What do you charge ?

[Doug Nelson]

By Michael Perry on Wednesday, May 23, 2001 - 07:13 pm:

I have used Photoshop for a few years now and I have more and more friends, and others, asking me to retouch/restore their old photos. What do the professionals out there charge for this kind of work ? Thanks in advance.


By vhansen on Wednesday, May 23, 2001 - 08:00 pm:

I'm not really sure what constitutes a "professional" in this line of work. I like to think of myself as a professional "restoration artist", so here's my two cents.
I know that if you were to send something out to Kodak to have it fixed, it starts at around $80. (Although they may not do digital). I personally think that is an outrageous price. I want to make this service affordable for the average person. I usually charge $25 for minor touch ups, $40 for medium, and $90 for extensive. I would advise you to search the net (there are zillions of restoration sites) to get an idea of what the general asking price is. Of course, you must also take into consideration the quality of the work....
I believe Doug has a list of competitors on his site.
My site is at http://www.lifetimephoto.com


By Michael Perry on Saturday, May 26, 2001 - 11:40 pm:

Thanks. Just trying to get a feel for what others charge. I was surprised at just how much people charge here in the San Diego area.


By nickdeck on Tuesday, May 29, 2001 - 07:33 am:

I charge them a flat rate of $15 for the original scan, then quote them a price for the restoration, based on how much work I'll have to do. That generally falls in the $25 - $50 range. I store the original scan and the restored scan on CD, so I can sell them more prints in the future.

Restoration is a relatively small part of my commercial photography business, but it's growing as more people see what can be done with their old photos. (I'd also add that I find it particularly gratifiying to see the look on peoples' faces when they see dear, departed relatives and friends "come back to life!") Like vhansen, I want to keep the costs reasonable enough that the average person can afford them.

Nick