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Dan Pettus
Lives in
Temecula Wine Country, CA, United States
Works as a
Photographer
Has a website at
http://www.danpettusphoto.com
Joined on
Dec 30, 2008
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Connect with dpreview
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Does anyone take photographs with their cameras? We use the MK III’s for our work including weddings, portraits and engagements. Like all our Canon gear they work and they work tough. We’re not gentle. They are tools of the trade. Is the 5 D MK III worth the investment? Yes. It is simply better in every aspect over the MK II. And the MK II is no slouch to a hard day’s work. Do we care how the guts inside are done? Nope. If it didn’t work then Canon would fix it. But they do work and provide a positive return on investment over and over.
Recent Engagement Session http://danpettusimages.com/engvelasco/
Recent Wedding http://danpettusimages.com/dewalsche/
Gothmoth: JPG vs. RAW....
how many of the RAW shooter had a darkroom back in the film days?
honest question... im curious.
This will reveal my age .. darkroom – yes - Omega LPL 670 Enlarger. Developer – Fixer – Water-bath. Yes; only RAW. Don’t even know how JPG is setup on my camera bodies – don’t care. Never want to go back to the smell of fixer in a dark room. But I got to say the anticipation and passion of creating a breathtaking print after proper in-camera composition is truly missed. So many with today’s technology do the “spray and pray” and I just cannot get into that mode of photography….
jagge: sorry i am absolutely on the bride side. Sorry but 3k is a high price. Now off course if you are wanting the most spectacular photographer you have to pay the prize, no doubt about it, free market. BUT if 3k is supposed to be the "normal" rate and you then get this reply that in all honesty is a bit rich.
Sorry the season is "4 months", very well that might be but I dont think its reasonably to assume that you can base your entire income on that and put your prices accordingly. Well its a free world. If anyone will pay 3k for a wedding photograper be my guest. I applaud those who can charge rates like that, honestly. BUT trying to argue that that price is more than fair, and almost getting to the point that it actually is almost a bad deal for the photographer is a bit pathetic.
Sorry I dont find that response very compelling or convincing. She could shoot 3 weedings a month, use a week on each and lay in the sun the rest of the time with a 9k income. Thats quite ok, come on.....
J
The latest U.S. Economic Board claims the average wedding costs $28,760. Asking roughly 10% to capture the day for generations is not over the top. We start at $3K as the base bottom and go way up from there. Plenty of business. Booked two yesterday and meeting with another today. I will book her. The thought that $9K a month super high considering a gross margin of 30-40% is the U.S. average on wedding photography is truly not my desire or wanted lifestyle.
I’m a person who is getting a new car this summer and have yet to find a decently priced, exceptional, amazingly fast, brilliant, fun to drive Aston Martin for under $180,000. Its such CRAP. Prices are WACK.
Wow. I love this thread! So much passion and everybody has the answer.
Charge whatever you want and calculate your justification anyway you want. If you book clients then great. If not then change your approach or quit.
We just yesterday booked two more clients for 2012 at our regular fees and rejected one for not having the budget to afford our studio. We never discount .. never.
For those trying to enter this market remember that once you take money for services – part-time, as a friend, an experiment, or pro, you and all your assets are liable. Liability in the U.S. stretches beyond delivering worthless images but also incorporate damages from equipment failure to smacking grandma with your brand new 400mm 2.8 lens.
My haircut costs $20 and I’m completely satisfied with the results. My wife’s haircut costs $200 and she is totally convinced of value and has returned to the same $200 hair place for the past 8 years. My studio targets customers like my wife …. not me…
Photography as a business is unregulated and unlicensed. The market will ultimately dictate what is a fair fee for value returned. And, photography as a business is one of the truly free market industries.
A free market business can be debated about price, full-time vs. part-time, professional vs. amateur, etc. An unfortunate outcome of no regulations is a bride (or any client) has no idea what they are going to get.
Our average wedding photo package is well north of $3K. If we didn’t book any business then we would need to adjust price to market conditions or find something else to do with our skills.
In the end we strive for value and assurance that our customers are completely satisfied and convinced they got their money’s worth plus more. Our business is rated five starts out of five on the Weddingchannel forum from brides who have no other incentive to rate us but how they perceived our service and products. And of course value for the fees they paid.