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On Location Shooting Fees
jonrider
Registered Users Posts: 20 Big grins
I have been shooting several car shows lately and have sold some images. A local club member has tipped me off to an opportunity to bid on rights to shoot an event that is 9 hours from my home. The event is 4 full days long. The organizer wants the following for the bid package:
What kind of fee would you think is reasonable to charge the organizer, considering the request for all images to be provided to them so they can resell them? Travel expenses too?
Any guidance from those of you who have done on location shoots would be appreciated.
Jon
http://j3-photography.com
- Price for individual vehicle portrait sessions.
- Price to take candid shots of events and gatherings all four days and 3 nights. They would want all images provided to them on USB drive or CD and would resell these images to attendees.
- Five shots I have taken previously to be used in a poll to help pick the official photographer.
What kind of fee would you think is reasonable to charge the organizer, considering the request for all images to be provided to them so they can resell them? Travel expenses too?
Any guidance from those of you who have done on location shoots would be appreciated.
Jon
http://j3-photography.com
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Comments
I GAURANTEE you, the person that gets it will be someone that underprices themselves to the point of the work being a nil or negative earning.
Unless you can offer something which gives you a big advantage over other shooters that may be vying for the deal, I don't see the point. Maybe you could do onsite printing, have a style of retouching which can be done quickly and efficently, have a huge greenscreen or whatever, but even then, I'll bet $100 that it will come down to price and price alone. The bottom line is the organiser is looking for extra profit here so if your not doing anything that will have the owners lining up for you where they wouldn't anotehr guy, then it will be who is the cheapest to the promoter regardless of who the owners supposedly choose.
If you do do something out of the box, then that -might- be different.
There is no way the organiser will pay your standard shoot price and if you have to under cut it, whats the point? You also have the travel aspect with accomodation etc so if there is a local shooter, your at a severe disadvantage straight off.
Normally I'm not so negative about business things but this particular opportunity dosen't seem to hold many upsides to me. You are gauranteed of a return if you get the gig ( and I'd be geting my money before I walked out the front door!) but if the money is $3 an hour, there is little consolation there. And for god's sake don't be taken in on any " Exposure" crap like so many people looking to get shooters for free go on with these days.
Personaly, I wouldn't waste my time on it. Instead put some time into marketing your self in the local area. I think you'll do much better.
If you don't agree with me then your wrong.
I can't be held accountable for what I say, I'm bipolar.
They want candids of events and all gatherings which means very little down time for 4 days and 3 nights. Which means you are forced to shoot everything and regardless, give them away... and THEY SELL THEM!?!?! For one, it would not fit on a USB or on one CD.. that could be several DVD's! ..and trust me on this, I seriously doubt the club members will buy them. They might take a look at some of them, but I really doubt they buy any or very few. The organizer will be upset and somehow want to blame you as that was to hopefully reclaim the cost of YOU being there.
For the individual vehicle portrait sessions, there isn't a caveat listed, so I suppose you can sell those prints? ..or is that to be included in the price?
To be honest, it sounds like shooting a wedding with cars, where it lasts 4 days and 3 nights!! You will be exhausted with very little time to yourself to go through pics. Do they expect you to deliver pics to them before you leave? Sounds ridiculous!
You would have to have travel and expenses, plus 4 days and 3 nights at an hourly rate of some sort. The individual sessions would have to be priced accordingly as well. Wow... I don't know that doubling your price would even be worth it.
Just sounds like a really silly deal dreamt up by someone who demands everything and wants to pay very little for it. Sounds like a logistic nightmare destined to have the shooter fail miserably and the organizer unhappy.
Huge pass from me.
Deep South Focus Photography
Mobile, AL
http://DeepSouthFocus.com
Deep South Focus Photography
Mobile, AL
http://DeepSouthFocus.com
The first thought that came to mind was a 3 person crew. Have a 2 to 3 tent set up for the individual car shots. Lights flags etc would be all set up. Just drive each car in and shoot. You could also think about extracting the car and inserting a great background or graphics. A second photographer would be the walk around candid shooter. The 3rd would be the computer processor person.
Expensive? Yes, but classic car owners will not buy fuzzy photos with cluttered backgrounds, and people sitting lounge chairs. If you or they want to sell you must have something different.
I would find out first is this type of approach would interest them before going to all the trouble of quoting.
But my guess is that they will end up with the cheapest quote and complain when they don't get any sales.
Sam
The candid pics do not need to be edited, so there would be little post processing of these. I do appreciate your point about if they are unable to sell any it would be "my fault."
I don't yet have the details on that, I was going to inquire before submitting a quote if any. I wanted to get my ducks in a row before making initial contact.
