Turning Hobby into $$$'s

[Aussie Dave]

As most of you probably already know, my obsession with taking photos of our twins is only slightly lagging behind my obsession with Lens Lust.

My Wife will soon begin attending the local Mother's Group and I threw the idea in the air of perhaps offering a photographic service to Mothers & families. Looking forward, there could be potential for this to grow if done correctly and at the right price.

My Wife called PixiFoto to get an idea of what they charge and I nearly fell off my chair when she told me. $60+ for an 8x10" print...what is the world coming to....or am I living in the dark ages ?

We are now seriously considering such a venture....purely as a hobby/side-gig. Almost everyone that looks at our photo albums comments on how great the photos turn out, so if we are able to share that with others, at a very reasonable & fair price, everyone is a winner.

Things I can think of to consider, off the top of my head, would be:
- sitting fee (perhaps if client spends over X amount of $'s, sitting fee is waived)
- CD of proofs (for clients to choose which photos to have printed)
- 1 set of prints at one price, reprints for family members @ a discounted rate (as PP is already done)
- costs of archiving images, on HDD @ CD/DVD
- perhaps a couple of set packages with better pricing and misc. sizes (to help give direction on what sizes to buy ??)
- shoot at "their" house (new mums cannot easily get out of the house)
- cost of time to PP images, have them printed etc..

Does anyone have any advice, suggestions, warnings, other things to consider ? I must stress that we would not claim to be "professional photographers" and as such, would not be looking to charge exorbitant prices.
We'd obviously like to make a bit of money on the side, but we would also like to make it affordable for young families to obtain some nice, simple photos of their little bundles of joy.....and we'd also like spare time to spend with our own children

I'd be very interested to hear people's thoughts.....

Cheers

[stubbsy]

Dave

There's an opportunity there for you. A few things:

- Don't make yourself too cheap or people will think the quality is the same!
- Offer a CD slide show (ProShow Gold or similar)
- Offer something like a Momento book
- Get a portfolio of your work on the web so people can see the quality of your work
- Test drive your skills with some friend's kids (most important)
- Think about getting some sort of form that says the parents own copyright, but you can use the images in your portfolio & for advertising your business
- Get an ABN and, if you don't have one already, a good accountant
- Get your wife actively involved in the business and teach her how to take pics too. A husband and wife team will relax some nervous mothers who may feel more comfortable with a woman with their newborns

Finally, good luck.

[Geoff]

Dave

There's an opportunity there for you. A few things:

- Don't make yourself too cheap or people will think the quality is the same!
- Offer a CD slide show (ProShow Gold or similar)
- Offer something like a Momento book
- Get a portfolio of your work on the web so people can see the quality of your work
- Test drive your skills with some friend's kids (most important)
- Think about getting some sort of form that says the parents own copyright, but you can use the images in your portfolio & for advertising your business
- Get an ABN and, if you don't have one already, a good accountant
- Get your wife actively involved in the business and teach her how to take pics too. A husband and wife team will relax some nervous mothers who may feel more comfortable with a woman with their newborns

Finally, good luck.

Hi Dave,
The suggestions that Peter have made are excellent. I have started out doing family portraits back in January and have since registered my business name, gained an ABN and yep, got a good accountant. I'm lucky as I can do this (at the moment) as a sideline to my main job. I offera a DVD slideshow (ProShow Gold) and also offer my clients a number of prints included in the sitting fee. They can then purchase more if they choose to (and they often do). Great idea on practising on family members, this is how I started out and the first few 'paid' jobs I charged next to nothing which helped get the word out there...I've since put my prices up and people are paying. I'm actually off now to a family portrait shoot for a client that I photographed back in January, she's since had another kid and her Mum is in town so she wants an update...gotta be happy with that.
Peter's comment on don't make yourself too cheap is also very important. I went to a seminar for photographer's starting out in their own business and this was their first and probably most useful piece of advice. It has also often helped having my fiance Bel with me on photo shoots as Peter too said this can often make the Mum feel a little easier with the scenario. I'm hoping to do a pregnancy shoot very soon and to have a female with me for that would be ideal. Let us know how you are going and what you're up to. Making the move from hobbiest to a small business is a fantastic leap!! Good luck!

[gstark]

And with Christmas fast approaching, the timing for this is excellent.

[Andyt]

from WG Fields I think........... "never work with animals or children"

Seriously though, when I am asked to take pics of kids & pets etc and I quote half the commercial rate, the bottom lip comes out, and the chin goes down.
People think because you are an "amature" that you can produce professional results for nothing and expect to pay the same.

Nowadays, I quote a price for prints (up to A4) and either a "slab or bottle of......" as a sitting fee. And found the best results is to meet at the beach foreshore, a park or local area where backgrounds are good. This way I have found that the occassion is taken more seriously and your subjects are willing to respond to poses and suggestions for scenes. In the end a good time is had by all. Oh, and I say up front that prints will be anything up to 4 weeks, this gives me time to fix my oversights in PS!

