How to price an event?

Hello guys!
I have a photography gig next month. It's formal party with around 100 guests. I am still not sure how much to charge them as this is my first event gig.
How much did you charge for your first event? OR
Where do you base your charging fee?
Should I just make it cheaper? (I have read some online articles too, but some are too pricey in my view.)
Any thoughts?

petapixel.com/2016/02/26/much-photographers-charge-2016/

effron wrote: petapixel.com/2016/02/26/much-photographers-charge-2016/

Thanks for the link! What about you Effron, can you share your story what you did the first time? 

Look up PPA or asmp.org for info. on contracts, licensing usage, etc. Both I think have links to the same resource guide for determining pricing. ASMP did have a 'paperwork' share where working pros gave examples of actual invoices for jobs they did. (The site's been revised and I'm not sure if it's still on there.) Licensing should be for a specific time period and for specific purposes.

After this it sounds like you may need to get in some learning and practice on doing events before doing any more 'gigs' (people on message boards seem to be the ones using that term). You probably don't know what you don't know. If you go to community events where it's permitted to bring cameras you could think about how you'd shoot it if you were photographing it for a client.

Find out ahead of time what will be happening when and where so you get photos of the significant parts of the event. Go early, get photos of table decorations, etc. before people have purses or programs on the tables (although that can make for good photos or messy photos, it depends). Find out if there are any particular dignitaries, or sponsor signs that you need to photograph.

Working the event, keep an eye out around/behind you for wait staff coming thru with trays, people milling around. Stand where you won't be blocking guests' view of the stage or podium or head table. Frame shots 'cleanly' - you need to see everything in the frame and make sure you're not chopping off people or lettering on signs, etc. or getting things sticking into the side or corners of the frame. You need to work efficiently as things happen and need to know your camera like the back of your hand.

The people working cheap seem to be the amateurs with cameras. You may want to charge on the lower end of the range of pricing in your area starting out, but going real cheap probably will mean eventually having to figure out how to raise your pricing someday. But skill level has to be at a pro level to charge at a pro rate and be competitive.

icepics wrote: Look up PPA or asmp.org for info. on contracts, licensing usage, etc. Both I think have links to the same resource guide for determining pricing. ASMP did have a 'paperwork' share where working pros gave examples of actual invoices for jobs they did. (The site's been revised and I'm not sure if it's still on there.) Licensing should be for a specific time period and for specific purposes.

After this it sounds like you may need to get in some learning and practice on doing events before doing any more 'gigs' (people on message boards seem to be the ones using that term). You probably don't know what you don't know. If you go to community events where it's permitted to bring cameras you could think about how you'd shoot it if you were photographing it for a client.

Find out ahead of time what will be happening when and where so you get photos of the significant parts of the event. Go early, get photos of table decorations, etc. before people have purses or programs on the tables (although that can make for good photos or messy photos, it depends). Find out if there are any particular dignitaries, or sponsor signs that you need to photograph.

Working the event, keep an eye out around/behind you for wait staff coming thru with trays, people milling around. Stand where you won't be blocking guests' view of the stage or podium or head table. Frame shots 'cleanly' - you need to see everything in the frame and make sure you're not chopping off people or lettering on signs, etc. or getting things sticking into the side or corners of the frame. You need to work efficiently as things happen and need to know your camera like the back of your hand.

The people working cheap seem to be the amateurs with cameras. You may want to charge on the lower end of the range of pricing in your area starting out, but going real cheap probably will mean eventually having to figure out how to raise your pricing someday. But skill level has to be at a pro level to charge at a pro rate and be competitive.

This is really cool. I think you should make an article out of this. It will definitely help a lot more people. I will bear these things in mind. Thank you so much.