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[milo1312]

Hi all. I have a question what is fair price to charge for 30 min and hour long photoshoot for cosplayers.

What they will get is a CD with all photos orignal and i will edit all photos. They also get 5 print outs of there fav photo in 8.5x11 printed on photography paper. I will be printing them out at my school photography lab. I will mail out cd with print out to each person.

I am still an amature photographer going to school.

If you need more information to judge a fair price please let me know.

thank you all for your thoughts and helping me out finding out what is a good price

[wasabiprodution]

i cant really say because i dont know the kind of photos you take, but its good to start of small then grow.. with all the stuff you say you'll give them its hard to make a price from how much everything will cost you, with all the stuff for each person its more likely you will get overwhelmed depending on how many people you schedule.

As for me i dont charge for cosplay shoots, but for other events like weddings i look on how much i will need to make a profit; food, gas, room, tickets, etc. the average i say is around $5,000 but thats a whole diffrent story. from my point of view, just start SMALL..just for now just make the CDs and then when your more confident move your prices up and include prints.

it will be good to post some ex. of your work. for better price thoughts.

[tarinalove]

I say if your school is allowing you to do prints for free then that is great.

As a model and cosplayer I have seen photographers charge all over the board, and for myself, I wont pay an ammateur because they are learning. I would do trade for print and cd with you though.

I would charge 30$ an hour. but as the other guy said, need to see your work first.

[milo1312]

Originally Posted by tarinalove

I say if your school is allowing you to do prints for free then that is great.

As a model and cosplayer I have seen photographers charge all over the board, and for myself, I wont pay an ammateur because they are learning. I would do trade for print and cd with you though.

I would charge 30$ an hour. but as the other guy said, need to see your work first.

well its not free....i can just use there high end printers. I dont pay for the ink but pay for the paper.

[brucer007]

After doing cosplay photo shoots at conventions for 4 years I began offering paid cosplay photo shoots during conventions, and that was after over 20 years of professional photography experience. I based my prices on what other photographers were charging. I charged slightly more than the prices I saw, which has been from me, $60 for a 1 hour photo shoot. I don't offer prints, so I can keep my costs down for myself and for my client. I do edit 12 images or more of the best poses. Then, they receive cd with the edited images, including full resolution images, and small versions with my watermark, for showing on the internet.

For you, I recommend doing more free shoots, if you are willing, so you can develop your style and iron out any technical problems you may be having. This will also build a portfolio of your best work, so you can give potential clients confidence in paying you.

If you would prefer to begin charging now, then try to keep your costs down, so you can begin with a cheaper price, and increase it as you get more confident and more competent. $20 or $30 might be a good place to start, but if you would like to charge more, and you can get it, more power to you. Keep in mind, that most photographers don't charge for cosplay photos, so you will probably do better if you can produce better quality than most other photographers. On the other hand, marketing might be the most important part of success.

[milo1312]

Originally Posted by brucer007

After doing cosplay photo shoots at conventions for 4 years I began offering paid cosplay photo shoots during conventions, and that was after over 20 years of professional photography experience. I based my prices on what other photographers were charging. I charged slightly more than the prices I saw, which has been from me, $60 for a 1 hour photo shoot. I don't offer prints, so I can keep my costs down for myself and for my client. I do edit 12 images or more of the best poses. Then, they receive cd with the edited images, including full resolution images, and small versions with my watermark, for showing on the internet.

For you, I recommend doing more free shoots, if you are willing, so you can develop your style and iron out any technical problems you may be having. This will also build a portfolio of your best work, so you can give potential clients confidence in paying you.

If you would prefer to begin charging now, then try to keep your costs down, so you can begin with a cheaper price, and increase it as you get more confident and more competent. $20 or $30 might be a good place to start, but if you would like to charge more, and you can get it, more power to you. Keep in mind, that most photographers don't charge for cosplay photos, so you will probably do better if you can produce better quality than most other photographers. On the other hand, marketing might be the most important part of success.

i am not going to start charging yet. I have a long way to go and like you said i need develop my style and work on technical stuff more. I just wanted and idea for future things. I will keep doing free shoots for a long while but just wanted thoughts and ideas.

[SolarTempest]

Originally Posted by milo1312

I just wanted and idea for future things. I will keep doing free shoots for a long while but just wanted thoughts and ideas.

Photographers should charge for their work. It's a very challenging and valuable service. Contrary to popular belief, digital is not free and there are many hidden costs:
1. Computers/storage/backup
2. Equipment wear/batteries/consumables
3. Time spent editing/sorting

So even though you're learning and sort of in your starting phase, you can always consider other methods of payment/bartering. Cosplayers are often fantastic at making bags/props/gifts/other useful items, which can be exchanged for your photography.

At conventions or otherwise, you can also exchange photography for food/dinners/lunch, which is a great time to get to know the people you shoot with, as well as enjoy some tasty food. =)

For me, I always charge for my work in some way or another.
As a photographer, I think you should always be getting something in exchange for your hard work and time. Let that be money, goods, practice time, or the ability to undertake your latest creative project.

[Surfsama]

@SolarTempest
Setting aside the hobby aspect of cosplay photography (some just like to do it for fun and some just don't have other artistic outlets), having the opportunity to photograph a wide range of subjects who in most cases are happy to pose for you is a kind of compensation. Especially, if you're learning the ropes (think interns and apprentices).

