Does this sound like a good way to get started in amateur photography as MORE than a hobby?

I would like to make some extra money and I'm fairly good at photography. I've done a couple of jobs already. One was for a child's birthday party and the other was a series of portraits. I have only a Cannon Powershot and a Nikon N65, but they both take wonderful, crisp pictures and my printer is made specifically for photo printing. I have great editing software as well, and have edited wedding pictures and engagement pictures (they were taken by other amatures)to the satisfaction of 3 different patrons. I was thinking of taking some photos of friends and their children, and trying to go through word of mouth, as well as putting up some flyers. Do you think a flat fee of $25, in addition to individual costs of pictures/packages, is too much or just right? For an 8X10 I'd charge $3.50, for 3 or more they'd be $2.50 each, 2 5X7's would be $3.50, a sheet of wallets would be $5.00. Does this sound too expensive? I'm going to put together packages as well, I just haven't gotten that far.

Oh, I'm 26, and a stay at home mom to a 2 1/2 year old, with another due in February. This will be an "on the side" type thing.

that doesnt sound to bad. Most studios have a $30 sitting fee. I know what you're doing. I'm an amature myself, and I'm trying to get a bunch of packages and prices put together.

I order my prints online, so that way I dont have to worry about paper,Ink and all that. I base my price on how much their order is. like if they're order comes out to be...say $45, I'll double that to $90, plus a $10 sitting fee, so it'll be $100.

the price of the enlargements seems like a great deal. You need to factor in the work you put in plus the ink. I think you could charge a little bit more. Check enlargements online and you could probably use that as a guideline.

Well, not being able to see the quality of your work, and all things being equal, I think you would probably be losing $$'s on your printing all by itself. You want to figure time, expenses (paper, ink, wear and tear on equipment.), etc...

I am getting the feeling that your kind of young, so this could be a good experience for you, but you dont want to have it all turn negative for you.

You will want to think about what to do if someone doesnt like the prints, or the background, or their expression in the photos, etc..., because it can and will become a problem. Its something even pro's have to deal with.

You need to make a rational decision, and maybe get some feedback from others, about just how well your photos do come out. If people will want to pay anything for your services.

i dont think ur going to make enough money to stay afloat that way... make sure to check into zoning laws, etc.. because once you start taking payments you have to start paying taxes also... i just recently opened my own studio, and by the prices your planning, there is no way that i could operate.. theres no way it would pay for expenses.. you have to take into consideration wear and tear on ur equipment {camera, memory, batterys, printer, ink, power supply, paper, laptop, cdrs, your vehicle, gas prices, insurance {yes you need insurance also, to cover your butt if someone trips on any of ur cords etc, and decides to sue}, also , what if you get out, and are in the middle of a 'shoot' and ur printer craps out.. will u have a second one? do you have a contigency plan in case such a problem arises? also, do you plan on using lights, a backdrop or any other 'studio' equipment? remember that anything electronic WILL eventually fail.. and usually at the most inopertune time... oh, and i dont remember if you said or not, but are you a parent? if you are, then u have to figure out daycare also...

theres a lot of stuff to think about... photography is a deeply rewarding field, but its also an expensive one to get into

I won't buy a print from a inkjet printer.

You never know the quality of the ink used, the quality of the paper, how colorfast is the paper/ink combo, and I do not like the way the image seems to sit on top of the paper.

When I first got into collecting photographs I did not know much and I bought inkjet photos. They have now all faded or color-shifted.

Photographic paper or nothing.