NYC Freelance Rates?

[theautochthon]

What would be a reasonable price range for a professionally inexperienced retoucher to charge for NYC freelance projects in which the images are used for photographer portfolios, web, or exhibition prints? Is it best to charge per project or per image?

[JDClosser]

going price per hour at houses is around $35 for freelance.
Cheers,
JD

[Lou R]

$35 is for trained professionals. Starting out you should ask $20-25 an hour. And set up a Paypal or similar account so that clients can pay you a deposit BEFORE you begin any work. I find the serious people accept the "first $50 is nonrefundable"-anyone who balks is not serious or was looking for free work.

[JDClosser]

Originally Posted by Lou R

$35 is for trained professionals. Starting out you should ask $20-25 an hour. And set up a Paypal or similar account so that clients can pay you a deposit BEFORE you begin any work. I find the serious people accept the "first $50 is nonrefundable"-anyone who balks is not serious or was looking for free work.

$35 is junior retouching level.
even staffing agencies pay that.
But yes you have to know what you are doing for sure.
My advice would be to try and do some free work to update your book with legit photographers who are using agency girls. Agencies can tell if the Fashion, Girl, and photographer is strong. Also in NY you pretty much need to be over qualified to get gigs...way over qualified.
It is real rough out here but there is more work than qualified retouchers. Plus a ton of the work is now not going through retouch houses but in houses agencies.

[eraanexact]

I think a per image rate would be more palatable to photographers who might be working on a limited budget. If you tell someone an hourly rate, be sure that your estimates are pretty spot on so you don't get burned doing hours of revisions later. If you charge per image, pick a price that you're comfortable with knowing that some images are going to take a few rounds back and forth before they are finalized.