Posted by Scott Borger on June 17, 2009 at 11:28 AM
I could use some help with pricing a job. I'm familiar with all of the tools out there for pricing stock photography, but not assignment photography. I've been asked to take two urban landscape images for a property management company. They would like to keep the resulting photos. Travel is not a major factor as the assignment is local. If you have a suggestion for how much I should charge, please send me an email via the email link. Please do not post prices here. Thanks.
Posted by Brent Murphy on June 17, 2009 at 2:57 PM
I'm interested to hear what other have to say. I have done a little bit of this, but not much. When I did my first assignment job, I looked at other photographers online, and their assignment rates. I also work for an architecture firm that hires photographers, and asked our marketing folks what type of rates our regular photographers charged for architectural work.
Results varied, as you can imagine. But generally, what I've seen is that photographers will have 1/2-day and full-day rates, and some extras tacked on (usually for things like assistants or models, each of which had their own 1/2-day and full-day rates).
You will also want to determine how to license the images. Our office used to use some photographers that were paid by the day, and then charged extra for each image that was actually purchased. We have since moved to a regular group of photographers who only charge day rates, and hi-res files are included in the overall cost. Using some text I grabbed from another photographer's proposal, I give unlimited usage rights to the client, while I retain copyright, and the right to use the images as I wish, for marketing or whatnot.
Depending on the assignment, you may also want to charge for expenses (mileage, food, lodging) on top of your day rate.
That's about as general as I can be, and couldn't really get into specifics, since I barely know what I'm doing. One questions I have is how assignment photographers deal with the weather. If I travel a couple hours to shoot something, and the weather is miserable, do I just come home with nothing? Do I stay overnight somewhere, and shoot again the next day, charging additional time and expenses to the client? Just not sure how that all works.
When you say "keep the photos", I'm assuming as Brent did that they will retain a perpetual use license but you'll retain the copyright and at least most usage rights. If they want the copyright, the price goes (way) up...
Posted by Scott Bacon on June 18, 2009 at 12:12 PM
The assignment work that I've done worked pretty much the way Brent has described above. I have 1/2 and full day rates that include unlimited, exclusive usage rights for the client.
Discussion
3 repliesResults varied, as you can imagine. But generally, what I've seen is that photographers will have 1/2-day and full-day rates, and some extras tacked on (usually for things like assistants or models, each of which had their own 1/2-day and full-day rates).
You will also want to determine how to license the images. Our office used to use some photographers that were paid by the day, and then charged extra for each image that was actually purchased. We have since moved to a regular group of photographers who only charge day rates, and hi-res files are included in the overall cost. Using some text I grabbed from another photographer's proposal, I give unlimited usage rights to the client, while I retain copyright, and the right to use the images as I wish, for marketing or whatnot.
Depending on the assignment, you may also want to charge for expenses (mileage, food, lodging) on top of your day rate.
That's about as general as I can be, and couldn't really get into specifics, since I barely know what I'm doing. One questions I have is how assignment photographers deal with the weather. If I travel a couple hours to shoot something, and the weather is miserable, do I just come home with nothing? Do I stay overnight somewhere, and shoot again the next day, charging additional time and expenses to the client? Just not sure how that all works.