1st time, need some advice

[schwanz583]

I met a guy that wants me to come by his dealership (motorcycles) and take 15-20 pics of each used bike for sale. I am trying to figure out if I should charge by the hour, or like $50 per bike.. Im no pro, but I do value my work, and time to edit the pic's. Just wanted to see what you guys thought. Here is a sample of what I will be doing. Thanks guys.

[BG Photo]

I'd charge by the hour. If these photos are to be put on a website to sell the bikes I doubt he would want to pay even the low end of what that should cost. That's a lot of editing time on 15-20 images per bike. How many bikes? Give him your rate and come to an agreement before you start any work because he will probably change his mind.

[schwanz583]

Probably around 20 bikes. What is a good rate? I have no idea what to charge, and want to be fare but not get ripped off. It's going to take a lot of time for the quality of images he wants.

[BG Photo]

I don't normally do this type of work, I'm a salaried medical photographer and shoot youth sports, so there are others here that would have better advice if they chime in. It depends on your market, but for something like this, personally I'd aim for at least $60 an hour including all of your post processing time (I'm in a small town-Temple).

Rough estimate 4 bikes an hour-5 hours shooting and maybe 7 hours post= 12 hours = $720. That's $36 per bike, so depending on the value of those used bikes it may or may not be worth it to him. That's not much and if they're done well, will make the bikes more attractive and get a higher price. It may take longer to do each bike, so maybe you want to use 2 bikes/hour and double the price?

[prncfarquad]

I have done some construction photography for a friend of mine and I charge $60/hr starting when my key hits the ignition of my truck until I get home from the shoot. Same for PP and prep for his website. $60 per hour

[schwanz583]

Good feedback, thanks a lot guys.:)