Mary wrote:
this subject never ends here at MM.  Everyones insulted that people want to be paid.  Most people on these sites are not worth paying, thats true, mediocre looking "models" that could never get an agent as Alan said and most photographers on these sites frankly equally suck....they arent worth being paid either.  This makes for a great  tfp environment.  Everyone equally sucks and it's fair right?  the problem would be when someone good enters the mix, then money has to be exchanged ....is this so hard to understand???? 

Come on, who here is going to charge a super model for a TFP?  who here is going to charge A top fashion photographer for a TFP...you all get the concept no?  so why do we keep arguing about it?

I guess to make it fair we need a rating system on portfolios, that way we know who we have to pay to work with

AMEN Again!!!

Well said.

CO Model Amber wrote:
What's the deal with that? I thought TFP meant TIME FOR PRINTS as in you give the photographer your time and you get the prints/cd for free.

I'm just really curious!

Nah, you got the defination wrong, that's all
TFP= Time For Payment

CO Model Amber wrote:
What's the deal with that? I thought TFP meant TIME FOR PRINTS as in you give the photographer your time and you get the prints/cd for free.

You give the photographer your time, photographer gives you his/her time back and you're square. Or is it that photographers time doesn't count?

J__ wrote:
it kinda disgusts me how some photographers (NOT all, SOME) are so picky about their pricing... what i mean by picky is "1 print will be $x, 2 print will be $y, oh and then if u want that blown it'll be $xy" i mean common, just give me a FLAT RATE. maybe because i did quite a bit of acting and modeling so have had experience with such photographers, but for me i take photos because i ENJOY IT. sure making money with it is one of its perks. but i like to keep it simple. i'll give u a flat rate depending on what u want, then i provide u with a disk of all the images, u can go print as many copies as u want, and as big as u want. i've usually told ppl i work with my package include X amount of shots. but once i get into the shoot, ive been knwn to come out with sometimes more than double that. it just bugs me how theirs photographers out there that are so "professional" about their pricing and rates, yet their pictures are worse than the self portraits i can do.....

Well, as far as "photographers out there that are so "professional" about their pricing and rates, yet their pictures are worse than the self portraits i can do..... "
Its true and it happens. Photography is much about business and not about making photographs. I was reading about a photographer who did some child portraits, they are not extraordinary, but he makes around $2 million a year.
This goes on to my second point....

Your digust is only misunderstanding of their business model. Its not that they may be "picky" about it, but they may follow certain price structures and fee structures that are derived from analyzing market conditions, selling points, etc.
For example, your statement "i'll give u a flat rate depending on what u want" is not a flat rate. Your already saying its going to vary. You may opt to establish a price ceiling, and let the price fluctuate below it, but it is not a flat rate. Another example, if you decide to "provide u with a disk of all the images, u can go print as many copies as u want, and as big as u want", then you may need to consider price adjustments based on the loss of potential diminishing returns of your work.

I know you "like to keep it simple", but its not as simple as picking a number (price) and selling your entire work using the same fee structure. Its a business, and businesses have to follow certain principles of microeconomics in order to survive.

In a competitive market, producers are price "takers" not price "makers"....meaning, you cant just say Ill charge $1000 and give this and that. You have to place yourself (you meaning you and your prices), within the range of the established market.


-DM.