Pricing For Senior Photographers: A Guide

Pricing Guide For Senior Photographers

Easy and Logical Pricing For Senior Photographers with Isaac Coffy

“Are you kidding me?! You’re telling me that this costs $55?!” he said as he waved a sample 8×10 print in front of me four years ago.

At the time, I muttered some sort of BS response about how there’s a lot more that goes into it than just an 8×10… because I didn’t really feel confident in my own pricing. I knew I needed to upcharge to make money, but didn’t have a grasp on what (or, more importantly, why and how) to set my photography pricing.

I think I was even “that guy” that was delusional enough to just go with what “felt right” or what I thought my market could afford.

I was insecure because I was convinced people would balk at anything above $5, and everyone around me was offering free digitals included in their session fees.

Anyway…

If you couldn’t guess this already, my clients could sense that I was unsure about my own pricing, and my sales were struggling as a result.

It’s like this one part of my business was a glaring weak spot holding my entire business back.  There are so many differing opinions on how much to charge for photos that it’s hard to know what’s right.

Does this sound familiar?

The good news is, things have changed! I now charge a lot more because I have an EASY and LOGICAL pricing structure that I’m confident in, so I’m no longer shrinking into my seat anytime someone questions my pricing.

I want to share this all with you to make sure you also have a rock-solid reason for pricing your photos in a way that’s a win for both you and your clients.

Pricing For Senior Photographers

Pricing. The oh so wonderful topic that every photographer enjoys talking about and feels 100% confident in… No?

Actually, in the 10 years of running my business and the handful of years teaching, this is the very first time I’ll ever be sharing pricing education, and I couldn’t be more excited!

We’re artists here to create, but in order to create, we must also be business owners here to make money. Your pricing structure stands at the very foundation of your business.

But instead of having an awesome foundation that’s like a badass man-cave basement, most photographers have a pricing structure that’s kind of like that sketchy basement you avoid entering and you’re 100% embarrassed to show anyone.

It’s dark. It’s scary. You know if you took an honest look, the foundation is cracked and your whole business could come crashing down.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve learned all different ways of structuring your pricing:

  • You’ve seen people get their pricing torn to shreds in the Facebook groups (or YOU are that person… I’m here for you if you need a friend to talk to, by the way).
  • You’ve copied what other photographers have done in the past, number for number, without much change.
  • You’ve tried packages and IPS, but still struggle to make ends meet.

Basically, you’re confused, but you know something needs to change.

Pricing for Senior Photographers

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To read the full article, launch the digital version of the March 2022 magazine.

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