Need Help Pricing Multiday Out of Town Event

[FreezeFrame]

I am looking for help to price a 5 day photo opportunity in the Caribbean. I already have the job so I want to be very fair in my price. Other opportunities are also mine with the same outfit so again I want to be very fair. Some events will be just a few hours plus one other future out of town trip. All expenses are covered on the Caribbean trip. I am having trouble figuring out how much to charge for my labor only. I can't see charging my normal $100/hr for 8-10hrs/day for 5 days. I am just looking for what would be considered the range of labor costs. I struggle because I look at this as a paid vacation and all I have to do is take pictures. My wife is also invited (at no cost) so I really struggle on how much to charge.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Flea77]

Your first problem is that you see it as a vacation. If they wanted to send you to work in the most crime infested seedy part of Mexico, what would you charge? The fact that you would enjoy the area you are in is irrelevant to the job. Do you charge less per hour to work in the woodlands than you would in spring?

Now as far as the wife going, will she be 'assisting' with the photo shoot? If so, that too is a job. They are just transporting you and your assistant to the job site.

You are being hired to do a job, you are being transported to that job, charge what you normally charge (minus mileage of course, heh) to do the job.

Allan

[FreezeFrame]

Thanks, I know what you are saying. It just seems like there should be some kind of price break for the multiply days plus the other guaranteed events to follow. Quantity discount so to speak. Have you done many of these type of multiple day events?

[RickD]

Have you considered separating Travel & Lodging expenses from actual work?

Sounds like they are paying you for those expenses which is separate from you actual rate.

[FreezeFrame]

Yes, they are paying for everything. Air, lodging, food. They just want me there to capture the 5 days of activities. I will have a camera/s in my hand from wake up to sleep for the most part.

[Roy]

I've got a similar job coming up and I figured what my day rate is plus touch up of photos. I presented my package and the company accepted my day rate without question. Touch up of photos is on top of the day rate. It's work. What is your time worth?

[kayumangi]

What I don't get is, if you have the job already why talk about pricing? Did you accept the job without discussing exactly about compensation will be worked out?


Common practice is that travel and accommodations are separate from the actual rate, that's why on-location shooting is expensive. What exactly is written in your contract? Are you shooting every hour by the hour? Because if that is the case that is hardly any vacation right there.

[Flea77]

The quantity thing I can get behind. I usually give a discount for a full day, in other words instead of 8*rate for a full day I do 6*rate if you book the entire day. However if we are talking more than 8 hours, then it is +rate for every hour over.

I have to disagree with RickD, travel and lodging expenses I would bill to the client anyway so the fact that they are paying for them is moot.

Yeah, shooting from getting up to going to bed, not fun, get paid for it, that is no vacation no matter where it is.

Honestly, I have never done more than a two day event so I do not really have experience in anything that long. For the two day events I have done it was rate*6+rate*6 plus travel (I did not charge lodging because I stayed with a friend).

Allan

[RickD]

Originally Posted by Flea77

I have to disagree with RickD, travel and lodging expenses I would bill to the client anyway so the fact that they are paying for them is moot.

My point is that if he included the expenses in the rate, then it would be easier. to calculate the charge for actual work (less travel, meals, and hotel). I thought you were concerned about charging too much because they are picking up the tab.

[Daniel W.]

The problem is including expenses is that you can't accurately estimate certain expenses without being constrained. I usually keep a record of receipts and add it as a separate line item (so the line reads "expenses, see attached") and on the same invoice, but they have it itemized.

(FYI, for me I do 60% up front at least two weeks before departure and then 40%+expenses when files are delivered.)

[tertius]

How much money can you not book since you are there for the 5 days? You should have that plus some.

[XtremePhoto]

Looking at your profile, it is hard to determine if this is your main line of work or a sideline. If it is your income producing job, then why would you consider discounting your work just because they are paying travel? If you are going to have a camera in your hand most of the day and be at their whim, it isn't much of a vacation. I would charge whatever your hourly or day-rate would normally be.

If it is a sideline, then what would you make in your regular job? You are giving up vacation time and paid work days that you should be making money on. I would make AT LEAST what my regular job was paying me, if not more.

Of course, all of this depends on what you have in writing and have agreed upon with the company in advance. I would definitely have my fees/rate in an agreement (written) of some sort, before I left.

-G-

[sbp]

I had same type of work once and I charge very little and turn around and donated that to one of the education organization that they trying to raise $$ for at venue.

I hardly spend $100 in whole trip(just when I went for sightseeing) . Everything was paid food, stay, transport.

For two day I charged only 500. I had a plenty of vacation days on my hand and so this was just one of that vacation where you work+fun.

[FreezeFrame]

Thanks everyone for your input. A lot of good view points and things to think about.

Yes this is a side business for me and I generally do it because I enjoy it and I get the opportunity sometimes to do things I wouldn't normally get to do. Very unique opportunities for me. I have a good job and a lot of vacation so I am willing to trade off labor costs for unique opportunities. I definitely have no out of pocket expenses and even though I have a camera in my hand, it is no different than being on a normal vacation, site seeing all day and taking pictures. I am just taking pictures of other people and scenery. I will probably end up somewhere between $500 and $1000 per day.

Thanks again.