How much should a young teenager charge for photography?
I’m a young teenage photographer, and some friends and neighbors have been asking me to take pics of their children, etc. for them and they will pay me. I already have a Canon Rebel XS camera and camera accessories, but how much should I charge per hour? They will cover transportation and prints, so they just want the digital images (like on a flash drive or memory card). I am a talented photographer, winning recent competitions. Hope to get an answer soon…
I’m a photographer as well, but when I started doing work for money, it was actually as a piano teacher.
I charged what I felt comfortable charging, no more, no less. I suppose different rules applied in that circumstance, but I realized at my age, I wasn’t going to provide the stability that a growing pianist needs as I was likely going to leave and go to college soon and they’d have to find a new teacher with a different style.
I guess the same principle applies to what I charge in photography.
Ive worked for studios for several years, and I know what i’m doing now that I’m working on my own, but I also realize my limitations. I can’t afford to re-order a wall portrait that the client thinks didn’t print out like they wanted, so I make it clear that they must inspect the digital photo at full rez before ordering and there are NO refunds. Most other photographers just order it with full confidence. I’ve worked for studios that did that, and on occasion, the client found an imperfection and they were out the money for a new portrait. I can’t afford that. I don’t hold liability (I don’t shoot weddings for that reason!) etc..
I consider my work to be quality, but I can’t charge full price because my camera is not good enough to print a picture in 30×40 unless it was with perfect studio lighting, and even then… it’s stretching it’s limits.
Personally, I work with a company called Black River Imaging. They allow me to sell my prints via their website and right now, I”m only making a 30% profit off of whatever I sell after commission and paying the babysitter. If I get in higher demand, I might start charging more. But.. 30% is fine with me for now while I’m in college.
I’d start out shooting at maybe $30 to $50 per shoot on disc (depending on the length of the shoot, etc…) . And… Narrow down your shots. They don’t need 10 of them with slightly different expressions in the exact same pose. Put only the best of the best on the disc. That’s probably the biggest mistake that beginners make. I had a hard time narrowing it down too at first!
If you get too many shoots at that price, raise the price. If you feel that the money that you’re getting is no longer worth your time, raise it!
You’ll do fine 
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