Monthly Archives: November 2009

PART 1: ESTABLISH BASELINE PORTRAIT PRICING

11.27.09

One enjoyable aspect of my professional photography career has been working with Alicia Caine, Montana children’s photographer and acute businesswoman.  Her Easy as Pie Pricing Guide helps many to understand pricing portrait photography for profit.

And yet, there are always those who have an excuse to avoid purchasing the guide, or to avoid raising prices despite the fact that they’re working for pennies an hour.

sears

In honor of Black Friday, I did some comparison shopping:

If your 8×10″ print costs less than $23, your work is cheaper than the 1-hour studio work of the Picture People.

If your canvas prices start at less than $149, Sears is a step above you in the pricing food chain.

Check out the cost of a specialty 10×30″ print that can’t be printed within 10 minutes in the back of the store, won’t you?

Perhaps you’d like a 10×10″ print with a nasty Photoshop action applied for only $79.99…

Oh, and that 16×20″ print you’re scared to sell for $60?  It’s $99.99 at the big S.

Think your collections are too expensive?  The Picture People are offering groupings from $149 – $975. Yes, $975.

You’ll find Kiddie Kandids pricing similar to the others…about $20 per 8×10″ print.  Same at Sadie’s.

Did you want your portrait to finished in black and white, or to include a vignette?  That costs extra.  $1.99 per click.

Oh, you need RETOUCHING?  That requires a quote. And will add a few days’ time to your 1-hour portraits.

These chains are all based on volume to achieve profitability.  Of course, even Wal-mart gave up on this volume mentality, closed 500 of its studios, and now sports PictureMe Portraits, which is run by CPI Corp, who also handles Sears’ studios.

There ya go.  Let’s begin with all photographers everywhere charging at least $20 for prints size 8×10″ and under.  Part II: When You Might Actually Make A Profit, a post full of pricing tips, will hit Tuesday.

If you’ve had sense knocked into you all of a sudden, hit up the Easy as Pie Portrait Pricing Guide and enter code ‘Camper30′ for $30 off!

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10 comments

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Stephanie - January 19, 2010 - 5:28 pm

That Guy,
NONE of my clients want digital files. They all want prints. I offer digitals but nobody buys them. Maybe I have old-fashioned clients.

johnwaire | photo - December 1, 2009 - 2:57 pm

3 cheers for alicia kane. she's a good egg!

Dawn - November 28, 2009 - 10:45 pm

Can't wait to read a post about the 3 different models. Nothing wrong with catering to a niche market who does value prints and wants nice, large, framed wall portraits delivered in person to their door. Or they can buy digital files and there's a price for that, too, in Easy as Pie.

Lauri - November 28, 2009 - 1:20 pm

Thanks for the comparisons! I always wondered how much the chains were really charging beyond ‘introductory package’. Love the article and love Easy as Pie. I worked half as much this year and made the same amount of money because of Easy as Pie. On to ‘busier and bigger’ next year!

BrandCampBlog - November 28, 2009 - 5:19 pm

Ah yes, but it starts with valuing your time and talent. ;)

Sometimes that's as simple as being able to stop saying, "People will never pay that" or "I live in a poor town" or "Why would they choose me when they could go to Sears?"

We're at that basic of a level, lovely. The 'I am worth it, so now I can begin to build a profitable business' place.

The print model v. the digital negative model v. the boutique model — that's for later.

That guy - November 28, 2009 - 4:44 pm

I hate to break it to you, but the print model is dead. You should charge for your time and make your money from the time you spend with the photography and post processing. Even if you do sell prints, you're not comparing apple to apples because even though you may be cheaper than Sears in one print, chances are you more than made up for it in your complete package….many of which costs over a thousand dollars. I seriously doubt the average family ever spends anything more than a $100 at Sears.

So yeah, it's not as easy as just raising your print fees. Each person's business plan is unique.

Dawn - November 28, 2009 - 2:21 pm

This is an awesome post. I get so tired of everything being about price. People who are happy with mall portraits are not my customers. Took me a while to figure that out, but it's true. My business model is very custom, very convenient for the customer (at their home, etc.), and I spend several hours from start to finish on a shoot and all the stuff that happens after. If they don't value the difference, then they can keep going to the mall.

I have Easy as Pie and what I like about it is that it has given me a plan and it makes total sense. Very easy to read and work through. I highly recommend it.

Sheryl - November 28, 2009 - 3:47 am

Kudos! Finally, it needed to be said!

Michelle - November 27, 2009 - 10:29 pm

LOVE IT! :) Can't wait for the NEXT installment! :)

Tweets that mention WHEN SEARS PHOTOGRAPHY COSTS MORE THAN YOURS, QUIT. -- Topsy.com - November 27, 2009 - 3:20 pm

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by derienzo777, Brand Camp. Brand Camp said: Comparison shopping in portrait photography, for photographers: http://bit.ly/8GtNya [...]

