Salary comparison

[cisco]

Wondering if anyone else on the board works for a private photography studio? And if so, what sort of salary are they paid?

My entry into Photoshop was through goofing off at lunch at a printing company- I'd just sit there and mess with it. In time, the messing about became more refined. I was anti-computer for years but now earn a living working with them.

The studio where I work is all digital and I am the only production person here. I aquire the RAW files, prepare them for proofing, color correct/enhance, retouch (and its an 'exclusive' studio, se we have clients with high expectations on their final appearance ), etc. I print all images in house with a large format Epson printer, those prints are laminated, trimmed and packaged up (these are things that I do as well). When there's a lapse in production, I design coupons or flyers for the studio and I also am the webmaster and web designer for the studio's site (this is my first post, I'm new here and would like to share the link with you after I get to know you first). And I even take out the trash!

I'm posting this in hopes that someone else here has a similar career. I feel that I am fairly well compensated as a salary employee, but I don't know anyone else in this field, so I really have no information to compare it to.

looking forward to any feedback, and I'm impressed with this forum and its peeps!

Cisco

[PixiePirate]

Hi Cisco!

Yes, I was in a very similar situation but recently I left. I was working for a local sports photography studio. Two guys had started the business and they cover everything from little league to the NFL. They have several photographers working for them as well, and recently had expanded the business to the DC Metro area.

I felt that I was NOT compensated for the job expected of me. Not only that but I had applied to them as a photo retoucher and was hired under that assumption, but as soon as I started working for them my job role changed to everything BUT retouch! I think in a years time I only did a handful of retouches and one restoration.....

I was never given an official job title. My daily routine was as follows: Check all phone and email message and get answers to the customers who left messages regarding the website or their orders. Check for new orders that arrived through the website and fullfill them-this included layout of their 3 poster designs. Answer phones (duh) Use Quickbooks for phone and walk-in orders, maintain office supplies, pick up work from the print lab, download photos from events and prep/upload to online gallery, send memory mate jobs to lab in AL, fulfill the needs of all major clients including the Phila. KiXX., general 'housekeeping", ect.

The above list doesn't really even begin to cover everything. My bosses would also have projects for me which required immediate attention. And with one boss here and one running the MD studio it was often very overwhelming on my part! To make matters worse my hours got cut not once, but 3 times-yet I was still expected to get all the work done. The icing on the cake is that the MD boss also constantly called me up to yell at me for something that didn't get done (usually because he didn't tell me to although he would SWEAR he had) or he would just call to belittle me and make me feel I wasn't doing the best job I could possibly do.

After a year I had had enough-besides i couldn't afford daycare expenses anymore as I was down to only 25hrs a week but still HAD to be there Mon-Fri. So what was I getting paid for all this hassle and headache? 12$ per hour-thats it. I had discussed going salary-that way I was guaranteed to have the money I needed and could also work the hours needed to get the job done. They said no, citing fear of me doing LESS of a job as a salary employee.

So, that was my experience in a nutshell. I hope yours is a better one!

Regards-
Mindy

[cisco]

Thansk for the response Pixie!

Have to say that my position here sounds great compared to that one, and I'm happy for you that you moved on. Feel free to PM me or email if you think I may be able to help you out further- be glad to.

Cisco