Alliteration aside, alas…

Ah the joys of photographer pricing… Lots of things go into this, below is some additional pieces of information to remember while going through the pricing aspect of commercial art.

A good start for pricing as a photographer is to get an idea of overall costs, and then  divide that up by how many jobs you think you’ll be doing monthly. This rough formula will get you started. There’s a bunch of articles on pricing and if it’s something you’d like to hear more on, drop me a line and I’ll elaborate. Below is somethings I didn’t find mentioned as regularly, these are a bit more real world vs just on paper!

For the young creative who’s just getting started. Don’t fall prey to the more established, don’t let them simply take what you have worked hard for.

Don’t barter your time, your art or your wares. So rarely does this work. Trust me on this.

Exposure is a word to run from, like the hounds of hell are chasing you. Exposure never has paid the bills, never landed that extra job that made a success.

Learn to see the value of the work, understand it’s true usefulness. Reach out to established creatives and have a meaningful conversation about pricing if you’re unsure where to begin.

For the established entrepreneur, business or brand, don’t leverage the passion the young have for their art with exposure, barter or any other promises you feel you’ll be able to give, a while ago you were starting out, and looking for work. Treat the new artists professionally, guide them through the minefields of business.

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. Exposure does not work. It only feels like you’re doing a good thing, the reality is it’ll mean zilch. Zero. Nada. Don’t tell the fresh artist that you’ll get them exposure.

Understand the value of what you ask, negotiate, this is business, but help the young entrepreneur realize their dream (for maybe one day your own kids might even work there).