CONSIDER THIS YOUR PERMISSION.

11.19.09

In the midst of Brand Camp consults (which should actually be called ‘Business Therapy’), I often find myself giving an artist permission.  Permission to believe in herself, permission to raise prices, permission to fail, permission to be true to her artistic style, permission to get rid of a blog, permission to delete weddings from the website, permission to paint a wall blue, permission to use polka dots.

Consider this your permission.

If you adore something, use it.  Show it.  Embrace your love of plaid, your preppy side, your polka dotted background.  (Keep your clients in mind, of course, but don’t let anyone tell you x, y, or z is awful if you find it remarkable.)

If you hate something, don’t do it.  If you loathe blogging, find another way to reach your audience.  If you are nauseated by traditional portraits, don’t show them on your website.  If you abhor color photos, shoot only black and white.  If you retch at the thought of digital photography, shoot film.

Consider this your permission.

You are good enough.  You are brave enough.  You can treat yourself and your artwork with dignity.

Consider this your permission.

Get out there and fail without beating yourself up about it.  Get out there and make a friend, work with a business, hold a contest, try out a promotion.  If it fails, minimize it.  If it succeeds, pat yourself on the back.

permission

Consider this your permission to succeed.

Be the fullest, bravest you on the planet.  Learn and grow, certainly, but celebrate your progress as well.

Consider this your permission.

I was twenty years old and completing my degree in English before someone told me I didn’t have to read a book simply because I’d started it.  It’s so simple, right?  I just needed permission.

Let this be your permission.

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Dani - December 15, 2009 - 2:31 am

Thank You.

mandiimae - December 4, 2009 - 11:49 pm

This is like food for the photographer's soul. :) Thanks for the chicken soup! ;)

Lydia - December 4, 2009 - 3:57 am

Amen!

Sarah Boutwell - December 2, 2009 - 8:48 pm

Fabulous words. Needed to hear them myself.

Christi Traster - December 1, 2009 - 9:25 pm

You da bomb :) xo

marla - November 26, 2009 - 5:47 pm

i love this blog! you are so straighforward and i find myself continually saying "ohhh-she's right!". thanks :)

Kerith - November 23, 2009 - 8:22 am

Thanks, I needed that.

Rachel Perry - November 19, 2009 - 9:59 pm

Needed this today! Thanks!

Greer Rivera - November 19, 2009 - 9:45 pm

You are so right! I'm a people pleaser and want everyone to like what I'm doing.. but do I like what I'm doing?

nicole - November 19, 2009 - 8:46 pm

yes. yes.

jasmine - November 19, 2009 - 8:00 pm

Kristen, thanks for this today! I think we need this reminder often… especially in the midst of holiday family portrait madness when everyone is yelling CHEESE at their kids :)

Jes - November 19, 2009 - 5:21 pm

Thank you! I found this through Twitter, and I'm bookmarking it. There are so many days when all of us need to read this. Today, I needed it. Thank you!

Michelle - November 19, 2009 - 5:19 pm

Nice! :)

pj taylor - November 19, 2009 - 12:17 pm

I’m going to print this out and post it on my office wall! Thank you for giving me the permission I need to succeed even if I fail a lot along the way!

Candy Whiting - November 19, 2009 - 5:00 pm

very inspiring! thank you!

stone - November 19, 2009 - 4:56 pm

thank you so much kristen. this is huge. I (as I'm sure most creatives are) very hard on myself. I am my own worst / hardest critic. At times I think it's good that I expect nothing less than perfection (or what clients would interpret as "perfection") from myself, but it certainly gets taxing. Thank you for the reminder that we can try new a different things and feel completely confident no matter what the outcome.

CELEBRATE YOUR PROGRESS

11.17.09

I’ve been watching too much Ace of Cakes, obviously.  Last night I decided that building a gingerbread house can’t be *that* difficult and went to work with royal icing and a slightly-deformed icing bag.  Um.  The coffee table is covered in a thin layer of icing.  The front Christmas tree is leaning to the right.

For God’s sake, the snowman has a unibrow.

horrid photos courtesy of my iphone

horrid photos courtesy of my iphone

This is also, I have to remind myself, a first attempt.  I’ve never piped icing from a bag or assembled a house made of gingerbread.  The fact that it’s still standing is a testament to my progress in the happenin’ world of gingerbread houses.

The same principle applies to business.  If this is your first business, and particularly your first few years in business, you’re a work in progress.  It’s easy to say you’ve effed up your application of royal icing or your snowman is leaning precariously to the side.