I don't believe they want the images finished on site. These would require post processing.
Thanks for your input!
Deep South Focus Photography
Mobile, AL
http://DeepSouthFocus.com
I am new to this and have not done any on-site shoots for a fee, which is one of the reasons I wanted to post here. I would like some feedback from anyone regarding what a normal charge would be. What is typical/appropriate to charge for the whole event per day? What would be typical for the individual sessions (package price to include x, or a "sitting fee" plus ability for them to purchase what ever they want from me).
Thanks in advance for suggestions. I don't want to under price what should be charged just to get the job.
Deep South Focus Photography
Mobile, AL
http://DeepSouthFocus.com
My comment was a joke of sort, I was assuming you would take the majority advice and not go for it. So I made the smartass remark to send a huge quote in to them anyways. Hell tell them 10k for the job.
All things being equal I believe the majority of us say this is a no go for many reasons, and one more as you stated youv'e never done these things before. Check out other threads about what to charge and how to charge, they pop up on here twice weekly.
My 2 pennies. Save your time money and harrassment you would incure attempting this job and take you kids to disneyland.
If you don't agree with me then your wrong.
I can't be held accountable for what I say, I'm bipolar.
In that case i could not tell you strongly enough that a 4 day is NOT the event to practice on.
If your a bit off on your workflow, organisation or anything else, you'll go from being in difficulties to a total disaster.
You really need to have all your ducks in a row before you go out especially with pricing.
They would be exactly the same for a normal wedding or portrait or commercial shoot charge.
In other word's There isn't one.
I know you are looking for numbers but it just isnt that simple.
I often have fun with price questions to show up how stupid a lot of them are where people give minimal to no details and ask for a figure so I give them one. You can just about pull a rabbit out of a hat and defend it if challanged because the range of all photography is so wide.
I think there was someone on here last week saying they charged $1.99 for an 8x10" wedding print! Me, I'm around $110 and I know a few people doing $195 so how can you ask for a normal or average price?
For event Pics I charge $30 for a straight 8x12" and 40-45 for edited prints such as mag covers, inserts borders, etc. That said, If I were doing some sort of setup with lights etc, an 8x12 would probably be more like $75-100 and i'd have a minimum order or packages where I could get reasonable sales amounts and Value add to the individual print prices.
The other thing you have to look at is how many cars a day can you shoot if they were lined up waiting? How much are you going to have to charge each owner to cover your costs/ make the exercise worthwhile? If they are lined up waiting, how many staff do you need to be shooting, selling editing/ printing etc. what are they going to cost in wages, accomodation, food transport etc?
Now what happens if your numbers are wrong and you only do 50 or 25% of the cars your thought you would or everyone cheaps out and buy a 5x7 instead of your middle package?
Have you ANY idea what the sort of people going to this event actually like to see in car shots and if so, can you provide it where you will be in the time frame required?
These are all very relevant questions and I think show some of the risks YOU'LL be taking.
Can you handle them if things go pear shaped?
Haveing done car shows before, I think they are a REALLY tough market and I would never do one on spec unless I had a studio/tent like setting so I could shoot all day and have a standard/ controlled lighting, unless there were 1000 cars or more there, the promoters would want to be promoting me in advance of the show as well as during and i had LOTS of really good and LARGE example Prints to put up to show them what I could do and I wasn't just another keen hacker in teh club that would spend hours editing the pics then give them away.
And thats what you will REALLY be competing with.
Great to hear.
I severly doubt you will get the job unless you do exactly that though so that's why I woudln't be spending any time even thinking about it unless you were doing some mental arithmetic as to how to set yourself up with local shows to get your technique and name established first.
If you don't agree with me then your wrong.
I can't be held accountable for what I say, I'm bipolar.
Hi Jon,
I've followed this thread curiously reading the advice you received.
My 2¢
1. Portrait sessions will require another photographer with you. Once you have your 'set' ready to drive in/out for portraits, you may not even need to charge your regular rate. Could be it needs to be higher or lower. if their wanting a price to take any and all portraits, then basically that's another photog's day rate, and you forgo the individual portrait fees.
2. 4 days, 3 nights event photog= day rate. And you should have a day rate.
I think a well placed call to the officials is warranted. You may have to forgo the travel expenses just due to local photogs competing. But you will have accommodation expenses. THIS is a good site for figuring per diem rates.
Don't worry over selling paper = prints. Get paid to do work; take photos, process if needed, etc. give 'em the paper at cost.
All I am attempting to offer is a way to break this down to simpledom without making it complicated.
You want to work: you want to be paid.