Value yourself.
Commercial Pricing.
Basics of estimating:
-Know what it costs to run your business.
-Always submit estimates in writing (don't give verbal estimates) and list all costs & possible costs.
-Get confirmation for all estimates.
-Create a rate card for quick reference on the go.
-Communicate with the client.
Find out what it's cost to do nothing:
-Overheads
-Fixed costs
-Equipment etc.
Compare yourself to other professionals (i.e. lawyers)
Pitfalls of estimating:
-Not saying no.
-Quoting out of desperation (thinking it's the only work you ever get and therefore under charging.)
-Being vague about whats included.
-Under quoting.
-Verbal quoting.
Summary:
-Know your business running costs
-Estimates in writing
-Have a terms of trade
-List all possible additional costs
-Get confirmation
-Have a rate card
-Communicate with the client
-Join the ACMP (plug for ACMP)
In terms of ACMP Vs AIPP the ACMP come across as real professionals as apposed to the AIPP who oft seem like a boys club.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Michelle Aboud
Michelle's talk was probably the best of all the talks I attended for Contemporary Photographic Practices.
She spoke more of establishing a style and mentally preparing for a shoot. This was good as after many years studying the technical side of photography we didn't really need to know the how's but rather the why's.
the biggest thing I got from the talk was Planning and pre-visualise.
Prep prep prep. (think of all the gear you'll need)
But it's important not to over think things, just to get ready and plan, but don't do the shoot in your head otherwise you'll lose the drive to do the real shoot on the day.
Michelle directs every part of a shoot, she makes sure the model is exactly how she needs them to be.
She seeks authenticity, If a shoot calls for a model to be running in the shot, she makes them run.
She made it clear not to waste time with an idea that isn't working. (move on to anther idea)
Be yourself
Be flexible
Be true to yourself but don't embrace disregard (i.e. work with people and listen to their ideas but never lose your own style / integrity)
CHECK:
Location
Equipment
Talent (models etc.)
Ideas
and Step back, breath and relax.
Take into account all the elements of the shoot.
She spoke more of establishing a style and mentally preparing for a shoot. This was good as after many years studying the technical side of photography we didn't really need to know the how's but rather the why's.
the biggest thing I got from the talk was Planning and pre-visualise.
Prep prep prep. (think of all the gear you'll need)
But it's important not to over think things, just to get ready and plan, but don't do the shoot in your head otherwise you'll lose the drive to do the real shoot on the day.
Michelle directs every part of a shoot, she makes sure the model is exactly how she needs them to be.
She seeks authenticity, If a shoot calls for a model to be running in the shot, she makes them run.
She made it clear not to waste time with an idea that isn't working. (move on to anther idea)
Be yourself
Be flexible
Be true to yourself but don't embrace disregard (i.e. work with people and listen to their ideas but never lose your own style / integrity)
CHECK:
Location
Equipment
Talent (models etc.)
Ideas
and Step back, breath and relax.
Take into account all the elements of the shoot.
Scott Leggo "fine art" photography
Scott and Hayley had some interesting points (some of which I disagree with, but this mainly due to my dislike of the term fine art. artists never call their work fine art (but this is an argument for another time)
Scott and Hayley fine arts photography business,
Scott Leggo images, bvr images aviation photography
Building the business, vision, building skills, knowing people to sell to people.
Decision start. Make up your mind and run with the decision.
Business planning, where do you want to be- what do you need to get there. Adapt as you learn and grow.
Realism in your vision: personal family and work commitments.
What product? Type, quality, point of difference, relevance to vision, relevance to branding, growth into new products.
Who / where will our product come from, suppliers
, reputation, cost considerations. Product quality.
Limited edition prints.
What is limited?
Be careful
What size
Do clients care
What quality
Point of difference
Why are you editioning?
Branding, what do you offer over someone else?
Where will you position yourself,
Impact and price point
Market
Reputation and image. High or low price point.
Build the brand around yourself, eventually people buy the photographer, not just the image.
Build your image
Grow it over time
Target demographic, culture, country.
Protect you image and brand
-media awareness
-stay on message- what is the message?
Retail presence.
How will you sell your prints?
Internet?, gallery??? They need to match (all mediums)
Purchase point is not marketing, building business and sales are separate, but critically linked. Business cards at marketing to drive towards purchase point.
Know about retail. Economic cycles, what people are buying etc.
Intellectual property.
Trade marks
Usage, (unintentional)
Protect images and corporate information.
Need to protect against intentional & malicious and ignorance.
Growing the business .
