Standardising shoot price, possible?

[edlye]

I take it that all those who have commented so far except myself have sold their photographic services (shooting for friends or relatives and getting a small angbao in return withstanding)?

How have you priced yourself? At, above or below the market norm? What is the norm you are taking for benchmark?

 

[TrailsofLife]

I cannot tell you my rates lah... but I ask 3 to 4 pros that I encounter in shoots(more than 10 years experience) about their rates and ask them to help me quote my rates. So my rates is, I believe, standard rates.

Proven by those couples I have shot. I dun lower my rates, always tell them, they like my work, must pay this kind of price lor..jokingly ofcourse. But most get the idea. Those who didn't get the idea, didn't hire me. which ok, since I dun depend on it to make a living.

Of course, special occassion like, one shot 2 or 3 couple want to hire me together, got give them special packge deal lah.

 

[TrailsofLife]

Well I think for one, maybe those of us on CS taking jobs via the consumers corner or otherwise can stop accepting lower pay than the standard? If customers can't find photographers they might consider paying more.

Naturally there are selfish people who will undercut so I'm not sure how far this would work.

Actually, you are right lor...

I also dunno whether this will give CS people an idea or not...because they got more influence.

 

[edlye]

I cannot tell you my rates lah... but I ask 3 to 4 pros that I encounter in shoots(more than 10 years experience) about their rates and ask them to help me quote my rates. So my rates is, I believe, standard rates.

Proven by those couples I have shot. I dun lower my rates, always tell them, they like my work, must pay this kind of price lor..jokingly ofcourse. But most get the idea. Those who didn't get the idea, didn't hire me. which ok, since I dun depend on it to make a living.

Of course, special occassion like, one shot 2 or 3 couple want to hire me together, got give them special packge deal lah.

So I guess most are pricing themselves at the market only if they are confident that they will get away with it? What is the skills or portfolio benchmark then?

 

[TrailsofLife]

get away wat? Customer see portfolio, happy, tell them rate, happy, confirm, not happy find those undercutter lor.

here talking about standardising rate, not standardising creativity leh.

 

[Witness]

I guess it will involve education of the paying public. I liken it to the state of sound reinforcement, especially for outdoors concerts in Singapore, the public's ears are so used to bad sound setups that they wouldn't recognise a good and properly tuned sound system much less be cajoled into the frame of mind that a decent sound system should be the norm and not the exception.

eh.... tt's sweeping...me and my fwens know nutting abt music...as in not fervant fans of outdoor concerts or wat...and we are not audiophiles...but we CAN tell a bad system from a good one when we hear it.....

but i get ya point...photog is a diff thing...most ppl only want nice sharp clear images...v technical stuff la.... the more artistic sense depends on the client him/herself le....

 

[jOhO]

well the other thread where someone was requesting the world for wedding photoraphy for $600 was "locked for review"... meaning what?

maybe that's a sign where moderators do not want our photgraphers to get exploited. but then again it's not like them to interfere with the supply & demand of goods and services that govern any economy.....

anywayz.... regulating prices for photography is not quite practical... becos unlike public transport, there are many different levels and opinions about each photographer's style. some are well-liked, some are liked by the niche, some are so-so but cheap.. etc etc..

 

[Sion]

I say let the market decides whatever price a photographer would get.

Some will die so that the fittest survive.

It's the law of the jungle.

Why you think photographers upgrade their equipments, buy books and magazines, go for courses and workshops, experiement and try out new things and constantly seeking ways to improve, develop and progress to a higher level?

They want to be different and they want better paying clients.

Standardization and protectionism are bad for a creative service like photography.

Don't let the photographers wear the uniforms like the taxi drivers.

 

[catchlights]

I say let the market decides whatever price a photographer would get.

Some will die so that the fittest survive.

It's the law of the jungle.

Why you think photographers upgrade their equipments, buy books and magazines, go for courses and workshops, experiement and try out new things and constantly seeking ways to improve, develop and progress to a higher level?

They want to be different and they want better paying clients.

Standardization and protectionism are bad for a creative service like photography.

Don't let the photographers wear the uniforms like the taxi drivers.

Agree with sion,
How many people are still shooting wedding years after years, nobody regulate the price for them, protect them, and they still around kicking and jumping.

