I'm looking at starting a small photography business with a friend (to mainly make money of slutty girls who like their portraits taken and some local bands :v:), as there seems to be a lot of opportunities near me for this kind of thing. We are planning on doing photos and videos for clients at the rate of £10/hour, would this be a reasonable rate? Also we are thinking of using the name 'Lensarc Media' or simply 'Lensarc', though we are not sure about this so [b]agree if you think this is a good name and disagree if not.[/b]
Since we have not done this before, any tips on getting this off the ground would be great.
£10 an hour AND you haven't done this before? Personally, that's kinda high.
I like the name but I don't really like the "idea" unless you guys are planning on making posters and flyers for them too.
I've done photo-shoots for plenty of people before, and I have been paid for things before. Just not done something similar to this. We are planning on making flyers and posters etc, and my friend is also very skilled at cinematography and post-production.
Mainly this is to help us both get started and allow us to share equipment and help out each other.
IMO charge by the pictures not the time you spend with them. They will feel rushed which = bad poses. Never charge by the hour if you're doing photography.
I was initially planning on doing that but saw that Jaanus and Dai charge by the hour.
Well I guess if you are covering an event. Charging by the hour would be fine. But if it's just a single portrait for someone. Charging by the photo would be better. IMO
mosy photographers I know charge $100-200 per 1hr (studio) portrait session, 10 pounds is rreally, really cheap, to the point that if I were a client I would avoid you because your prices seem dodgy.
[QUOTE=H4Z3Y;29456371]mosy photographers I know charge $100-200 per 1hr (studio) portrait session, 10 pounds is rreally, really cheap, to the point that if I were a client I would avoid you because your prices seem dodgy.[/QUOTE]
This is true to an extent. A good part of how people perceive you is how you present yourself. If you have a high opinion of yourself (without being a total douche) most people will subconsciously follow. If you're charging $10 an hour while the pro's are charging $200, that sends a message that you think you're worth 1/20th of a pro. [b]BUT[/b] you can't just go out and start charging $200, you have to play the part of the professional with fancy websites and all that. It's a delicate balance between performing and presenting, that's the business side.
I think you should start out with 'packages' for people to choose from so you can [i]ask[/i] for huge amounts of money without acutally charging them - making you look more competent.
Ex;
[code]Basic - $10 for one hour, all shots to CD.
Seniors - $50 for two hours + CD + wallet sized prints (or something lol)
Model (something to make it sound elite) - $100 for all day, all shots to CD, prints etc.[/code]
You would obviously make it more well thought out and comprehensive, but you get the idea.
[QUOTE=iWumbo;29450829]IMO charge by the pictures not the time you spend with them. They will feel rushed which = bad poses. Never charge by the hour if you're doing photography.[/QUOTE]
I hate charging 'by the hour' and don't really say it as by the hour so much as "you get an hour worth of studio time", which sounds much more... lenient, and less "I'm gonna take pictures REALLY slowly to wring out a few extra dollars".
Also, I don't like the whole flat rate thing, give people incentive for extra time. I charge $80 for an hour if they show up at the studio (which is cheaper than any other private photographer in the area by a margin), but then I say "oh, and if you buy the second hour I'll knock a few dollars off that time, I don't mind" and they feel they're getting a bargain. (people don't need too much time for general portraiture, though, so only really offer it if you think you can fill that second hour).
This is a chart from a much more established friend of mine who has constant clientele. (funnily enough, he has the same name and is also from Chicago). Notice how he treats time/work/editing.
[quote][img]http://www.rjophotography.com/misc/Help/rates+info_files/RATES-chart.png[/img][/quote]
(damn you, transparency) [url=http://www.rjophotography.com/misc/Help/ratesinfo.htm]Read the rest of his page[/url] to see what he does on a regular basis, find what other people do near you and try to be competitive but fair to your own talent/experience/client's expectations.
Now, there's a strange balancing act here- these prices are also cheap, but he gets CONSTANT work so it builds up really fast. You can probably push toward prices like these early on, but you won't yield as much total income (or even enough to [i]call[/i] it income). I'm just a bit short of his prices for time and happily do a LOT more editing per shoot as part of the package deal, though. I should probably start charging five or ten bucks per edit [minus package deal] just for time's sake, I end up working on edits a lot longer than it feels, [i]especially[/i] when a client is just happy with EVERY FUCKING SHOT.
Most people won't get the most expensive package, especially if it's called something like "model", so don't expect people to do that.
Also it really depends on what type of area you live in, and if there are already established photographers in that area.
[QUOTE=Jo The Shmo;29462903]Most people won't get the most expensive package, especially if it's called something like "model", so don't expect people to do that.[/QUOTE]
Exactly. You're not out to make $100, you're trying to make people think you [i]could[/i] be worth $100.
Should I finalize on the name Lensarc Media and by the domain 'lensarc.co.uk'?
Or should I try thinking of more names.
What does lensarc mean? How did you come up with it? What message are you trying to tell people with it? What images come to mind when you hear it?
Personally I think that sounds more like a camera/parts store than a photo business.
The Wisp song 'arc of lens' gave me the idea. Any better suggestions for names?
[real name] photography.
tasteful and simple.
I have a shitty second name and I'm doing it with a friend.
Asbestos Photography
I wasn't asking rhetorical questions, I actually wanted your answers.
That would help me decide if it's a good name.
If you can come up with a good image based on your vision for lensarc, and way to really sell what you do to people in a simple name+tagline/logo then lensarc would be a fine name.
But if you just say "I dunno it's kinda cool" then I don't think it will work.
[editline]27th April 2011[/editline]
I wonder if valve copyrighted the name aperture science...
It wouldn't be a good idea, because everyone would think you had to do something related to portal, but I just wonder if it would be a valid name for a company or not.
[QUOTE=Jo The Shmo;29471363]I wasn't asking rhetorical questions, I actually wanted your answers.
That would help me decide if it's a good name.
If you can come up with a good image based on your vision for lensarc, and way to really sell what you do to people in a simple name+tagline/logo then lensarc would be a fine name.
But if you just say "I dunno it's kinda cool" then I don't think it will work.
[editline]27th April 2011[/editline]
I wonder if valve copyrighted the name aperture science...
It wouldn't be a good idea, because everyone would think you had to do something related to portal, but I just wonder if it would be a valid name for a company or not.[/QUOTE]
Well we are mainly aiming at doing portraits, bands, and businesses, so really we will be doing general photography. What we want is a professional sounding name that people will remember.
lensarc sounds weird
I'd say it's best to start off at like £30 or so for a 1-2 hour session.
If I were starting a business i would do the above as I began, establish a bit on interest, offer it some more as an opening offer. Then increase the price accordingly and expand areas.
It's also a nice touch to let your client see the pictures before hand, while picking what you thinks best. communicate with them and let them enjoy their day. Offer helpful advice and stay to the point while still being friendly.
If you expand alot and become popular. Then do something similar to that chart that Dai posted. By then you would also have lots of equipment and probably be able to do alot more.
But for now keep it at a smaller price tag.
I may sound stupid here, if I do ignore :V
Psuedo Pro Photo?
Because you're pretending to be professionals, but you really aren't.
arclens sounds cooler.
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