What would you charge for this.

joshhuntnm

I just got an invite to do a photo gig for the government. What would you charge for this:

once a week from now till Jan
pics from 24 locations-- 6 outside; 18 inside

18 8 X 10s each week

about an hour drive each way, 24 miles one way on a dirt road, about that much more on interstate. (it is out in the middle of the desert)
Minimum photoshop work
photos delivered on CD each week in a notebook with the 8 X 10s--all labeled to very specific specifications.

Bid on a per week basis

thanks for you input.

Art Scott

From your decsription of the job.........I would probably be looking at no less than 850-1500 per week, for 1 time or limited usage rights.......depending on the rights the govt wants........if they are demanding exclusive full rights then the price goes way up to some where around 5k per week.....since you could never use those photos for anything for yourself.

Got to make sure that no matter what you are credited for the shooting....with name and either email addy or phone number.

Sam

WOW! sounds like a steady income for the year, but I would like to see more info.

Are you the exclusive bidder? Is this an open bid? Are there any requirements with regard to experience, equipment, backup photographer in case of illness or emergency, insurance, etc?

Do you need to take photos of 24 locations each week? Do you need 6 outside and 18 inside per location or total for all 24 locations? Are the locations near each other? Can you get the photos needed in one day, or will you need to take two days each week? Is this an architectual type shoot were a TS lens would give you a technical advantage over other bidders?

My thoughts would be along the lines of your normal day rate, plus travel, plus prints, plus usage.

Sam

joshhuntnm

Sam wrote:

WOW! sounds like a steady income for the year, but I would like to see more info.

Are you the exclusive bidder? Is this an open bid? Are there any requirements with regard to experience, equipment, backup photographer in case of illness or emergency, insurance, etc?

Do you need to take photos of 24 locations each week? Do you need 6 outside and 18 inside per location or total for all 24 locations? Are the locations near each other? Can you get the photos needed in one day, or will you need to take two days each week? Is this an architectual type shoot were a TS lens would give you a technical advantage over other bidders?

My thoughts would be along the lines of your normal day rate, plus travel, plus prints, plus usage.

Sam

yeah, 6 locations on the outside of 1 building, 18 inside the same building. The want to document the progress of the construction. they said it might take an hour or two to get shots each week, plus 2 hours drive time, plus organizing, labeling, etc. I estimate 5 - 6 hours a week total. I don't know how many others photographers they will contact, but I'd guess 3 or so. they didn't say anything about a backup photographer, but in my case i'd call my son. I don't know their requirements about insurance.

mercphoto

joshhuntnm wrote:

yeah, 6 locations on the outside of 1 building, 18 inside the same building. The want to document the progress of the construction. they said it might take an hour or two to get shots each week, plus 2 hours drive time, plus organizing, labeling, etc. I estimate 5 - 6 hours a week total. I don't know how many others photographers they will contact, but I'd guess 3 or so. they didn't say anything about a backup photographer, but in my case i'd call my son. I don't know their requirements about insurance.

I'd definitely try to figure out what would happen if you can't make it a particular week. Sickness, vacation, out of town, whatever. Good luck!!

EDIT: Better stated, you figure out how you will handle this situation and pitch that to them. Should make you more desirable in their eyes.

Kagan

Its the government-sadly by the time its done there will be at least 6 zeros added to the final bill.

Mountainwoman

Are you photographing aliens out there in NM?

barnyard

Art Scott wrote:

From your decsription of the job.........I would probably be looking at no less than 850-1500 per week, for 1 time or limited usage rights.......depending on the rights the govt wants........if they are demanding exclusive full rights then the price goes way up to some where around 5k per week.....since you could never use those photos for anything for yourself.

Got to make sure that no matter what you are credited for the shooting....with name and either email addy or phone number.

At 5k per week, you will probably not get the bid.

You are not doing anything fancy, you could probably easily fulfill the contract with a point and shoot (I did the same thing and used a point and shoot).

Chances are, there will not be anything used for anything other than making sure that contractors are fulfilling their contracts and that if there are early completion bonuses, you will be documenting the early completion.

This could EASILY be done by a receptionist with a camera. Keep that in mind when you work up your bid.

When I did the same thing for a private company, rebuilding after a fire, I charged my hourly rate, in your case 6 hours, plus a little more and guaranteed that rate for the whole year. I gave them exclusive right to the snapshots (that's what they were, I used nothing but existing lighting.)

If you do get it, remember what it is. Do not screw around with 'art shots' or the like. Go document, be done with it. The more you screw around with it, the less you are making.

joshhuntnm

barnyard wrote:

At 5k per week, you will probably not get the bid.

You are not doing anything fancy, you could probably easily fulfill the contract with a point and shoot (I did the same thing and used a point and shoot).

Chances are, there will not be anything used for anything other than making sure that contractors are fulfilling their contracts and that if there are early completion bonuses, you will be documenting the early completion.

This could EASILY be done by a receptionist with a camera. Keep that in mind when you work up your bid.

When I did the same thing for a private company, rebuilding after a fire, I charged my hourly rate, in your case 6 hours, plus a little more and guaranteed that rate for the whole year. I gave them exclusive right to the snapshots (that's what they were, I used nothing but existing lighting.)

If you do get it, remember what it is. Do not screw around with 'art shots' or the like. Go document, be done with it. The more you screw around with it, the less you are making.

I bid it at $485 a week-- just a tad under my hourly rate of $100 an hour. There were two other bidders. Have not heard yet--it has been two weeks today.

r9jackson

Keep us informed

joshhuntnm wrote:

I bid it at $485 a week-- just a tad under my hourly rate of $100 an hour. There were two other bidders. Have not heard yet--it has been two weeks today.

Josh,
Thanks for sharing with us. Please keep us informed one way or another. I will file this information to help in quoting similar jobs in the future.

barnyard

Thanks for the update. That's the way that I would have bid it also (I know, because I did, way back when....)

Tom B

anwmn1

Good luck Josh. I think it was a wise decision to come down a little from the hourly rate.