How Can You Make Money When You Work For Free?

I like to help people. It’s part of who I am and my belief that, “when you are in the service of your fellow men, you are only in the service of your God.”

That being said, I always have to find a happy medium between helping people for free and helping people for pay. After all, photography isn’t just a hobby, it’s how I try to make a living.

I have some people call me with the expectation that because I know their sister’s cousin’s uncle, I would be willing to shoot their 10 hour wedding, give them all the images fully-retouched on a CD, and donate a pint of blood in the their name — all for $400 or less.  Maybe they don’t understand how much work goes into the wedding photography, even after the wedding day is over.  Maybe they have zero in their budget for a photographer and it was just an afterthought.  Maybe they are just plain frugal and are looking for a “coupon” deal.  Whatever the reason, I always have to stand my ground with my prices and remind myself that I have to make a living too and that my photo skills are worth that much.

That’s not to say I don’t sometimes make exceptions and do photos for free, but I pick and choose and don’t discount my work.  It’s either free or it’s full price.  If it’s free, it’s a gift, otherwise it’s my business and you pay the set price.  I mean, you wouldn’t walk into Macy’s and look at the price tag, then ask for a half-price deal at the checkout counter, would you?  And, if you would, do you think they would give it to you just because your sister is friends with the manager’s cousin?

So, how do you deal with it when someone asks for or expects special prices or free service?  Do you ever do free services?  Discounts?  Leave a comment and let me know how you handle it.