While I won't argue that if you have a marketable product you should be free to charge for tangible compensation it's equally important to not discount the intangible compensation of a "free" model to collaborate with and hone your skills.

[milo1312]

Originally Posted by SolarTempest

Photographers should charge for their work. It's a very challenging and valuable service. Contrary to popular belief, digital is not free and there are many hidden costs:
1. Computers/storage/backup
2. Equipment wear/batteries/consumables
3. Time spent editing/sorting

So even though you're learning and sort of in your starting phase, you can always consider other methods of payment/bartering. Cosplayers are often fantastic at making bags/props/gifts/other useful items, which can be exchanged for your photography.

At conventions or otherwise, you can also exchange photography for food/dinners/lunch, which is a great time to get to know the people you shoot with, as well as enjoy some tasty food. =)

For me, I always charge for my work in some way or another.
As a photographer, I think you should always be getting something in exchange for your hard work and time. Let that be money, goods, practice time, or the ability to undertake your latest creative project.

o wow i never thought about exchanging for things they make as well or buying lunch thats such a great idea thank you

[Ashurachan]

My advice would be : don't charge for now.
First, shoot what you come across at cons, give out cards, have a feel of the community and build your skill, build your portfolio.
Once people start asking you taking their picture, and not the opposite, maybe you can start charging. Or not.
Making it a job, rather than a hobby, changes the relationship you have with cosplayers, and the way the shoots go. When it's a hobby, when you're out of ideas you can just say "I guess we're gonna stop here." When it's a job, and people paid for an hour, you have to shoot for an hour, even if you're tired and can't get a good shot. And then process the shit you've done, in a timely manner. I, personnally, would hate that, and it's one of the reasons I will never, ever charge (the other being that nobody charges in France, even the best ones).

[MoradoFlower]

I am having some amature shots done for 30-minute sessions for $5, but I plan on giving at least $10 (more if friends chip in)...I don't see why asking $10 per 30minutes (or $15-20 an hour) is unfair, with only the option of digital copies through e-mail, a CD, or any site you upload them to. But I am not experienced-- I just believe in fair pay

[Access]

'Fair Price' - The problem is, with all the costs (travel, lodging, equipment, business expenses, taxes, etc.) there's really no _viable_ amount you could charge in order to be able to make a business of it. In other words, there's a huge gap between what you would have to charge in order to make a viable business, and what people are willing to, or can afford to, pay. And with so many willing to do it for free, even among the best, it's unlikely to shift anytime soon.

Study the median price for a wedding, engagement photos, etc. Yes you might find someone who does weddings for $250., but have they been in business for years? No one can make a viable business like that... what is the real price people have to charge for an hour session, a half hour session, and so on, in order to stay in business?

Honestly your best bet is just to make a lot of friends, eventually you might find a group who is willing to 'sponsor' you, just like in real life. There are different levels of sponsorship, it might start out as just letting you share a room for free (in exchange for some services), or paying some of your expenses, and work up to paying for your travel and the like. That's my thoughts, at least, as quickly as I can put it into words.

Now you can reason you are just starting out, so charge a little, but think about the long term plan too, it's just not viable except as maybe a 'side hobby'.

[Hcoregamer00]

My advice is to get your name out there first.

The cosplay community (and cosplay photography community) is a pretty tight community of friends. If you are going to charge you first need to make yourself known to the community first.

After that you need to find your specialty that will make you stand out among the crowd of cosplayers. Mike Rollerson is a SoCal cosplay photographer that is legendary due to his inventive use of Fisheye lenses. Brucer here is well known for his focus on unique lighting and creative interpretations of cosplay in photography. I am known for being the friendly and fun cosplay photographer who gives energetic and fast-paced shoots.

You gotta find your niche.

[sukotsuto]

Like Access said, there probably isn't a viable amount you can change to really make a living at doing convention private shoots. Bruce mentioned $60/hr and that seems like it could at least pay expenses, but I'm not sure it would be that profitable.

Say you go to a three-day convention and shoot 3 people on Friday, 5 on Saturday, and another 3 on Sunday. That would leave you with $660, assuming everyone pays. Say you spent $55 for a badge, $350 on a room + $45 for parking, and $70 on food, and $50 on transportation (just assuming you can drive there). The total cost would be $570, leaving you $90 profit. You could probably take on a few more clients, all of which would be more profit.

Going with friends could lower you expenses, but would probably take up some time you could spend working. Going to conventions past the 200 mile mark makes them expensive transportation wise.

You might have better luck making some money by having a photography booth and selling prints/CDs on-site, but only if there is sufficient quantity because there would be even more expenses involved (cost of a booth, lower sales per customer, expendables like CDs, paper, and ink, studio equipment).

[SolarTempest]

Originally Posted by sukotsuto

Like Access said, there probably isn't a viable amount you can change to really make a living at doing convention private shoots. Bruce mentioned $60/hr and that seems like it could at least pay expenses, but I'm not sure it would be that profitable.

Along the same lines of this, most photographers I know that charge for private photoshoots at conventions aren't looking to make money from the shoots, but rather put the money towards things that will help their cosplay photography (better gear, opportunity to attend a con that wasn't feasible before, etc).