Good luck with it if you proceed, but I would not spend any $$$'s on any gear until you have undertaken a few commissions (and been paid) with the promise of more work to come.

Regards, Andyt

[Sheetshooter]

Professional Photography and Prostitution have a great deal in common: THEY ARE BOTH STUFFED UP BY AMATEURS.

Things I can think of to consider, off the top of my head, would be:

- sitting fee (perhaps if client spends over X amount of $'s, sitting fee is waived)

Something for nothing is not seen as being worth anything. This is either a recreational pursuit or it is a business venture. If it is a business venture then you have to set yourself a profile as not only being competent but also being businesslike.

In the UK the trade organisation lobbiued hard to get domestic photographers to charge a proper fee for the photography rather than shifting all income to the prints. This was largely to prevent the perception of skill and expertise shifting in the consumers' eyes from the snapper to the High Street Mini-Lab.


- CD of proofs (for clients to choose which photos to have printed)

Only if the files are so small that they cannot be printed or emailed in any sort of meaningful state. Watermarked and branded as "PROOF ONLY"


- 1 set of prints at one price, reprints for family members @ a discounted rate (as PP is already done)

Prints have a perceived market value. Discounting on the grounds of technicalities is not a concern to the public. kepp the deal simple and straightforward. The PixiFoto prices you quoted are not expensive in the scheme of things and to undercut has similar ramifications to offering your services for free as per item one.


- costs of archiving images, on HDD @ CD/DVD

A PER ANNUM fee which MIGHT be included as a extra in the all-inclusive price in place of a discount may be acceptable. You must also keep in mind the responsibility that this places upon you and your operation. IF you offer a secure storage faciltity into the future then you MUST accept liability if that security fails. It would also be incumbent upon you to remain current with technology to ensure that today's birth photos can be openbed, read and printed for the 21st party at least.


- perhaps a couple of set packages with better pricing and misc. sizes (to help give direction on what sizes to buy ??)

'Packages' is standard fare in the domestic photography area. The glamour make-over folk tie people up to a package which allows the shoot to be cheap and for the profiuts to be realised out of subsequent print orders. In the Advertising end of the business it is usual for the photography and usage license fees to be higher and print prices lower. The difference is in supplying either 'professional' or 'non-professional' consumers.


- shoot at "their" house (new mums cannot easily get out of the house)

This is a common option and, if you don't have a studio, it can be a good excuse for them never to learn that fact. It is more work for you in clearing a tidy space and setting up for a brief session in each venue rather than having a set setting at the studio.


- cost of time to PP images, have them printed etc..

Domestic purchasers would never fully appreciate the need for PP - certainly as a chargeable item. Include it in either the photographyt fee or the print charges. Keep it simple.


Cheers,

[stubbsy]

Just one more thought from me Dave

You could make the images available on line for previewing rather than providing a CD. That reduces you costs marginally, but more importantly makes the images more accessible. If you use a service like SmugMug they allow you to have PROOF automatically overprinted on the images when you choose their higher priced membership level (see BBJ's site for an example)

[Jonesy]

The Proof function is as easy as clicking in a box, and it will apply over the whole gallery! and its that easy to take it off as well. Smugmug can also have locked galleries where you supply your client with a password and only they can access that gallery. And Right click protect is also available, once again just by clicking a box!
and the Pro account allows you to use your own Domain name

[radar]

Hi Dave,

a good exercise to do is to look at how much time you will be spending on the photo shoot, price of consumables, time spent PP, depreciation on camera equipment, travel time to client's home, etc.

I know you say that it is only a small side business, but do the sums or have your accountant do the sums for you.

I had a friend that was doing weddings, he did his sums after finding that he was spending lots of time on PP. His hourly rate ended up being pitiful and it was keeping him away from his family.

Not trying to discourage you, but make sure you look at all aspects.

A similar question to yours was asked a while back on the forums, and one comment from someone went something like: "When you start getting paid for your hobby, that's when it stops being a hobby".

Good luck,

Radar

[Aussie Dave]

thank you everyone for your comments & suggestions. This was exactly what I was hoping for....and I knew I could count on the people in this forum to give me great advice.

I will absorb all the information you've posted and have a think about things. We certainly don't want to jump into anything hastily & regret it later.

If anyone has any further suggestions, I'm ALL ears

Thanks again everyone !

[Sheetshooter]

Dave,

I am as guilty as everybody else in jumping onto the feasibility and best practice isses but neglected to amek one very important point.

Whatever you do and however you do it, make sure that you keep accurate records of all your transactions - purchases and sales - and ensure that you recruit the services of an accountant to at least steer you in the right direction regarding your tax obligations and also your exposure to any liabilities that may require addressing through insurances and contracts.

If you're gonna do it, then do it right - right from the word go!

Cheers, and best wishes.

[Onyx]

progalleries.com

Disregard the terms and conditions, it doesn't cost anything to join.

IMHO, you don't have to produce outstanding pics to be well regarded, just the subject matter alone can justify your high prices. People will see their kid - and somehow conjure up sappy emotions and the mixup in brain chemistry will equate you being a skillful photographer.