Before Giving a Price, Here's a Checklist of Questions You Must Ask First
As if you don't have enough to think about as a self-employed photographer, you need to give some serious thought to how and when you provide a price to a potential client.
For starters, giving a client a price off the cuff could put you in a bad spot if the scope of work they need ends up being more than what you initially thought.
Secondly, without asking a potential client any questions, how will you know if the job is even worth the time or effort?
Beyond that, any informed consumer will be checking out prices from several photographers, and if you're the only one that doesn't ask any questions and dig deeper into who this person is and what they need from you, you'll look like a total amateur.
So, with that in mind, here's a few questions you should ask your clients before ever giving them a price.
What is the Occasion?
If you're a wedding and portrait photographer and the client needs a photographer for a motorcycle race, you might have a problem on your hands...
Similarly, it's prudent to inquire about the style of the shoot.
For example, if your style leans toward the bright and airy side, you'll need to know if that works with the client's vision for their photos.
Again, if they want something dark and moody, you might not be the best fit, so it's best to find that out at the outset.
How Many Photos are Needed?
Naturally, the number of images the client needs will factor heavily into your price quote.
A small gig of a few dozen shots is obviously going to warrant a smaller price tag than a weekend-long job that involves hundreds of photos.
You need to inquire about a ballpark total number of shots as well as a more precise final tally of images, too.
That helps you clearly define what the end product is so you can give the potential client a more precise price estimate.
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When Do the Images Need to Be Delivered?
Editor's Tip: If you want to see what your images look like in a high-quality album, click here.
If the client urgently needs their photos, that means you'll have to set aside all your other work to meet their deadline.
And in business, that means you need to charge more...
Asking them ahead of time what their timeframe is not only helps you determine the price but also if you can even accommodate their timeline.
Furthermore, asking this question usually leads to getting even more details about the job. For example, if they say that there's no rush because the wedding isn't for six months, then you know that these clients are looking for a wedding photographer.
Will the Images Need to Be Retouched?
As you no doubt know, retouching images often takes far longer than actually taking the images in the first place.
So, if your prospective clients expect the images to be processed, you need to factor that into your price quote before telling them what you'd charge for the job.
You should also ask the client how large or small the images need to be.
For example, if they need high-resolution images to turn into very large prints, you don't want to give them compressed images that would be great for posting on social media.
Beyond that, inquiring about the technical aspects of the images the client needs allows you to plan accordingly with the right equipment.
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How Should Delivery Take Place?
Will your client be fine with receiving digital image files in something like Dropbox?
Do they need a "hard copy" of the images on something like a flash drive or a CD?
Do they want prints? And if so, how many, what size, and what sort of medium (paper, canvas, metal, etc.)?
It seems like a fairly mundane question to ask, but it's obviously one that's incredibly important to you because dropping image files onto the cloud is less work intensive and less expensive than ordering a million prints.
Where is the Photo Shoot?
If a potential client has a specific spot in mind for their photo shoot, you need to know that before offering a price.
After all, your opportunity costs and real costs will be far different if you only have to drive 10 minutes versus needing to catch a flight, rent a car, and stay in a hotel for a weekend.
If the client wants the shoot to take place outside, also ask what the backup plan is in case the weather isn't ideal.
There's other practical issues that you need to inquire about as well.
The shoot location will determine what gear you do and don't need.
For example, if the client wants their photos taken at an old mansion, is there electricity so you can power your gear or do you need to make other accommodations like renting a generator?
Is the desired shoot location on private property or public land? Are permits required to shoot there?
Usually, though, clients will ask you about potential shoot locations, which is sometimes a much more desired situation, that way you can control where you're working and do so in places you know that are conducive to your workflow.
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How Will Payment Be Handled?
Perhaps the most important question on this list is how payment for your services will be handled.
This needs to be written in a contract in plain black and white so there is no ambiguity about what's expected.
You need to know when you will be paid, how the client will pay you, and how much they will pay you. You also need to outline the consequences of late or incomplete payments.
If you find that the client is a little shady and doesn't want to commit to any of these details, it's probably a good sign that they won't be the best client to work for anyway.
In the end, although it essentially boils down to "How and when will I be paid?" there's obviously a lot more questions you need to ask before arriving at that point.
Being thorough and asking as many questions as possible before offering a price quote will only help protect you (and the client) from misunderstandings that could derail the whole project!
For a detailed guideline on starting a successful photography business, be sure to check out the video above from B&H Photo Video.
