Commanding a Fair Price for Artistic Services Essay -- work, quality, p

Assigning a value to creative work is like juggling liquid. No matter how artist try to handle it, things get messy. Artists often find themselves in the dilemma of doing too much work and getting too little pay. Pricing is a controversial area because people look at the output and often underestimate the value. Rarely will an artist encounter a situation when the customer feels undercharged for the work. The agreement of respectable prices varies from one person to another, so the argument remains on how to command a fair price. Time and time again, I’m faced with clients challenging the price of my work. Never have I been questioned about the quality, but more times than I care to remember about the price. I spend hours taking pictures then more time editing and perfecting the pictures. When it’s time to hand over the prints to the client and collect payment, I hear the feedback â€Å"$200 for pictures is too much money!† Pricing is a common issue in the photography community and in many other artistic jobs. The challenge is how the photographer/artist create an understanding with clients that the value of your time spent on the artwork is worth the value of their precious money. In this essay, I will be discussing the problem of getting clients to understand the value of work and time in artistic services along with how to present cost to clients. There is a quote that says, â€Å"Time is more value than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time† Jim Rohn (brainyquote.com). Time is one of the most valuable things in the world, and when an artist is working on an artistic project, they usually spend a lot of time making sure the work is perfect. As with any other job, photographers get paid for their ti... ...s my art because it is one of a kind not the labor required to make. As an artist you can never devalue your own vision because it’s unique and therefore valuable (gloriamarie.com). Works Cited "An artist is not paid for his labor, but for his vision. – James Whistler, Painter, 1834- 1903." gloriamariecom. Gloria Marie, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. "How Much Should You Charge For Design Work?." Co.Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. "How to deal with price-shopping clients and charge what you ´re worth." CHRISTINA GREVE PHOTOGRAPHER AND LIFE COACH RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014 "How to Set the Price for Your Photography - Digital Photography School." Digital Photography School RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014 "Jim Rohn quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. "Why do professional photographers charge so much?." modelmayhem.com. N.p., n.d.