Interview Questions??

idiomidiom Registered Users Posts: 132 Major grins
edited September 23, 2009 in Mind Your Own Business
Hey All,

I had a few questions about interviewing potential clients, and travel fees, etc.

So first off, I have been trying to type out a short list of everything I would need to discuss with a client before doing a photo shoot for him/her.

So here, is what I have so far, what am I missing? Any help here would be great. Also anything that I should be informing the client of.

Personal:
Names (num of people), Home Phone, Cell Number, Full Address, Email address.

Booking:
Type of shoot (newborn,infant,toddler,family, engage, etc)
date, time.

Other:
Type of photos (formal, Fun)
Locations (Studio, Rural, Urban, Clients ideas)
Clothes (client to wear similar colors, lights or darks)
Props (Any requests, or client provided props?)


Then also, what is a good per/KM to charge people for leaving our home city?

Thanks in advance.
Gage
http://precisephoto.ca

Comments

  • marikrismarikris Registered Users Posts: 930 Major grins
    edited September 15, 2009
    I'd like to know too mwink.gif

    Houston Portrait Photographer
    Children's Illustrator
  • rsquaredrsquared Registered Users Posts: 306 Major grins
    edited September 15, 2009
    idiom wrote:
    Then also, what is a good per/KM to charge people for leaving our home city?

    I don't think I'd go with per/KM, but rather work it into an "travel time" charge. E.g. All shoots requiring travel of over X KM will be subject to a $Y/hr travel fee each way, rounded to the nearest half hour. (I'd probably even go with using Google Maps or a similar service to determine and set the travel fee up front. Saves from the client saying "But I can make that drive in 45 minutes each way, why did you charge me for 2 hours?")
    Rob Rogers -- R Squared Photography (Nikon D90)
  • KinkajouKinkajou Registered Users Posts: 1,240 Major grins
    edited September 16, 2009
    The only question I can answer at all is the mileage one... the IRS says that employees should be reimbursed at the rate of 1.55 per mile for travel. So if you are charging mileage, I would use that number as it is a government standard.

    II'm sure the counterpart institution in Canada will have this information somewhere.

    As far as interviewing goes... I guess the only thing I would add (as a non-pro and doing things without payment/contracts at this point) is a discussion about a model release.

    I also like to encourage folks to practice simple poses/head tilts in a mirror beforehand if they want to, so they know what is flattering and have a basic idea how to position themselves in front of the camera when the time comes.
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  • adamcoupeadamcoupe Registered Users Posts: 6 Beginner grinner
    edited September 16, 2009
    Hi

    I know we're operating in different specialised areas ( I specialise in architectural photography) but there may be a couple of ideas in my web checklist for commercial / architectural commissions here http://www.adamcoupe.com/portfolio/category/1/commercial_photography/about.htm

    Good luck

    Adam
  • rsquaredrsquared Registered Users Posts: 306 Major grins
    edited September 16, 2009
    Kinkajou wrote:
    The only question I can answer at all is the mileage one... the IRS says that employees should be reimbursed at the rate of 1.55 per mile for travel. So if you are charging mileage, I would use that number as it is a government standard.

    The IRS sets the rate at which you can deduct for business use of your vehicle. They do not specify that employees be reimbursed at that rate. Also, the rate for 2009 was $0.55 per mile, not $1.55.
    Rob Rogers -- R Squared Photography (Nikon D90)
  • idiomidiom Registered Users Posts: 132 Major grins
    edited September 17, 2009
    Hello,

    Thanks to everybody for the input.

    Practicing beforehand is a good idea, i'll try that. :)

    And Adam, you have some impressive shots on that page. :)
    Gage
    http://precisephoto.ca
  • KinkajouKinkajou Registered Users Posts: 1,240 Major grins
    edited September 17, 2009
    rsquared wrote:
    The IRS sets the rate at which you can deduct for business use of your vehicle. They do not specify that employees be reimbursed at that rate. Also, the rate for 2009 was $0.55 per mile, not $1.55.

    Doh! I wasn't sure whether I wanted to type in cents or percents or what and I got all confused and typed something that made no sense at all! Ha, nice catch.

    And you're right, they don't say that employees should be reimbursed at that rate, but since it's the IRS standard for business use, most CPAs recommend that you go with that rate for employee reimbursement.

    Thanks for clarifying all of my incoherence there! Had a massive brain fart, apparently eek7.gif
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  • Erica628Erica628 Registered Users Posts: 8 Beginner grinner
    edited September 23, 2009
    Kinkajou wrote:
    Doh! I wasn't sure whether I wanted to type in cents or percents or what and I got all confused and typed something that made no sense at all! Ha, nice catch.

    And you're right, they don't say that employees should be reimbursed at that rate, but since it's the IRS standard for business use, most CPAs recommend that you go with that rate for employee reimbursement.

    Thanks for clarifying all of my incoherence there! Had a massive brain fart, apparently eek7.gif

    I'm a CPA, and you are right that you should use the current IRS rate to reimburse the employee for the use of their vehicle. This is also the amount that you can deduct as a business expense. This IRS rate is for fuel, wear and tear on the vehicle, but this DOES NOT include the employees (owner's) time (wage or salary). The employees time would be reimbursed at whatever hourly rate is negotiated (sometimes, but not always, less than their hourly rate while they are actually doing their job).

    If you only charged your customer the IRS rate, you'd only be charging for your vehicles "time," but not your own. I would suggest charging a hourly rate at least at some percentage of what you would charge while you are shooting.
  • Erica628Erica628 Registered Users Posts: 8 Beginner grinner
    edited September 23, 2009
    idiom wrote:
    Hey All,

    I had a few questions about interviewing potential clients, and travel fees, etc.

    So first off, I have been trying to type out a short list of everything I would need to discuss with a client before doing a photo shoot for him/her.

    So here, is what I have so far, what am I missing? Any help here would be great. Also anything that I should be informing the client of.

    Personal:
    Names (num of people), Home Phone, Cell Number, Full Address, Email address.

    Booking:
    Type of shoot (newborn,infant,toddler,family, engage, etc)
    date, time.

    Other:
    Type of photos (formal, Fun)
    Locations (Studio, Rural, Urban, Clients ideas)
    Clothes (client to wear similar colors, lights or darks)
    Props (Any requests, or client provided props?)


    Then also, what is a good per/KM to charge people for leaving our home city?

    Thanks in advance.

    I think it's important to ask exactly what they are going to do with the pictures. I have a client coming up who has exaclty 1 8x10 and 2 5x7 frames for each of her three children. She wants to make sure and get a certain pose for each frame, plus family pictues to give away, wallets etc.

    I'm just starting out and my very first paying job wanted a 16x20 over their fireplace. I got some great shots, but all the best were in portrait when they really wanted landscape. Rookie mistake.
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