Pricing personal shoots like this is hard.
If you're scratching your head pondering about pricing, then you really have to think about whether you're really good enough to deliver what the client is asking? Are you going to deliver images that are good enough for people to pay, would you pay for it yourself......honestly? If you're in any doubt, then don't charge. Obviously, you'll not want to do this forever but the more shoots you do, the better you will get and the more your confidence will grow. Also your images will make a better impact on potential customers. Most of the time, if you agree to do a shoot for free, then the customer willl always give you a 'tip' (normally: Put a belt on, I can see your arse) and they'll always spread the word about you.
We've all done it, I still do it. I imagine all photographers shoot for free the first few times. George here, organised a shoot with a few petrol heads for free, and off of the back of this, he is now able to charge for shoots because people want his photos......it's great!
Personally, my rates always vary from shoot to shoot depending on:
1. Whether I, the photographer will benefit from the shoot: gain experience or, be shooting something rare and the client agrees to a location of your choice and shooting at one of the 2 golden hours: which will look good in portfolio.
2. What the client wants the images to look like: Is it going to be basic stuff, or do they want it in a great location with massively complex lighting and other hard situations?
3. What the client wants at the end: Do they want prints, Lo-Res images or both? Do they want Hi-Res images (which basically means selling your copyright). Do they want to use the images for anything other than personal use?
The list is endless really, but all these should affect the pricing structure.
You could make a price list offering different packages, but it's always nicer to tailor a package per client suiting their needs and how wide they're willing to open their wallet.
Obviously, this is how I do it and it is solely my opinion. I still shoot for free if I know I will benefit greatly. So, my pricing is £0.00 to £500.00+ for a personal shoot.
My style is getting more similar to his (apart from mine arn't at sunrise
)
That's because you're too lazy...bloody students!