Target Market?
Reaching the target market
How do people shop?
What marketing do they respond to ?
How do they learn about new products?
Who is the purchasing decision maker?
Impression, what do you want people to think about tour business / product
Look like a big business.
Office phone number, own domain name, own email, signature block on email
Web presence.
Exploit everyone you know for sales, clients.
Make it easy for friends to Market you.
Don't think fine art is different from any other business, commercial rather than an artist
Scott and Hayley fine arts photography business,
Scott Leggo images, bvr images aviation photography
Building the business, vision, building skills, knowing people to sell to people.
Decision start. Make up your mind and run with the decision.
Business planning, where do you want to be- what do you need to get there. Adapt as you learn and grow.
Realism in your vision: personal family and work commitments.
What product? Type, quality, point of difference, relevance to vision, relevance to branding, growth into new products.
Who / where will our product come from, suppliers
, reputation, cost considerations. Product quality.
Limited edition prints.
What is limited?
Be careful
What size
Do clients care
What quality
Point of difference
Why are you editioning?
Branding, what do you offer over someone else?
Where will you position yourself,
Impact and price point
Market
Reputation and image. High or low price point.
Build the brand around yourself, eventually people buy the photographer, not just the image.
Build your image
Grow it over time
Target demographic, culture, country.
Protect you image and brand
-media awareness
-stay on message- what is the message?
Retail presence.
How will you sell your prints?
Internet?, gallery??? They need to match (all mediums)
Purchase point is not marketing, building business and sales are separate, but critically linked. Business cards at marketing to drive towards purchase point.
Know about retail. Economic cycles, what people are buying etc.
Intellectual property.
Trade marks
Usage, (unintentional)
Protect images and corporate information.
Need to protect against intentional & malicious and ignorance.
Growing the business .
Target Market?
Reaching the target market
How do people shop?
What marketing do they respond to ?
How do they learn about new products?
Who is the purchasing decision maker?
Impression, what do you want people to think about tour business / product
Look like a big business.
Office phone number, own domain name, own email, signature block on email
Web presence.
Exploit everyone you know for sales, clients.
Make it easy for friends to Market you.
Don't think fine art is different from any other business, commercial rather than an artist
Hilary Wardhaugh
Hilary Just gave us a basic rundown on how she runs her portrait business.
She is very strict about the hours she works, as she wants to be able to spend time with her family.
She has a sliding scale on the way she charges so she can maintain the hours she wants to work... If you want her in her family time it'll cost you more (this is in my mind a very good way to run a business if you are already established, not so good if your just starting out).
She is very strict about the hours she works, as she wants to be able to spend time with her family.
She has a sliding scale on the way she charges so she can maintain the hours she wants to work... If you want her in her family time it'll cost you more (this is in my mind a very good way to run a business if you are already established, not so good if your just starting out).
Monday, April 19, 2010
Geoff Comfort, What to charge
Geoff Comfort
What to charge
According to Geoff you can only deliver 2 of the following 3 things so you have to figure out which 2 you will go for.
-High quality
-Fast turnaround
-Low price
High quality and fast turnaround would be he ideal 2.
What you charge depends on;
-Business overheads
-Competitors
-How much the client will pay
-What you want out of the job
-Life style (that you want to maintain)
-Turnaround
-Quality of the work
So based on your own overheads and the cost of sales, plus what you want to earn you can then calculate how much to charge.
What to charge
According to Geoff you can only deliver 2 of the following 3 things so you have to figure out which 2 you will go for.
-High quality
-Fast turnaround
-Low price
High quality and fast turnaround would be he ideal 2.
What you charge depends on;
-Business overheads
-Competitors
-How much the client will pay
-What you want out of the job
-Life style (that you want to maintain)
-Turnaround
-Quality of the work
So based on your own overheads and the cost of sales, plus what you want to earn you can then calculate how much to charge.
Ben from Fusion photography
Ben from Fusion photography
First up, Ben is a very savvy business man and would be successful in pretty much any business pursuit.
Ben spoke about different types of wedding photographers and about how much he charges and how he gets to that figure.
He stressed that it’s not about the photography it’s about a difference, it’s about business and selling yourself.
Ben talked about “shoot to burn” photographers i.e shooting 50+ weddings a year at a low rate. The burn referring to the photographer burning out and not making much money.
He spoke of the hidden costs, Advertising / marketing, Camera wear (which is very high for wedding photographers as they tend to shoot a lot of frames), Consultation (even if a client doesn’t book you they still eat up your time), Insurance, superannuation and tax.
