aaaand…i went down a rabbit hole looking up prices for mitzvah photographers in the area while waiting for pics to upload from today’s shoot from my camera to my computer. and don’t get me started on the number of photographers who don’t even put pricing on their websites
yeah.
some of these people are charging insane amounts of money. but their clients (as i can tell from the pics) are people who have money to burn. the decor, the clothes, the hair and makeup for 13 year olds, the flowers and lights and rental furniture and such. whoa. my clients are more into laser tag and bowling and fun with friends and family. i currently charge $375/hour for portrait sessions and $300/hour for events with a 2 hour minimum. i could be easily going $600-$800/hr and higher for family sessions. yikes. i can’t afford to pay that! and events – similar hourly rates but also plenty that only mention their clients, “typically invest $2500 to $4000 on their mitzvah photography” and my jaw drops. $500/hour seems fair in comparison. last year i was $200/20min fall family session. maybe this year it jumps to $300 for new clients and there’s a discount for returning clients.
thinking of some way to have a legacy pricing scheme or discount to offset the price hike. maybe clients who have been with me 10yrs or more get an automatic % off? or maybe i do a summer sale where you can lock in last years rate if you pre-pay for this years photos? or like a punch card and when you reach 5 sessions with me you get a % off going forward? still mulling it over…
still…i could be charging 3x my current rates. which also means i need to raise mine. i know, i know. i hate raising my rates. but dude. college is not cheap even instate and public. and i need to stop with the imposter syndrome and recognize my worth. it’s still agonizing as i feel this loyalty to my clients and want to keep them all.
also i need to be in bed. it’s almost 1am. why does my brain work best at this time of day? and ignore the lack of capitalization. it’s weird. i can turn it on or off but once i start i’m stuck that way.