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How much to charge
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May 9, 2018 09:18:50   #
ole sarg Loc: south florida
 
Ask what they want to pay and if you think it is enough do it if not don't!

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May 9, 2018 09:36:25   #
SteveR Loc: Michigan
 
Once the photo shoot is done, will you make more on the photos?

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May 9, 2018 10:18:22   #
drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio
 
jeep_daddy wrote:
I would charge a minimum of $250 for 4 hour minimum. Price should go up after 4 hours. The number of pictures you give them would go up depending on if you have to process them and print them. But a minimum of $250 for your time just to shoot and more for delivery of the final product.



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May 9, 2018 10:19:16   #
drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio
 
Gene51 wrote:
Time and materials. I wouldn't touch it for under 600 per half day. Similar for post processing, presenting proofs, etc.



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May 9, 2018 10:19:52   #
drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio
 
GoofyNewfie wrote:
Somethimes I price by the project, others by the hour.
Not sure what yours entails, but my hourly rate is $125.
$250~$500 for a day is what amateurs charge.



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May 9, 2018 10:30:33   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
ole sarg wrote:
Ask what they want to pay and if you think it is enough do it if not don't!


That is not a strong bargaining position. The customer will lowball you every time and you will be on the defensive. Give the customer a high, but reasonable price first. He may accept it or try to negotiate it down. It is much easier to negotiate down than up.

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May 9, 2018 10:33:29   #
Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)
 
billnikon wrote:
IF YOU HAVE TO ASK, YOU ARE NOT READY.

I wouldn't have put it so bluntly ... but I absolutely agree.

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May 9, 2018 10:39:06   #
drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio
 
Howard5252 wrote:
It sounds like the OP has never done this before. While we all have to start somewhere, should this factor in to the amount of money asked for? Just askin'.


Too many people today are undercharging for photography and have cheapened the photography business by under charging for good work and over charging for shoddy work. Both give us good guys a bad rep. I see the same thing in the Dj business. The reason for mechanics becoming trained and then advertising their training has been a way for the mechanic that works on your vehicle to overcome this problem. Maybe the OP does need some training. He has not mentioned his level of achievement nor many details of the job. Maybe the OP should go to school and learn more about photography and if he has had formal training maybe the school should have had a class in how to charge for photography.
I do see this cheapening all the time on the internet on sites that ask you to bid on certain photo projects. I think bidding too low cheapens our work too. Professional digital wanna be photographers just like wanna be DJ's keep who both think that just because they know a few programs and can operate a computer that they are professionals. Yes, we all start some where. I started as an assistant who took college courses to even start there. How about us professionals just tell those who want to get into the business to go to college and learn the business so that they can produce the fine work that us professionals produce? It might save us some time and energy and produce a better grade of pro photographers than we currently have. I mean it's a suggestion that maybe us pro's really needed to actually form some sort of union to keep our copyright protection that we do not have since digital showed up. Even the PPA has not been able to fix the problem of copyright infringement. Which I bet the OP never thought of.

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May 9, 2018 10:41:02   #
krl48 Loc: NY, PA now SC
 
christinortham wrote:
I was just offered a freelance position to take photos at a large hotel chain and banquet center for their marketing department. No idea how much to charge. Anyone have experience in this?


I think more clarity in what the job requires would be helpful. Are they looking for a one-time shoot of photos to use in advertising their hotel and banquet center, or are they looking for their own photos taken during events/banquets at the venue to use in advertising?

Is this a one or two day photo shoot, or a long term, on call, assignment?

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May 9, 2018 10:45:56   #
Kuzano
 
Geographically oriented. No standard across the country. You need to be asking or researching this topic for where you live. Since you choose not to indicate in your heading where you reside, or in your post, what locale, nothing presented here is applicable. I wouldn't hazard a guess based on what I can charge, and get in Central Oregon for instance.

Furthermore, it would not approach rates normally found in larger metropolitan areas, like Portland Oregon or Seattle Wa.

There is an annual book, hardbound and loaded with information. It's called the 20xx Photographers Market. Anyone hoping to get into photography on any paid basis should have this book in their library, along with other good marketing and business plan publications. I have been buying this book once every two or three years for a couple of decades.

