what would you pay to have someone photo shop your pic?

[abril1127]

Ok so I've sent out several emails to some local photographers, Offering to do their photo shop work and other processing, Raw conversion, gallery uploads and such.
I have a couple of bites....but what's the going rate for this?
Can anyone give me a scale of what they pay for what services.

A per picture rate or maybe a per batch rate?

Thanks for any tips!

[bondarnes]

visit www.retouchup.com for pricing. They are your competition. I use them when I get behind.

[abril1127]

Holy Shamoly they are cheap!
Thanks Don!

[J Eddington]

Photoshop my picture??? Boy, that seems like a wide open statement. The reason why I say that is that I have no idea what your talking about! I have no idea what skilled people like yourself can do or how long it takes them to do what they do. I can touch up a face and that is about all i can do. I cannot change out a background or any fancy stuff. I see a photo and sometimes wish that it could be changed but mostly when i do that I think more like what Jezebel does with her WOW stuff. So I guess what I am really asking is what type of PS do you do?

[jasonhuang]

mylavalu.com and shootdotedit.com do the same type of work. you could probably get quotes from them as well...

[StevenGWebb]

Strange world. I'm old, I suppose and I came out of the dark era of film and paper. Back in the day when dinosaurs roamed the earth and photographers considered the processing and printing as much a part of the job as firing off the flash powder (Kidding, tripping the shutter release). I only knew a few folks back then who had prints retouched by outside artists and those things were major league expensive. We used re-touching dyes on transparencies and pencils on prints. Airbrushing was reserved for heavy hitters and large ticket jobs.

Now days when a darkroom isn't even necessary a professional photographer farms out re-touching? I can't fathom it.

I do have a suggestion though. Talk to the high volume private studios near you and see about working for them in house to do the processing and printing and see about the interest in opening a whole profit center in retrouching and restorations from outside. If there wasn't opposition you might also take in specialty work from other professionals or camera jockeys who shoot well but can't print and process.

[Ahh!]

Originally Posted by StevenGWebb

Strange world. I'm old, I suppose and I came out of the dark era of film and paper. Back in the day when dinosaurs roamed the earth...high volume private studios near you...

Go with Don's suggestion, for all of the reasons above.

[abril1127]

Originally Posted by StevenGWebb

Now days when a darkroom isn't even necessary a professional photographer farms out re-touching? I can't fathom it.

.

I kinda thought those that were behind on work or just wanted to cut some sections of their work would take me up on it. I marketed myself more as a "as needed" employee. I think it's a big step for a photographer to do this but when you spend 70% of your time in front of a computer...it's no fun for the photographer. I heard Michael Redford give a seminar once and he said basically this, that you wouldn't work for $20 an hour so why would you sit in front of a computer and do you own editing. Hire a teenager who loves this kind of stuff and pay them a little!

[KimHurt]

My brother does this. It allows him to have flexible hours and work from home. He gets paid by the file. The amount charged varies according to the amount of PS required.

[Jake]

Originally Posted by abril1127

.........I heard Michael Redford give a seminar once and he said basically this, that you wouldn't work for $20 an hour so why would you sit in front of a computer and do you own editing. .......

For what ever it's worth, $20 a hour is above the average wage here in the US.
And falls inline with what the average full time photogs makes.

I know we all strive to be above average, but just some food for thought.
And a reality check for some.

[StevenGWebb]

Gee, if you could collect the money for the shoot then not have to muddle your fun by actually having to set-up for it or be out the expense of owning a camera or even being troubled with tripping the shutter how much per hour would you be worth?

There is more to a photography business than taking pictures. Its that word, "business". Retouching and editing are as important elements as making the exposure. I wouln't trust a $10/hr high school shutterbug with the responsibility of taking the pictures that bear my name, nor would I hand off the processing responsibility to to a $10/hr high school student.

[bondarnes]

Originally Posted by StevenGWebb

Gee, if you could collect the money for the shoot then not have to muddle your fun by actually having to set-up for it or be out the expense of owning a camera or even being troubled with tripping the shutter how much per hour would you be worth?

I'm not sure, but the next time I see Olan Mills I will ask him. I'm thinking it is several thousand dollars per hour, but then he runs it like a business.

[bondarnes]

Originally Posted by StevenGWebb

There is more to a photography business than taking pictures. Its that word, "business". Retouching and editing are as important elements as making the exposure. I wouln't trust a $10/hr high school shutterbug with the responsibility of taking the pictures that bear my name, nor would I hand off the processing responsibility to to a $10/hr high school student.

I'm guessing you never shot film.

[abril1127]

I'm guessing you wouldn't hire any Joe off the street. You would hire someone who's work agrees with yours.
Plus there are photographers who don't really get photoshop, someone who can adjust colors but they can't make Uncle Bob's eyes open in the family photo. It's that kind of stuff that is more in demand.

[abril1127]

Originally Posted by thejakestir

For what ever it's worth, $20 a hour is above the average wage here in the US.
And falls inline with what the average full time photogs makes.

I know we all strive to be above average, but just some food for thought.
And a reality check for some.

I have to say at the time I had made a whole $40 as a photographer so $20 an hr was like Gold to me....it's not far from it now! He's actually a really interesting guy...a tad cocky but he has some good points....but then again that's coming from a girl who had a camera & a dream and noooot a whole lot else.