Not too long ago, I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine about his art. The work he does is fantastic and looks absolutely effortless. In the past, he has drawn people’s requests and sold the finished products to them. Unfortunately, he has encountered plenty of people who want him to draw their requests for free or for “exposure.” Their response typically comes down to one of three main rationales:

• It’s just a drawing. It should not be that expensive.
• I am a friend, and friends don’t make friends pay.
• I know someone else who would do it for me for free.

These kinds of responses are what makes me afraid of trying to put a price on my photography.

It’s just art.

Yes. It is art.

Art has a high price for a reason. The artist takes time out of their day to create something for the consumer. It is a service that is provided to the consumer just like any other. Plumbers, car mechanics, wedding planners, taxi drivers, etc all provide services that the consumer must pay for. Whether its fixing a sink or painting a picture for a living room, a service must be paid for accordingly.

Regardless of the service provided, there are resources required to do the job. Time, labor, and materials are the three main resources used in providing a service. The time they spend on a free job could be spend on one that pays. The same goes for the labor that goes into the service. Materials cost money, and exposure does not pay for materials.

But you know me- doesn’t that mean I get a discount or something?

My grandmother’s favorite phrase is “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Knowing someone who provides a service, such as an art, can have benefits; however, that highly depends on the person.

Personally, I would love to do shoots for everyone I know for free and just have a ball doing it. Unfortunately, doing so is a bad business practice. It leads to friends of friends wanting free images, and then their friends wanting free things, and eventually you have not been paid for any of your images or time.

I am the friend who will suggest that we get all dolled up and head out to take pictures for fun. That is a different scenario. In this case, I have asked people for their time in exchange for free images.

There have been times where friends and friends of friends have asked me if I would take their pictures, and then backed-off after learning that I wanted money for it. Taking back an offer after learning I am not doing something for free does hurt. I had thought they came to support me and my art, but instead just wanted free images.

I know someone else who would do this for me for free.

Great! Go ask them to do it then.

What is fun about this response is that the individuals who use this think that somehow the artist is going to be inspired to do work for free. Expecting something to be free and backing off when it is not means that there was no real interest in the skills of the artist. Letting the individual go to someone else is not bad for business because the individual was never intending to pay, even if they were satisfied.

Truthfully, I am more invested in whether the consumer likes my work specifically than I am in the possible sales I can make. If I know that the consumer wants me to do their pictures because they like the work that I do, I would be willing to lower the price if they had a hard time making ends meet.

Putting a Price on Passion

Charging for something you would happily do for nothing is not an easy task. There is a lot of self-discipline and self-respect that is involved. You have to pick a price and stick to your guns. To pick a price, you must be truthful with yourself about how much you think your time is worth. Of course, looking to other photographers’ rates, especially in the area, can help to give ballpark guesses of what the work should be priced at.

Self-discipline and self-respect are two things I am not known for, which makes finding a price that much harder.

In the past, I would ask for $20 or $40 for the whole shoot, regardless of how long it was, and any images they wanted. With gas prices these days, that’s just gas money. Now that I am taking photography seriously, gas money will not cut it.

((While writing this section, I am having a very difficult time trying to stick to my guns and not sell myself short. Something tells me this is pricing issue is going to haunt every quote I give out.))

At this time, I have a vague sense of what I think I want to be paid for a shoot and a set number of images. Selling prints is a whole other story that I need to give some serious thought to.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Writing this was a way for me to try and build that self-confidence. This post was to reaffirm my sense of worth as an artist, and hopefully shed light on a new perspective on art for a few readers.

If you are interested in a quote or in booking a shoot, buying prints, or so, feel free to email me at msbbphoto@gmail.com or send me a message on Instagram at @waitonemorepicture.

Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts on this topic!