My Friend Owns a Shop.

True Story, My friend owns a yarn shop...and she also owns a purse boutique too.  

I've bought yarn from her shop and she has offered me a little bit of a discount.  I'd say maybe 5-10%. Sure I know that the product she has in her shop she has marked up double but she has to make money right?  And she has overhead.  She has rent, payroll, taxes...and on and on.  So she really isn't making 100% profit now is she?! no she is maybe making like 20% and if she is giving me 10% off she is only making a small profit.  That makes me feel bad as a friend allowing her to give me a percentage off, but she does it anyway because we are friends.

SO what does this have to do with photography?  Well nothing, unless you liken it to your business.

Okay so we all have friends who think that we can do their photography for nothing right? Well why do you think they think this?  They see we have a camera.  And I bet you 100 pennies that they think "well it doesn't cost her anything because she doesn't have to buy the camera she already has it, and she can just give me a disc that doesn't cost anything either, really."  Well the thing they don't understand is just like my friend had to buy the yarn, you had to buy the camera.  Sure she has already paid for the product just like you have already paid for your camera but you still need to make money on your investment right?  Now it's not just about the camera you had to buy...you have other overhead too.  Let's talk about what your overhead is exactly.

Camera.(check we covered this)

Camera accessories (lens, camera bag, CF or SD cards)

Computer.  

Editing Software.

Editing Tools. (ie: actions, overlays, textures, templates, brushes, filters)

Supplies. (ie: business cards, paper work: print releases, contracts. CD's, CD cases, files,)

Props.

Backdrops.

Studio Lighting.

Camera Maintenance. 

Automobile Maintenance

Insurance

Business Licences/Registration

Fuel (to get to photoshoots)

Babysitters (if needed)

Pay the Tax Man.

And I am sure I could list more.

So you see you have a lot of overhead right?! RIGHT!

When you tell yourself about ALL these things you start to feel that you can't afford to be the nice guy and do shoots for friends for nothing. 

As a matter of fact you start thinking "I should be charging more."

Then you will really think about what you are charging when you break it down even further.

Say you charge $100.00 but you are giving them 20% off because they are friends.

So they will pay you $80.00

They want a yellow chair in their photo.

You go to the thrift store and find a chair for $5.00. 

and you buy some paint for $5.00

and now you have a cute yellow chair you can use as a prop.

Now you are making $70.00

The location you have decided on is 1 hour away.

You spend 2 hours shooting

and 1 hour driving home.

Now you spend 20 minutes downloading images 

And 1 hour on first round of edits.

you spend another 4-5 hours editing your favorites or the entire shoot.

30 minutes doing social networking about their shoot and uploading their photos to your blog or website.

If you do online proofing you spend another 10 minutes setting up their online proofing.

Now you decide that you are going to just give them a disc because, "heck they are friends"

10 minutes making a disc.

Oh and now you're so nice..you actually deliver the disc to them.  Say that takes you an hour.

Their shoot has now taken you. 10 hours and 10 minutes. 

So you have now made. 

$6.93 cents an hour.

And guess what? We didn't even figure in the gas that it took to get you there and back and there and back again.

So you probably made less then that.

So what is this all about?

It is about business.  You are in business to make money.  That is why people go into business.

Sure you can be nice and give your pal a discount, but before you do so really think about how much you are really going to make in the end and if it's worth it to you.

Don't feel bad when someone asks you "how much do you charge?"  Tell them how much you charge.  If they are super special to you, sure make an exception.  If they don't want to pay what you are worth then ask yourself this "are they really my friend."

I know that I value my friend...the one I told you about in the beginning and guess what? I don't let her give me a discount.  Her hard work I value to much and I know that she is in business to make money and as a friend I am there to support her.

Good Luck.

{and no post is ever complete with out something pretty to look at.}