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=photographers%27+market&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=234290002938&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8105794241780186871&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033176&hvtargid=kwd-7325292641&ref=pd_sl_7wsaivugfz_e

I usually buy books on Amazon in their used listings and have usually gotten books that look like new.

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May 9, 2018 11:08:01   #
E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
 
I do a high volume of commercial work for the hospitality, food and beverage service and hotel/travel industries.

Constructing a price list is not an "off hand" kind of project as it involves you own income requirements, you overhead costs and many aspects of a business plan.

In this thread, I can't even begin to advise you with little or no details and specifications of what the job involves and what you will be expected to deliver. Marketing departments may require a wide scope of work such as food and beverage layouts, interior and exterior views of their facilities, staff portraits, shots of the chefs and kitchen personnel at work, images including models or "guests" at a banquette and other scenarios. It could also be a simple PR (grip and grin) job of a grand opening or ribbon cutting of a newly renovated facility- kind of a one-off assignemnt. You may require the services of others such as food stylists, makeup artists or outsourced lab services. If you are required to sub-contract theses additional services, they need to be factored into your fees.

Some of theses categories require lots of lighting skill and gear others may be carried out with available light and simple flash-fill.

In your question, you have included no information of the final media and usage- what are they gonna do with the images? The could be for office or showroom display, web site use, printing of a brochure, sales albums, a power-point or slide show, a trade show display, newspaper or magazine advertising, TV spots? You need to specify and charge accordingly.

If models or guest are in this images, there are model release issues and fees. There are also copyright and usage to be considered in your prices.

I am not trying to overwhelm you, discourage you or supply a "snarky" or condescending answer. This may be an important business opportunity for you so you need to do it properly from both a photographic and a business point of view. If indeed you are qualified to do the job, you should be properly, fairly and respectfully remunerated.

You might as well itemize and cost out any and all of this before undertaking he job- you will have to put together and estimate, secure a purchase order, create a contract, an invoice, all of which should included all of this data.

When formulating a price or a deal, you need to make certain that all of the major details are understood by both parties. Folks that are running a "hotel chain" should be used to dealing in a precise and businesslike manner- the should not be taken aback or surprised.

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May 9, 2018 11:08:28   #
lsupremo Loc: Palm Desert, CA
 
The Villages wrote:
Don't know if you plan on doing more of this type of work, but regardless of what you might change, if they like your work its worth something to have a good reference for future work.....so money may not be your main concern.


👍👍👍

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May 9, 2018 12:47:56   #
E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
 
Please allow me to editorialize about my approach to folks doing photography for money. I like to assume that when photographers post questions pertaining to the business of photography, pricing, taking on projects for businesses etc., they might be aspiring to some professionalism in photography. I therefore encourage them to approach things in a businesslike manner.

I do believe and understand that everyone has to start somewhere and I don't discourage taking on work on a speculative basis or charging somewhat less than the going professional rates in their geographic area. After all, if someone is working from their home or the car, the do not have the same overhead expenses as one who maintains a studio or some kind of business office. Nevertheless, they should begin to approach things in a businesslike and "profit-motive" manner.

When working in or for a particular industry, a fledgling photographer should NOT garner a reputation for working on the cheap, for free or strictly on speculation hoping for sales after the fact. Everyone should be fairly remunerated for their hard work and labour.

Even if you don't maintain a place of business, you still have overhead expenses such as your equipment costs, depreciation and maintenance, insurance, your general communication expenses, and your automotive usage and travel expenses when you are on the job. When you go out to purchase gear, lab services and even workshops, books or classes in photography, you are expected to pay and so should your clients expect to pay you for your services. You many not be able to charge "top-dollar" for you work but a nominal and fair fee should be charged and you are entitled to profit from your work.

As a full time professional, I never worried about being undercut or under priced by amateurs or newcomers to the business. I always managed to have more than enough work from clients who demand quality results. I just feel that it is better to advise and even help newcomers to enter the business, full or part time, with the right attitude and business acumen. Folks that under-price their own services and talents will not do well for themselves or there clients. Photographers who undertake work that is beyond their level of skill and experience can encounter disappointing situations, disgruntled clients and even legal issues.

