Should You Offer Friends and Family Discounts in Photography?
Most creatives have, at some point or another, been hit with THE question.
It most often comes from those closest to you– friends, family, your neighbor…
It’s a question that sets an expectation that may have not been clear from the start. What exactly am I hinting at? When you’re asked for a photoshoot discount, a deal, or a sale on your photography products or services.
This is a tricky thing to navigate because sometimes you genuinely want to provide that photoshoot discount, but oftentimes, this request leads to frustration and feeling as though a boundary was crossed and expectations were shattered.
So should you offer friends and family discounts in photography? It’s ultimately up to you, but here’s how to offer photography discounts while still respecting your creative value and keeping both the client and the photographer happy!
1) Offer a photoshoot package discount.
Perhaps the easiest way to offer a discount or deal is to offer a percentage off one of your photoshoot packages. This could be 10%, 20, or even 50% off— it’s totally up to you and what you’re comfortable with.
When proposing this kind of discount, you want to be super clear and communicative with your client on what will be discounted and what won’t. For example, I would highly encourage you to exclude that discount on any sort of travel fee or additional service outside of that package. For those, don’t be afraid to charge the full price.
Again, you're going to want to make sure that all of this is crystal clear in your email or any other methods of communication. And again (because this is important to reiterate)— anything outside of that photoshoot package you’re offering will be an additional fee.
2) Gift a photography session.
This is where you work 100% for free for someone that is super important or special to you. No, I’m not talking about your acquaintance from college. I recommend saving these kinds of sessions for that newborn niece, a cousin who just opened up a business, or grad photos for your best friend.
No matter who you decide to gift a free photography session to, there still needs to be clear guidelines. In order to do this, I recommend building out a photography package that is convenient for you.
In your package, make sure to include:
how many images they'll receive
how many outfit changes they’ll get
details on the photo shoot location— decide if they’ll choose or simply pick somewhere that is convenient for you
guidelines that any photoshoot props will need to be purchased by them
If your cousin wants to drive downtown instead of going to a closer, more convenient photo location, establish who is responsible to pay for parking. If they are wanting props in their photos, like a coffee or a bouquet of flowers, it needs to be established beforehand that the photographer is not responsible for purchasing them. This way, there is absolutely no confusion and as little frustration as possible.
The problem is that under-communicating breeds expectations from both parties, and we can start to resent that person we were originally going to bless with a free photography session.
One of my biggest tips is to stick to email for all photography client communication. This helps create a boundary and ensures that your family and friends understand that this is your job, that it should be respected, and that it will continue to be treated like a job throughout the entire process. Again, over-communicating is a LOT better than under-communicating.
When it comes to a photography contract, you are still going to send one and request a signature— no matter if the service you’re providing is completely free or discounted.
3) Trade a Photoshoot for Equally-Valued Services/Products.
This means you are going to exchange services with someone— this is the most common scenario that my friends and I experience.
For example, you may photograph someone’s wedding in exchange for them redesigning your website. Or maybe you exchange a portrait photoshoot session for a set of eyelash extensions. Just make sure that the trade is fair for both parties and that you’re over-communicating the expectations via email.
Now there is a risk involved, so I recommend only exchanging services with somebody you trust and with whom you have an established relationship. Then, agree on a strict timeline that works for both of you.
In the example of the wedding and website rebrand trade, if you were able to deliver their wedding images within a month, and they said that they could do your website in about a month but as soon as you know it it's four months down the line, you’re going to start to feel frustrated.
This is most likely due to a lack of communication or trading with someone that is not willing to hold up their end of the deal. This is why you want to only exchange with somebody you have established trust with, whether it’s a friend, family member, or even a vendor that you’ve worked with in the past.
Whether you choose option one and offer a photoshoot discount, option two and do it for free, or option three and opt for a trade, make sure you have a photography contract in place.
Trust your intuition, because if you give someone a discount or a deal simply because of their relationship with you, that can create resentment for taking on the project and lead to frustration within the relationship. Offering a discount or deal should be coming from a spirit of generosity over anything else.
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