If there is association to regulate the charging price for wedding photography, and it state no photographer can charge below $800.00 for a day shoot, what will happen? Many photographers will be out of the picture already, either change career or just become fake, illegal photographer.

Many bridal studios are charging about $500.00 to customers for wedding photography service only, and the assignments is farm out to photographers, bridal studio are well aware some other photographers is charging lower to the customers directly, but the bridal studio will not lower the selling price just because of this.

If you want a price for benchmark, maybe this is good enough.

 

[Paul_Yeo]

Food centre has the A, B, C or D label, we can have that for photographers

 

[Stoned]

Well technical stuff aside, ABCD grades are subjective. You can't exactly measure skill like you measure temperature.

Currently I think about 500 or less is what people are willing to pay for wedding photography. I know some who reason that if it's more than 500, it would be better to go to a bridal studio because "they know what they're doing". It sound incredulous but that's the way many people think. A store front, a personal website(opposed to say pbase or photobucket), all contribute to the "proness" of a photographer.

 

[Sion]

How many people are still shooting wedding years after years, nobody regulate the price for them, protect them, and they still around kicking and jumping.

I think some like catchlights are not only kicking and jumping, they are dancing too. :bsmilie:

 

[ortega]

why not the people here in CS start first by regulating the minimum price that can be charged, this will protect the newbies from being exploited and also set a minimum price for non newbies as catchlights has already mentioned ($500)

but what does the $500 buy?
Service only and CD?

 

[TrailsofLife]

I say let the market decides whatever price a photographer would get.

Some will die so that the fittest survive.

It's the law of the jungle.

Why you think photographers upgrade their equipments, buy books and magazines, go for courses and workshops, experiement and try out new things and constantly seeking ways to improve, develop and progress to a higher level?

They want to be different and they want better paying clients.

Standardization and protectionism are bad for a creative service like photography.

Don't let the photographers wear the uniforms like the taxi drivers.

Ha ha, only the cheapest will survive lah, like that.

 

[fotoudavid]

cheapest will never survive here.

 

[TrailsofLife]

cheapest will never survive here.

Most Singaporean like to go for bargain wat, someone just try to bargain for $7 discount with me! Ridiculous, right?

 

[fotoudavid]

it will work short term. long term he will die.

why? COS HE SHOOT AT CHEAP, SO NEED TO DO MORE, YOU THINK HE CAN TAHAN? ALSO, SOONER LATER RAISE PRICE, THEN CLIENT BASE LOSE SOME.

also, when he raise price, other newbies jump in, undercut, so its a round world.

the only thing that one pro can do, don't give a damn on the undercut.

sometimes, newbies slam pro for not teaching, selffish etc, what to do. teach them, they know abit and undercut, don't teach, they say bad things. best is, don't give a damn.

the undercut player will never feel pain, cos they dont survive on photography, and digital make their job easy, they can always crop.

 

[catchlights]

Look at those people in the market for more than 5 years, they may started cheap, but are they still charging cheap now? No, I don't think so, unless they are still delivery same kind of stuffs, and serving same kind of customers.

smurfman always complaint about people undercut a few years back, now he don't give a damn, the customers ask for something cheap, he tell them go find somebody else.

Another example charging cheap is not going to work out, there is photographer I heard of, his is charging very cheap, so can get a lots of customers, brides mention that engage him is because he is cheap, but not he is good, so now what happen? He has too many assignments beyond his ability to handle, miss or late for appiontments, unable to deliver album on time, many customers start to complain about the poor quality of his service and products in the net.

Many people have share the way of charging cheap is not healthy, and I tell you that this will not work out also, it because in the end, the photographers charging cheap will be the looser. He will not survive in the market for very long.

 

[catchlights]

why not the people here in CS start first by regulating the minimum price that can be charged, this will protect the newbies from being exploited and also set a minimum price for non newbies as catchlights has already mentioned ($500)

but what does the $500 buy?
Service only and CD?

Yes, service only and CD. album is A la carte.

anyway, nobody can stop somebody for charging too low, the best way to deal with this is to say "NO", when everyone say "NO" to cheap offers, and the buyer will realize can only find "money" for offering "peanut" only, the situation will than be change.... until the next economy crisis.

 

[TrailsofLife]

Something like "say no to piracy" campaign...ha ha...

Maybe CS can start a "Say No to 'Monkey' Hunter" campaign...ha ha:bsmilie: