Budget, budget, wherefore art thou?

What every photographer knows, and seemingly few clients understand, is that every photo can be shot in many, many different ways and each can have a very different cost.

When looking to hire a photographer, a few clients will initially refuse to reveal the exact details of their photo project. Some other clients may not know the details or they haven’t fully decided what they want. Nevertheless, the photographer is expected to give a price for a job they know little about.

When you’re trying to figure out and price a photo job that doesn’t have complete information, the advice often given is that you should ask the client for their budget and use that as a guideline. But if you ask, “What’s your budget for this project,” the client may answer with something like:

• “We don’t have a set budget.”

• “We’re still in the planning stage.”

• “We might be flexible.”

• “As little as possible. Ha ha.”

Sometimes those statements may be true. A client may have no idea what photography costs or their company hasn’t set a budget or even a final project plan.

Other times, a client might be apprehensive about revealing their budget. This client worries that the photographer will artificially inflate their (lower) price to meet that budget.

Some clients may not have a set budget and need the photographer “to go first” with a price so the client can then shape their budget. This is one reason why it’s better that the photographer is first off the mark with a price because it can help set an anchor point.

In any case, a photographer needs to qualify each client. Why should you spend hours, or even days, planning a job and working up a quote for a client who can’t afford the work? You may be thinking “big production” while the client is thinking “fast and cheap” or vice versa. I know photographers who spent weeks communicating back and forth with a client, making proposals and plans, only to find out that they were miles apart on price.

SEARCHING FOR THE BUDGET

You could ask, “Can you tell me your budget for this project or should I just assume that it’s going to be my dream job and I’ll be retiring right after it?” But that’s unlikely to work.

If a client has refused to reveal their budget, they’ve been vague about it, or you just don’t want to directly ask for it, you can still get a feel for the numbers by asking something like:

• “What was your last photo project? Were you happy with the results? (Why not?) What did you pay for that photography?”

• “The standard cost for this type of project ranges from $4000 to $7500. The lower price uses available light and is a faster shoot while the other is a higher-end shoot with more options that help produce a more sophisticated look. Where does your project fit into this range?” (Of course, you can’t just pull numbers out the air. You must already have some idea of what to charge).

• “I’ll tell you right now that I’m not the cheapest photographer in town. Can you give me a price range so I can have an idea if I’m the best photographer for you?”

• Price your highest effort with all the bells and whistles. Let’s say it’s $10,000. Then tell the client, “The most effective way to do this job will cost $10,000 and that includes everything such as (…). Does that match your plans or should we adjust some of that?” Perhaps the client will respond with, “We were thinking of something in the $2,500 to $3,000 range.”

The point is to ask leading questions to draw out more information.

WITHOUT A KNOWN BUDGET

If you don’t ask for the client’s budget, the only other option is that you should draft two or three general proposals, each with a different price (low, medium, high). These proposals should be simple, short and should never be called a quote or estimate. For example:

Hello Client,

Here are a few general suggestions for your upcoming photography project. Please note that the following are not quotes or even estimates. They’re just rough guesses based on the information I have at this time.

1) We can photograph the three scenarios on location using available light. This will produce a “newspaper look” which will make the pictures look more “real life.” The advantage here is that this style is quite effective at drawing in viewers. The cost might be around 2500 depending on the final details.

2) We can do the entire shoot in a studio. The advantage is that we will have full control of everything. There will be no unexpected surprises in terms of light or weather. The disadvantage is that we lose the “real life” look. But maybe the clean studio background will better suit your page design? We’ll use a makeup artist to make everyone look great. The cost might be around 5000 depending on the final details.

3) We can combine the above two options by photographing the three scenarios on location using studio-quality light. This will require more equipment but two photo assistants will ensure that everything runs smoothly. A makeup artist will make sure everyone looks their best. The advantage here is that we’re using a real life location but we’re not dependent on the available light. The cost might be around 7000 depending on the final details.

Of course, we will modify any of the above suggestions to better suit your needs but for now, which one of these comes closest to your plans?

Although this is somewhat like throwing darts and hoping one hits the bullseye, it can help prompt a client to make decisions. If you do provide a list of options like this, it’s very important that you make these options more about what’s included (i.e. the value) rather than just price.

WHO’S AFFORDING WHO?

You always have to somehow qualify every client. Can the client afford to work with you? Can you afford to work with that client? If the answer isn’t “yes” to both questions, then the job isn’t a good fit for either party.