All jobs, regardless of their size and scope, should be well planned and both parties should be on the same page as to the nature of the assignment, the expectations of quality and price, the manner of payment and all the details. My philosophy- a contract is worthless unless all parties are advised and comfortable/happy with the deal and the results. If their is ambiguity, poor communication or coordination or misinterpretation or disappointment, the aggravation outweighs the profits.

There is another psychological aspect that I have learned well over 5 decades in the photography business. When clients PAY a fair price for your services they are more apt to cooperate with you on the job. Oftentimes this kind of cooperation is important in getting things done, setting things up according to your requirements, your directing people, gaining access to various locations and even getting paid. When the price is too low or nonexistent, sometimes clients won't take you seriously and doing the job can be hellish. The job can turn out poorly and it is not even the fault of the photographer!

So...if you are an amateur and have no professional aspirations and just want to do something for the fun of it- I certainly can't tell you what to do. I just care enough to advise you on the possible ramifications when you undertake professional work.

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May 9, 2018 13:12:46   #
Opsafari Loc: Roodepoort South Africa
 
E.L.. Shapiro , well said don't shoot down up-coming photographers, the internet is a good learning source and many don't have the money - yet - to attend special schools and your advice is very good! Those pro's that complain that amateurs are taking their work away must also wake-up! As a photographer who wants to make a living out of photography must be well aware that taking photos is not the only part of your job. I know many pro photographers that have to give classes, running paid workshops and keep an active website for marketing. Some of the pro's in my country work very very hard and enter their work to many paid competitions and if they win awards they use it as a marketing tool but I am also aware there are photographers, like myself, that don't enter paid competitions as I don't need that kind of exposer, my work is excepted by my clients. There are also great non-awarded photographers that are asked to join special wildlife safari tours but they know their equipment and can give advice to clients in the field. To price your work is difficult and asking that type of question on a forum like this is good but the guy dit not informed the forum what is expected from him! Good luck!

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May 9, 2018 14:04:31   #
E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
 
Opsafari wrote:
E.L.. Shapiro , well said don't shoot down up-coming photographers, the internet is a good learning source and many don't have the money - yet - to attend special schools and your advice is very good! Those pro's that complain that amateurs are taking their work away must also wake-up! As a photographer who wants to make a living out of photography must be well aware that taking photos is not the only part of your job. I know many pro photographers that have to give classes, running paid workshops and keep an active website for marketing. Some of the pro's in my country work very very hard and enter their work to many paid competitions and if they win awards they use it as a marketing tool but I am also aware there are photographers, like myself, that don't enter paid competitions as I don't need that kind of exposer, my work is excepted by my clients. There are also great non-awarded photographers that are asked to join special wildlife safari tours but they know their equipment and can give advice to clients in the field. To price your work is difficult and asking that type of question on a forum like this is good but the guy dit not informed the forum what is expected from him! Good luck!
E.L.. Shapiro , well said don't shoot down up-comi... (show quote)


Besides, even if one considers amateurs and newcomers as "competition" it is far better to have good, competent, well paid competitors than inapt and under-paid folks in the mix. It's better for the industry, as a whole, if everyone is up to speed. Good competition is healthy and benefits the consumer. Bad competition, poor workmanship and severe price undercutting can be very destructive as the public may ted to paint every photographer with a "bad" brush.

As you alluded to, it behooves the true professional to involve themselves in good public relations, community efforts, photographic education and educating the public and their potential clients as to the finer points of good workmanship and craftsmanship in photography.

When newcomers come to me for advice, the first thing I suggest is that they the join our professional photographers associations, come to the seminars meetings and conventions and participate in the ongoing learning process. That's how I got started over 50 years ago, and I still am leaning new technologies. If it were not for the more experienced photographers who took me in as a "kid" and taught me the ropes, I would have never progressed in my work. I feel I must give back that encouragement, mentorship and "nuts & bolts" knowledge when the opportunity arises- that's why I teach, post a few tidbits online and train rookies in the business. Even if my posts help. encourage, or even "warn" or apprise one or two uninitiated photographers, I am a happy camper!

Good fortune to you as well!

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