astrostu
03-30-2010, 10:10 PM
[Sorry if you've seen this thread on some other forums ... I'm cross-posting to try to maximize feedback.]
Anyway, I'm a grad student, 5th year, been working with my advisor since 2007. I'm in astronomy -- photography is "just" a hobby, albeit an expensive one. He knows I've shot one wedding on my own and has seen the photos. He also knows I did that one for free. He's getting married this Sept. and he asked me around October last year - just after I got back and was swearing I would never do another wedding for free - if I would shoot his. I told him yes, but that I would charge him.
Fast-forward to now, and I'm meeting with him and the bride-to-be on Thursday afternoon to go over a contract (which I've already e-mailed them), discuss what coverage they want, get the important names, dates, places, etc. And figure out a price.
My question is, should the fact that I have relatively little experience (which he KNOWS, as I have asked him and the fiancé four times to make sure they're okay with going with me) AND ESPECIALLY that he's effectively my boss have any bearing on what I charge him?
I'm going to extend my psychic powers and guess that the answer will be "no" for the latter part, but then the question moves to, what do I offer him as a wedding present? One thing I was considering doing is that many, many people said my pricing structure needed to be ratcheted up by at least a factor of 2, so that the "Basic" package of just covering 2 hrs of ceremony plus formals starts at $600. So I thought I could do that, but then knock off 25% or 50% and say that's the present.
Another option I was thinking about is to double the prices based on what folks said in my original thread, including beefing up the prices on prints, but then offer them something like $200 in print credit (effectively $20-40 in cost to me). That has the benefit of not having to collect more money 6 months after the event and them not thinking as much about me jacking up my print prices since he knows where I get them printed. But then if they want "digital negatives" (which I currently have priced at $250 for a disk with 'em), then they likely wouldn't order prints so then it may seem like I'm short-changing 'em in that department.
So ... what do y'all think? I guess in effect, there are three questions here:
1 - Should my lack of experience and/or the fact the guy's my boss have any effect on my prices?
2 - What's a reasonable wedding present here? Discount on the overall package? Print credit? Digital negatives credit?
3 - Is $250 for full-resolution JPGs (the "digital negatives") a reasonable price these days? I've looked around and prices I've seen are all over the place. Speaking of which, here are my prices ... the ones I've been told need to be doubled (http://photos.sjrdesign.net/tpf/wedding_contract_prices.pdf). Do you agree?
Anyway, I'm a grad student, 5th year, been working with my advisor since 2007. I'm in astronomy -- photography is "just" a hobby, albeit an expensive one. He knows I've shot one wedding on my own and has seen the photos. He also knows I did that one for free. He's getting married this Sept. and he asked me around October last year - just after I got back and was swearing I would never do another wedding for free - if I would shoot his. I told him yes, but that I would charge him.
Fast-forward to now, and I'm meeting with him and the bride-to-be on Thursday afternoon to go over a contract (which I've already e-mailed them), discuss what coverage they want, get the important names, dates, places, etc. And figure out a price.
My question is, should the fact that I have relatively little experience (which he KNOWS, as I have asked him and the fiancé four times to make sure they're okay with going with me) AND ESPECIALLY that he's effectively my boss have any bearing on what I charge him?
I'm going to extend my psychic powers and guess that the answer will be "no" for the latter part, but then the question moves to, what do I offer him as a wedding present? One thing I was considering doing is that many, many people said my pricing structure needed to be ratcheted up by at least a factor of 2, so that the "Basic" package of just covering 2 hrs of ceremony plus formals starts at $600. So I thought I could do that, but then knock off 25% or 50% and say that's the present.
Another option I was thinking about is to double the prices based on what folks said in my original thread, including beefing up the prices on prints, but then offer them something like $200 in print credit (effectively $20-40 in cost to me). That has the benefit of not having to collect more money 6 months after the event and them not thinking as much about me jacking up my print prices since he knows where I get them printed. But then if they want "digital negatives" (which I currently have priced at $250 for a disk with 'em), then they likely wouldn't order prints so then it may seem like I'm short-changing 'em in that department.
So ... what do y'all think? I guess in effect, there are three questions here:
1 - Should my lack of experience and/or the fact the guy's my boss have any effect on my prices?
2 - What's a reasonable wedding present here? Discount on the overall package? Print credit? Digital negatives credit?
3 - Is $250 for full-resolution JPGs (the "digital negatives") a reasonable price these days? I've looked around and prices I've seen are all over the place. Speaking of which, here are my prices ... the ones I've been told need to be doubled (http://photos.sjrdesign.net/tpf/wedding_contract_prices.pdf). Do you agree?