My first payed photoshoot...HEELP!

[superkoax]

Well, I'm getting payed for a photoshoot me and my photography buddy did for a golf company! I'm very unsure about pricing and giving the right price since we're not 100% pro(with education and all). They didn't want to pay for a pro since that can be expensive. Is there anybody out on RP that have experience with prices regarding paying by hour and paying per picture? I want ot give them a overall price. W e worked for 4,5 hours and took about 150pictures(It's item photography and gave us hell with setting up, moving around and experimenting with different angles)

Pleas help

CHEERS

Gerry

[Sm5rc]

Around $800+ should do depending on the complexity of what you were shooting, then add on the usage rights and any incurred costs. 4 hours with 2 shooters is alot of man hours! You really should have got this in writing BEFORE you did the shoot!

[New2TheGame]

First of all, this is more a support reply than a solution. Congratulations on your first professional shoot! I am in the same boat with pricing. You will find that RP is truly a great forum to be a member of with a wealth of knowledge. However, as I have noticed, some of the more basic questions that are "very important to you at your level" will go unanswered having several dozens of viewers looked at your post requesting help. This has baffled me to no end! Let me also say, "no question is too dumb or stupid to ask"...what is dumb and stupid is to pretend that you know something that you don't! I think that the problem is "we forget and become to BIGHEADED" when we reach a certain level and consider certain questions a waste of time or pure amaturess....dont forget, we all had to start off asking/wondering the same questions. Bottom lie is this... Just put the question out there and hope that someone with the correct knowledge will try to help you out!... That's what I do! Most importantly, "Never take any of this stuff personal!" Again, Congratulations!

"Knowledge is like money...you can't take it with you....so pass it on!"
New2TheGame

[Ziaphra]

Originally Posted by New2TheGame

However, as I have noticed, some of the more basic questions that are "very important to you at your level" will go unanswered having several dozens of viewers looked at your post requesting help. This has baffled me to no end!

I don't think they are unique views...every time I look at this thread, I think it counts as a view and I look at each thread every time there is a new reply. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. But besides that, with regards to actually replying to a thread...I for one, will only reply if I have advice to offer. Nothing baffling there.

[Mike]

OK I am going to vent a little about situations like this. I do not know if exactly the same applies in Norway where you are, but this has been some of my experiences in the USA.

First of all you are dealing with a cheap company that makes a cheap product that they are not too proud of. Why else would they hire someone who is inexperienced to shoot photos of their product? Since they are cheap to start with, they will not want to pay you anything at all and in fact would rather you pay them for taking your stuff.

Here, we have what is known as a minimum wage law, which sets the bottom wage (usually measured in dollars/hour). People with skills get more than that per hour and one can measure that by looking at how many times the minimum wage is multiplyed i.e. 2 times or 4 times or 10 times etc. The minimum wage in my state is $7.93/hour and I usually charge about 25 to 30 times that (includes the use of the equipment). Assistants get about 10 to 15 times the minimum wage.

Then comes the matter of usage rights to the photographs you have taken. Unless I sign an agreement to the contrary, I would own the copyrights to any image that I have taken and the company would have to pay me for their usage. That agreement would specify where, how many times, what size etc that each image could be used by them. Fees would depend on all those factors. Or I might give them the opportunity to just buy the copyright from me and let them do whatever they want with them.

But no matter what you charge and however you decide to bill them for usage, all of this is agreed to and written down and signed before you ever walk in with your camera and start shooting. The first rule of commercial photography is:

GET IT IN WRITING BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING!!!!!!

Sorry that this got so long, but you asked

[Little Fisher]

I definately agree w/getting a contract in writing before starting a shoot. It's very easy to not get paid w/out one. Anyhow, I could tell you what a commercial photographer in New York City makes for a product shoot. Our studio charges a creative fee of about $5500.00 for a day rate for global advertising usage (that's for the photographer alone). We also charge for any fees incurred during the shoot (digital techs, photo assistants, stylists, shoot meals, props, transportation, rentals, messengers, CD burns). A NYC commercial shoot can range anywhere from $7500 to 12000 for one day.

I realize that you are not a commercial photographer with a fancy studio, but maybe the info could help you put it in perspective.

[Bojin Taylor]

I think you should charge them 2500 euros and hold the film until the check clears!

Hopefully you got some stuff for your portfolio out of this.

Sometimes when your starting out I think it's ok to shoot something for less.
if you were to approach them to shoot their widget and you had no privious examples of shooting said widget you would probably not get the gig. But now that you have some widgets in your book you can go out and promote yourself as a professional widget shooter. And bill bigger day rates.

You have to start somewhere. If you hold out for a great day rate and have no experience you will be holding out for a very long time.

Also remember to try and book the reshoot up front! offer a 50% discount if they book the reshoot in advance! ; )