For a moment, though, let’s consider your progress.  This year, have you:

Your gingerbread house of a business may not be perfect, but I’ll wager that it IS making progress.  Take a moment to remind yourself of your own accomplishments.  And even if you’re following a gumdrop master in the ways of business, take heart.  NO ONE has it all together.  No business owner’s past is free of mistakes and failures.

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BrandCampBlog - November 17, 2009 - 4:47 pm

LOL! I put it up *really* high where only the cats can destroy it. ;)

Hannah - November 17, 2009 - 4:20 pm

I needed this post this morning – thank you!! Oh – and when my mother and I built a gingerbread VILLAGE (4 houses with acoutrement) when I was little, the dog ate it! So great job on keeping the house safe :) he he he

Michelle - November 17, 2009 - 4:00 pm

Thank You!
{sigh}

Laura - November 17, 2009 - 3:40 pm

Love this post. Just what I needed today. :)

Tweets that mention MEASURE BUSINESS PROGRESS | BRAND CAMP BLOG -- Topsy.com - November 17, 2009 - 11:52 am

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kristen Kalp and Andrea Caballer, katiezaboy. katiezaboy said: CELEBRATE YOUR PROGRESS – http://brandcampblog.com/measure-business-progress/ {this is a great way to put things into perspective} [...]

LOOKING SIDEWAYS

11.12.09

A photographer told me my new website is boring.  I said “Thank you” and sincerely meant it.

You see, my old website was built entirely on trying to one-up other photographers in the U.S.  (Not my region or the state, mind you, but THE COUNTRY.)  And to one-up the whole country, to ‘do what’s never been done,’ well…

EIoldscreencapture-2

You have to pull out all the stops.  You have to have bells and whistles.  Flying chandeliers, tweeting birds, blinking text, the works.

EIoldscreencapture

Photographers went NUTS over my old website.  Seriously.  Batshit insane. Just today, someone told me it was their favorite photography website of all time.

But clients?  You know, those people who hire me and pay the bills?

They weren’t big fans.  Inquiries dropped.  Web traffic dropped.

To potential clients, I was the kid at the holiday concert who plays air guitar and stagedives during the class rendition of ‘Silent Night.’

The kid who’s oblivious to awkward silence.  The one wearing Grandma’s reindeer sweater while rocking the imaginary mosh pit.  That kid.

(Or I was Smelly Cat. The jury is out.)

I was too busy looking sideways to see my clients.  I was so worried about other photographers that I forgot to be worried about my clients’ needs.  The current Essential Imagery website is a result of sincere reflection on my part.  It educates them about my brand, outlines the needs I can fill, and provides only a dab of personality aside from the portrait images.  In other words, it’s exactly what they’re looking for.

How have you been held back by looking sideways?  Who do you compare yourself to, and how can you stop the comparisons?  How can you fulfill the needs of your clients today?  How can you get yourself on the road to looking forward — right into the eyes of new clients?

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Debbie Schwab - November 13, 2009 - 4:48 pm

So, if I like your new site (and I'm a photographer) is that a bad thing?? The previous site was so different and had some very creative ideas in it, but I do love your new. You're right about it focusing much more on your images and not just you (with bells and whistles). I love your honesty and you have really opened my eyes to what's important when selling yourself to your CLIENTS! Since my mini-Brand Camp consult till now. Thanks Kristen.

Melanie - November 12, 2009 - 7:21 pm

I love the new look. You are right in that the temptation is to make something artistic- but that doesn't necessarily always translate to the target audience as well it does to other artists.

Jocelyn - November 12, 2009 - 7:15 pm

I actually saw your new site last week and wanted to tell you that I like it even more than your old site! I love the new blog too… everything's just so clean and straight forward now. Thanks for the post… great points to think about. :)

Becky - November 12, 2009 - 6:58 pm

Love this post! Just last night I was up until the wee hours creating a static home page for my blog. I've been adamant about not wanting the separate website & blog combo, but I realized I still need a one-stop shop page that points visitors to the site's hot spots. I've found (so far anyway) that the blog is more exciting to my peers & potential clients want examples and info. *I* want it all to be in one place. :)

FOR YOUR SEO PLEASURE

11.10.09

So, if you’ve purchased SEO School and are now obsessed with SEO, page rank, social bookmarking, and all that yadda yadda blah blah — download and install SEO Quake.  This bad boy is totally free, adds on to your Firefox browser, and lets you actually SEE the basics of SEO for any given webpage when you visit it.  Like, boom.  Easy peasy.

seoquake(Oh, and if you’re crushing on SEO School author Naomi Dunford, Marketing School was just released.  It’s good.  SO good.  But I’ve been too busy to read the entire thing, so this isn’t the official word on the street.  Just the gossip.)


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