury at all. I looked into get a chiropractor to look at me. After a very painful drive to the Chiropractors office due to sitting is extremely painful. once I arrived after stretching and finding all pressure points. I now have a long road to recovery. I have a doctors appointment and going to request a MRI to hopefully see any and all damage to my back. Then I am trying out Body Talk. I hopefully can figure my back out before summer so I can ride bike.
My goal is to manage this pain with the least amount of drugs and try to strengthen my back more then it is. I would love to hear comments and what might have worked for you with similar injuries.
cody
