How Much For a Shoot?

[Mr.Shneeblie]

I will be shooting a couple of CD covers for a friend of mine here in Houston. He would like to start around 11:00 am and probably shoot in and around Houston for the rest of the day -on into the early evening after dusk. At the end - he will require the final TIFF files (or JPG - whatever). I have never done this type of shoot - what would be a fair asking price? He's a friend and I don't do this for a living. He's not expecting it done for free or very minimal but I don't want to overcharge either.

I know it's hard to say since you don't know my skill level, etc but some guidelines would be great.

Thanks,

John

[jeffclow]

I've sold images for use on album covers in a price range from $100 to $300.....but they were for small independent labels.

Since he is a friend, I would think a "fair" price would be $150 for a half day of shooting.

[Mr.Shneeblie]

Wow - that's low for shooting most of the day, not to mention the post-processing. Are you talking about each photo or total price - maybe I misunderstood?

[FireHeart Photography]

For any kind of commercial shoot I charge 150 an hour with a 3 hour minimum... friend or no friend...

[jeffclow]

I agree that its quite low, but I was assuming it was a good friend that you wanted to do a favor for and he's insisting you get "paid". I've done a half day shooting for good friends and charged the $150.....although normally I would charge much more.

Obviously, if he's simply an acquaintance and you want to charge pro rates, then $100 plus an hour would be more in the ballpark.

[texxter]

If you're not doing this for a living, even part-time, you may want to do it for trade. Ask your friend to buy you that lens or flash you really want - give him a list of things you'd like to have with a price range and a link to the vendor - half day of work plus postprocessing should be at least $500. No money exchanged, just two friends giving gifts to each other.

[mmuhlenkamp]

Originally Posted by texxter

If you're not doing this for a living, even part-time, you may want to do it for trade. Ask your friend to buy you that lens or flash you really want - give him a list of things you'd like to have with a price range and a link to the vendor - half day of work plus postprocessing should be at least $500. No money exchanged, just two friends giving gifts to each other.

Ooh, I might have to keep this tip in mind. Good idea Paco.

[Mr.Shneeblie]

Thanks all for your feedback - I'll think about it a bit more. The trade sounds good too - I could use some lighting equipment.... oh that Canon 85mm 1.2 while he's at it... :)

[sanmay]

I normally charge $250 for 1hr shoot and they get to pick 5 images light retouch on a cd

[texkam]

+1 on Paco's suggestion. Plus seeing how expensive equipment is will also give the person a healthy respect of just how expensive the photography profession is.