I posted this on the Marketing board also, but there isn't much going on there lately. I have a fly shop here in Colorado who wants me to spend a day on their private water shooting fly fishing photos for their website, brochures, and the whole nine yards. I sell prints at galleries, but I've never actually done an assignment like this. Could someone give me some guidelines for doing this? He wants unlimited rights to the images. What should I tell him for a day's worth of my photography? I have to get back to him Friday. Thanks a lot!
Kevin I have to say the the ratio for figuring out the cost for photography can & does vary widely... I find the best way for me is to charge by the hour, plus extra charges for full copyrights ( which can be very high depending on the type of images...)
if they agree to have my logo on the work ofcourse I give a much better deal on the copyrights...
I do have a contract that they must sign & all future prints must be done though one of three labs I use... very important to me because I do not want them getting prints done that are are not of my level of standards...
wish I could give you numbers but that really is a personal thing...
maybe some others that do a bit more of the fish shooting will beable to post some thoughts for you...
best of luck with this Kevin...
oh yeah & please don't under pay yourself... your work is worth it...
I'm keeping the lab idea in mind. Guy gave me some good ideas on the other board. I hope someone can give me some ballpark numbers as I have no idea. All I have to base this on is my print prices and some published one time rights images.
We use approximately the same approach as Jill. We have a day rate, as well as an hourly rate. In establishing your day/hourly rate, determine the going rate in your vicinity and you should be in the ball park. It's quite variable from place to place, as well as with the services provided. We shouldn't get into numbers on the site, but I can tell you that our base hourly rate is the same as that charged by local engineers and architechts. That's for one photographer, no lighting kits and no staff. We get an extra 50% per hour if we use a lighting kit and our rate doubles if the setup is so complex that we need a light tech as well.
For the kind of shooting you're contemplating (I've done a fair bit of fishing photography), it would be a one-photographer shoot, but I'd probably bump the rates for "hazard pay" or the equivalent. To get the kind of low angle shots, as well as shots taken while standing in a slick stream bed looking back at shore, you are going to be putting your camera gear at sincere risk. If you're not an experienced wader and wearing just the right kind of foot gear, I'll only give you a 50/50 chance of getting your gear back home dry and intact. That projection kinda puts a different light on the rate your charge, doesn't it....
My company charges me out at over $1000 per day. (But that's as an engineer.) I'd charge more if it's more than eight hours or if it starts before 8 am. Plus, if they own the images you take, then they need to provide all the equipment you need. They don't have it? Then you rent it to them! (Essentially you have to build it into your fee. But if you don't have insurance for your gear, either get some, or make them responsible for all damage.)
Do they want to have unlimited rights to use the images, or do they want to own the copyright? Those are different. In the former, you can still use the images yourself (sell them to other clients, or sell prints, etc.) while in the latter you can't. That can affect your price.
I charge by the job, but my math goes $100 to $125 per hour in compiling the estimate.That's for me and my gear. It includes travel time and post processing. Prints, if that's what they want, are extra, as are licensing rights.
Thanks for all the input, guys. Now I have a better idea of what I should do. I talked to the client today and now it's a 2 or 3 day deal. One on the private water, and one for a gathering of the club's members. I'm thinking of going by the hour and having a base rate. He doesn't want the copyrights, so I can do what I will with every image I take. He just wants access to ALL the images. I'm still working on this. I'm getting that Fotoquote program tonight. I do A LOT of fly fishing photography, so "hazard" pay isn't an issue. I just don't make stupid mistakes with the camera over water.
Hank, I was up on the Kenai Peninsula and Susitna Valley fishing last week. Awesome...
Posted by Darren White on July 30, 2006 at 4:30 PM
I have seen this question asked many times....by many types of photographers....and for me personally I just charge a flat hourly rate....that includes everything.....
all I do is take pictures and have them printed up or put on disk and give them to the customer....it makes my life much easier and I get my money up front and never have to wait for them to order prints ....I would charge approx 300/hr if your there 5 hours then 1500 clams... you give them all the photos and your end of the deal is done......IF you seriously think they are gonna make a ton of money off your work....then you can change the fee to your needs.... Congrats and good luck!!
Discussion
7 repliesif they agree to have my logo on the work ofcourse I give a much better deal on the copyrights...
I do have a contract that they must sign & all future prints must be done though one of three labs I use... very important to me because I do not want them getting prints done that are are not of my level of standards...
wish I could give you numbers but that really is a personal thing...
maybe some others that do a bit more of the fish shooting will beable to post some thoughts for you...
best of luck with this Kevin...
oh yeah & please don't under pay yourself... your work is worth it...
Thanks, Jill.
For the kind of shooting you're contemplating (I've done a fair bit of fishing photography), it would be a one-photographer shoot, but I'd probably bump the rates for "hazard pay" or the equivalent. To get the kind of low angle shots, as well as shots taken while standing in a slick stream bed looking back at shore, you are going to be putting your camera gear at sincere risk. If you're not an experienced wader and wearing just the right kind of foot gear, I'll only give you a 50/50 chance of getting your gear back home dry and intact. That projection kinda puts a different light on the rate your charge, doesn't it....
Do they want to have unlimited rights to use the images, or do they want to own the copyright? Those are different. In the former, you can still use the images yourself (sell them to other clients, or sell prints, etc.) while in the latter you can't. That can affect your price.
-Paul
Hank, I was up on the Kenai Peninsula and Susitna Valley fishing last week. Awesome...
all I do is take pictures and have them printed up or put on disk and give them to the customer....it makes my life much easier and I get my money up front and never have to wait for them to order prints ....I would charge approx 300/hr if your there 5 hours then 1500 clams... you give them all the photos and your end of the deal is done......IF you seriously think they are gonna make a ton of money off your work....then you can change the fee to your needs.... Congrats and good luck!!