Camera fee

Daniel_OB · Jul 3, 2007

Portrait studios charge siiting fee, some call it camera fee. It go from $7 for kids up to $150 for studio wedding portrait.
Can anyone make me clear what actually is that fee for.
Thanks for your time

www.Leica-R.com

MikeSeb · Jul 3, 2007

It pays for the time and skill of the photographer, as well as a proportional share of the overhead of operating a studio filled with costly equipment.

Daniel_OB · Jul 3, 2007

Thanks Mike for you answer. But is not charge for the photograph for it. Might I am not getting yet. I am new to portrait photography and somehow I am not able to provide answer to customes if they ask me why I should pay it.

David A. Goldfarb · Jul 3, 2007

It's just one of a number of possible business models. Photographers who charge a sitting fee are establishing the minimum cost of a sitting as Mike says, apart from prints, and then they make most of the profit from prints. You might offer a package that itemizes the sitting fee, proofs, and a certain number of prints, and then offer additional prints at additional cost, or offer different packages, say with a discount for more pre-ordered prints, as opposed to prints ordered later.

Monophoto · Jul 3, 2007

Daniel -

Most photographers establish a price per final print. If that price has to cover the overhead costs of operating the studio, then the price for the first print will be high. In theory, a photographer could set a graduated price schedule where the first print is priced to cover the overhead costs of the studio, and subsequent prints have a lower price. But the problem remains that there is no way to know how many prints the customer will actually purchase - if any. Therefore, the practice is to charge a sitting fee that covers the studio overhead, and then create a per-print pricing schedule that is based more on the cost of producing those prints and the margin that the studio wants to make.

isaacc7 · Jul 3, 2007

Daniel_OB said:
Thanks Mike for you answer. But is not charge for the photograph for it. Might I am not getting yet. I am new to portrait photography and somehow I am not able to provide answer to customes if they ask me why I should pay it.

A little advice, if you are in business, you shouldn't be afraid or ashamed to ask for money. You don't need to "justify" any price, but make it clear that it is the price of your expertise. If they don't like it, they won't sit and that's just fine. Those people will probably baulk at the idea of you making money on prints too, after all, it only costs 2.99 for an 8x10, where do you come off charging $100 for it?

If you need a "reason" to tell clients, just say that it is a flat fee designed to cover the costs of your time. Opportunity cost is a difficult concept for people to get (and this includes businessmen). You are taking someone's portrait, and they may or may not buy any prints from you. The time you spend with them is not only possibly not profitable, it may be keeping you from someone that you can make money off of. So the sitting fee is your compensation for your time (and/or costs of the studio) and the lost opportunity to be working with someone else.

Isaac

Daniel_OB · Jul 3, 2007

Thank guys for your time it is all clear to me now.

jstraw · Jul 3, 2007

It ensures that you're not losing money when the client realizes they're uglier than they realized and decide not to purchase any prints.

Daniel_OB · Jul 4, 2007

I added to my price list
Basic sitting fee is $55 (discount is possible from time to time). This applies to: Baptism -- Group -- Family -- Individual

How this apply to multy shots, say 10 shots for family at one event

Thanks

david b · Jul 4, 2007

I don't think I would ever discount the sitting fee. It's still your time. Discount a photograph size or something like that.

Camera fee

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