He gave a run down of how many weddings he had shot i the last 3 years and the average package price of those weddings;
-2007: 55 @ $3600
-2008: 50 @ $4200
-2009: 45 @ $5000
-2010: 39 @ $6300
-Projection for 2011 32@ $8000
He said the reason he now has a $5000 minimum package is calculated from his bottom line and what he is willing to sacrifice his weekend for. He also pointed out that if he had a cheap package and someone booked it, he then couldn’t accept a booking for a $10,000 wedding on the same day.
He stressed to never give away negs / copyright.
He pointed out that wedding albums are his key to higher profits and charges per page of an album.
How to justify charges;
-Be worth it, go the extra mile
-Believe in your self worth
-Help clients see your value
-look the part (dress well)
Sell yourself, Clients need trust and confidence.
Educate your clients;
-The value of good photography
-The value of good service
-The value of taking control (as a photographer)
Reasons why Ben loves being a wedding photographer
-Always with happy people
-Endless variety
-Endless challenges
-every photography discipline rolled into one.
Although Ben mad a pretty good case I still have no interest in wedding photography.
First up, Ben is a very savvy business man and would be successful in pretty much any business pursuit.
Ben spoke about different types of wedding photographers and about how much he charges and how he gets to that figure.
He stressed that it’s not about the photography it’s about a difference, it’s about business and selling yourself.
Ben talked about “shoot to burn” photographers i.e shooting 50+ weddings a year at a low rate. The burn referring to the photographer burning out and not making much money.
He spoke of the hidden costs, Advertising / marketing, Camera wear (which is very high for wedding photographers as they tend to shoot a lot of frames), Consultation (even if a client doesn’t book you they still eat up your time), Insurance, superannuation and tax.
He gave a run down of how many weddings he had shot i the last 3 years and the average package price of those weddings;
-2007: 55 @ $3600
-2008: 50 @ $4200
-2009: 45 @ $5000
-2010: 39 @ $6300
-Projection for 2011 32@ $8000
He said the reason he now has a $5000 minimum package is calculated from his bottom line and what he is willing to sacrifice his weekend for. He also pointed out that if he had a cheap package and someone booked it, he then couldn’t accept a booking for a $10,000 wedding on the same day.
He stressed to never give away negs / copyright.
He pointed out that wedding albums are his key to higher profits and charges per page of an album.
How to justify charges;
-Be worth it, go the extra mile
-Believe in your self worth
-Help clients see your value
-look the part (dress well)
Sell yourself, Clients need trust and confidence.
Educate your clients;
-The value of good photography
-The value of good service
-The value of taking control (as a photographer)
Reasons why Ben loves being a wedding photographer
-Always with happy people
-Endless variety
-Endless challenges
-every photography discipline rolled into one.
Although Ben mad a pretty good case I still have no interest in wedding photography.
Hasselblad Phocus
Hasselblad Phocus.
During the Hasselblad seminar we were shown how to use the schools new H3d cameras and how to use the accompanying software Phocus.
While pretty much all modern D-SLR cameras largely the same we went through all the menus and custom settings and found that Hasselblads and super user friendly.
The same can be said about the software, it is a straight forward program that offers basic editing and camera control. One big plus that I got out the seminar was a new style of digital workflow and a manual way to set white balance using the principle that under the correct colour balance you will get the maximum amount of tones in each colour group... This is very handy for color balancing shots that are hard to get a grey card into i.e microscope photography.
We also got foldable quick-start guides for the cameras and the software that include a full list short cuts, I have used the guide on a number of occasions.
The software also has a full history of Zeiss and Fuji/Hasselblad lenses and can auto correct for distortion and CA’s etc... absolutely brilliant.
During the Hasselblad seminar we were shown how to use the schools new H3d cameras and how to use the accompanying software Phocus.
While pretty much all modern D-SLR cameras largely the same we went through all the menus and custom settings and found that Hasselblads and super user friendly.
The same can be said about the software, it is a straight forward program that offers basic editing and camera control. One big plus that I got out the seminar was a new style of digital workflow and a manual way to set white balance using the principle that under the correct colour balance you will get the maximum amount of tones in each colour group... This is very handy for color balancing shots that are hard to get a grey card into i.e microscope photography.
We also got foldable quick-start guides for the cameras and the software that include a full list short cuts, I have used the guide on a number of occasions.
The software also has a full history of Zeiss and Fuji/Hasselblad lenses and can auto correct for distortion and CA’s etc... absolutely brilliant.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)