Portraits Pricing
Consultation: $37.50 (estimated and optional)
Shoot: $75 (estimated)
Travel: $0
Sort, Upload, Proof, Retouch: $56.25 (estimated, assuming 4 final photos chosen)
Prints: Approximately $30 assuming four 8x10's and 2 sets of 4 wallets.
CD or DVD with all digital copies and release form: $120
Travel: $0
Total Estimate: $198.75 (without CD)
50% non-refundable retainer required on estimates of $400 or more.
Consultation: $37.50/hour (1 hour estimated and minimum. Optional but recommended.)
If you read my about page, you know it's my mission not to just take a good picture of you but to tell your story in one image or a series of them. Telling your story properly requires knowing you better; learning your story. I'll meet you where you like (your house, your workplace, park, coffee house, sandwich shop) and we'll just talk about you. And who doesn't like talking about him or herself? From the consultation you and I will work together to come up with a concept to better tell your story. Are you a high powered businessman? Maybe we'll shoot in your office with a bunch of your accolades? Athlete? We're not doing the standard high school team photo with your shoulders square and your foot on the ball. No, I'm going to get you coming off the field or in the middle of a muddy pickup game covered in sweat and dirt. Mom/blogger/pilates instructor? We're going to work that all in somehow and everyone who looks at that picture is going to know who you are. Family portrait? How about we capture board game night or story time?
If you need something more traditional, that's easy enough for me to do too.
Shoot: $75 up to two hours, $37.50/hour after that.
9 times out of 10 these will be location shoots. Either at your place or somewhere else depending on what we decide will be best. Depending on the difficulty of the subject or the weather, I don't see it going much longer than 2 hours. What if it only takes 1 hour? Still $75. The $75 minimum helps cover my costs of travel (time, gas, and vehicle wear and tear).
Travel: $0.58 per mile after 50 miles traveled (round trip).
I consider Hopewell and Pittsburgh to be home base. So if we shoot 10 miles East of Pittsburgh, it's a 20 mile round trip. If we shoot 10 miles West of Hopewell, it's a 20 mile round trip and therefore no travel charge. If the shoot is 26 miles away, that makes it a 52 mile round trip and the travel fee will be $1.16.
Sorting, Uploading, Proofing, and Editing: $37.50/hour (Appx 1 hour for every 200 to sort, correct, and upload. Appx 15 minutes per final edit.)
We might take 30 pictures. We might take 200. When I get back to the computer, I'll sort out the ones that have absolutely no value and post the rest to the website for you to proof. CHOOSE AS MANY AS YOU WANT FOR YOUR FINAL PRINTS! How many of those other guys give you that option?
The amount of time it takes me to sort, tonal correct, and upload varies depending on how many pictures we take.
Your final choices will receive basic retouching. Some might not need much. Some might need a lot. The average portrait takes about 15 minutes. I won't make it look like I ran it through Instagram unless you want me to. My retouches include tonal adjustments (which make your photos more dynamic), color adjustments (to enhance vibrance), blemish removal and skin softening (to make sure you look like you), and anything else I think absolutely needs altered to get your portrait not close to perfect, but perfect. By that I mean I'll take that mustard stain out of your shirt or clean up that spot you missed with the razor. The bottom line is, the neater you have yourself for the shoot, the less time it'll take in the edit.
Do you like black and white pictures? Me too. How about color? Those are great as well. I agree. You'll have everything in both color and black and white. It's easier and faster to just do it that way than for the two of us to go back and forth on what we like better.
Can/Will I add your dog or a dinosaur to the picture? Absolutely. But that's going to take longer. How much longer? Depends on how shaggy your dog is. How complex the edges are. Half hour to an hour if you let me take the picture of the dog. You know what? How about we just bring the dog into the original shoot and not do the complex edit? (I'd probably have to buy the rights to use a shot of a dinosaur too so that'll add to your total.)
Prints:
I don't mark my prints up that much and I think you'll like that about me. Prints are a good way for a lot of photographers to make money on the back end but since I charge up front for everything I do, this is where you get to save on premium quality prints.
The print companies I use offer TONS of products and I've made many of them available for your portrait printing needs. Some of them offer different things. Some of them offer different prices. Feel free to browse but remember you get what you pay for. I personally recommend anything Miller's does. They're the best and their customer service is phenomenal if anything's wrong.
Here's a short list to give you and idea (price may vary depending on paper, finish choice, and print company):
Set of 4 wallets: $7.99
8X10": $9.99
10x15": $11.99
16x20": $26.99
CD/DVD with all the digital copies: $120 (optional)
Every time someone sees one of my photographs, they see my work. If you get it printed at Wal-Mart, it will look terrible and reflect poorly on me and my craft and could cost me work. So you must buy your prints from me.
But I also understand the value of having every last shot preserved and in your possession and that is why I make this available. The release will also allow you to publish photos that contain my company's watermark to your social media, and other venues. I will still retain the copyright to the images.
Just want the rights and complete freedom to do what you want with them like post them all on facebook or sell them to The Inquirer? $600.