school photography

LUZ

hiya, ive been asked to quote a job doing a couple of weekends with a school communion/confirmation, ive no idea how this kind of job works, do the parents pay on the day or how does it work? im confident enough with the photography side of things its the organising part im not sure where to start or how to start pricing it up. any tips appreciated!!!

Paulw

Sorry, this may sound bad, but you're quoting for a job but you have no idea what to charge and no idea what you are doing, aside from being able to take photos? :eek:

Have you considered other aspects too, such as insurance, Public Liability, etc?

How do you know if the client is happy with the images? Do you show them the photo on the back of the camera? Do you have a laptop with you and show them the images on that? Do you have a website where they can check their images? What print sizes will you offer? What finish will the prints be? How long will it be from the time you take the photo until the client gets their prints? How will you get the prints to the client? How will you collect payment? How much will you charge? Do you require a deposit from each client? What do other professional photographers charge for this service? What is the market rate? Do you want to make a profit? What is your profit margin per print?

Sorry, the questions could go on, and on, because there is so much to consider and factor in to doing a business quote for such work, never mind working out the logistics of a shoot.

As for tips - sort out your business model and plan before you quote for jobs. Generally the business side of photography takes more effort and time than just going out and taking photos.

LUZ

ok for a start i never said i didnt know what i was doing! i dont think your post was very helpful . ive done events before where i was paid for a job not prints, ive done communions for private familys before, i do family sessions, newborn etc and i have my own prices for that, yes i have insurance, what i was asking was about photography for schools as this is something i havent done before. yes, i have a laptop, yes, website, ive never had a customer unhappy with their photos.. i can price up a box of mounts and the printing costs but i wanted to find out what is expected at one of these events and what do parents normally get, not how to run a photography business. thanks.

Paulw

Sorry, your initial post said you had no idea how this kind of job works -

LUZ wrote: »

ive no idea how this kind of job works.......im confident enough with the photography side of things its the organising part im not sure where to start or how to start pricing it up.

Now you say you know how to price it up, but don't know what parents expect and what they normally get. This is very different from your first post.

BreadnBuddha

Do you actually have a helpful reply or are you just trying to dissuade anyone who even sounds like they're trying to work commercially? It looks like it's the latter.

1. Price the job based on an 10*8 print, mounted, per kid, to be delivered to the school office. EUR20-25

2. Sliding price scale for additional prints ordered in advance. More prints, lower price. Additional prints supplied unmounted. Don't bother offering prints after the day/order is received. More hassle than it's worth. EUR10 for 4 extra prints, EUR20 for 10.

3. Bundle Offer for Mounted print, framed (3 frame options, White/Black/Wood), plus 4 extra prints and an emailed JPG at EUR50

Get parents to fill in an order form in advance, via the teacher/principals office. Ask the school to collect payment for you based on the order forms.

Don't forget to include group photographs in your overall to-do list.

Most folks will go with option 1 or 3 anyway. Check your costs, but I think those prices will be fairly standard and given the other costs parents will have won't be unacceptable. The school can probably provide guidance if you ask, based on costs in previous years.

Where possible, let the teacher/principal handle parents and enquiries. Turn up on the day, take the photos, process and print, mount and frame for delivery, get paid.

LUZ

paulw i shouldve been more specific in my original post.

thankyou breadnbutter , i had an idea in my head , seems i wasnt too far off, i just want to make it easy on the parents really and get the job done properly with no floundering around!