In the 40+ years we’ve been doing business, we’ve often offered guidance,  but have generally avoided telling customers how much they should charge.

Today we are going to be brave and make a suggestion. To begin – we believe that you can charge as much or as little as you like. Your reputation, demand and sales skills can definitely influence your pricing. But for those starting out, we know it can be difficult to know if you’re charging to much or too little for the products and services you offer.

You’re here to make money and the time spent on a shoot needs to be profitable. Which is why you need to be clear from the beginning what your prices include and don’t include.

If you charge closer to wholesale prices on products then this is especially important. You need to have incentives to upgrade and you need to actively avoid working for free. If you charge high, you need to be more generous so your clients can see the worth.  Even our wealthiest acquaintances think photographers charge way too much – this is because they have no idea what you do for your money. MAKE IT CLEAR.

You also need to charge a reasonable mark-up on the product itself. A 100% markup on the wholesale album price is a fairly normal retail markup in this part of the world, and it's for the product only. If you can charge more than 100% on the product we’d put it down to your reputation, and to your craft and sales skills - congratulations!

But the real choice when you’re starting out may be between making less than you'd like on the album, and making nothing at all. I think 100% markup is pretty reasonable as a starting point, but what do you think?

If you need further help reaching your profit goals head over to Workspace and try our profit calculator. Calculate how much you should be charging for your services and products based on your personal income goals.

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