Product/Event Shoot - Pricing Question

[dbcann1962]

Hey y'all ...

I'm still rather new to this area and have started gettin my feet wet in the local market. (Jarrell/Georgetown)

My services have been requested for a gal that makes a product at home. They will be submitted to a magazine for publication. Probably several shots of her, the product, the two combined and emphasizing the 'country' locale in the photos.

Same lady has requested coverage for an event she will be attending in the near future.

Here's my dilemma, the area I came from had a very cutthroat market and getting a fellow photographer to share pricing (or any other) information was like pulling teeth. I finally just came up with a random price and went with it. I'd rather not do that here ... I do NOT want to undercut the other photographers in this area. I want to be competitive .. but I am no shark.

I'd like to get some ballpark ranges that y'all would consider fair price for your services in the above situation. There will be some travel, not much however ... less than 100 miles total for both shoots I'd imagine.

It's late and I certainly hope that came out right.

Thanks much, in advance, for your valuable time and assistance.

Peace and Grace ...

Don

By the by: I only shoot digital, edit my own images and will be providing a CD for her, no prints. Thx!

[timbertoes]

You could ask her what her budget is for these services :) Then you would know if it's something you want to do.

[CaptainTom]

several ways to construct your pricing model.

hourly - most people understand this model, but it's not used much by photographers

Day rate - a commercial photographers model is based on his day rate plus expenses. The half day rate is usually 60% of the full day rate. Corporate entities understand this model

ala carte image rate - this is used for speculative shooting. Rates are based on the publication of the images, the industry of the publication, and the circulation of the magazine. This is used by many part time photogs who submit to publications.

In your case, I'd also recommend finding out what the clients budget is, and see if you can work within the budget. If she has no money, and you want to do the shoot, barter for some of her product or services.

I want to applaud you for your integrity to seek out pricing guidelines and to not undercut the industry.

[dbcann1962]

Originally Posted by timbertoes

You could ask her what her budget is for these services :) Then you would know if it's something you want to do.

Indeed that shall be a part of the process ... much thanks for taking the time to suggest it.

Best ...

Don

dbcann1962 added 9 Minutes and 49 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

several ways to construct your pricing model.

hourly - most people understand this model, but it's not used much by photographers

Day rate - a commercial photographers model is based on his day rate plus expenses. The half day rate is usually 60% of the full day rate. Corporate entities understand this model

ala carte image rate - this is used for speculative shooting. Rates are based on the publication of the images, the industry of the publication, and the circulation of the magazine. This is used by many part time photogs who submit to publications.

In your case, I'd also recommend finding out what the clients budget is, and see if you can work within the budget. If she has no money, and you want to do the shoot, barter for some of her product or services.

I want to applaud you for your integrity to seek out pricing guidelines and to not undercut the industry.

I did use some hourly for a previous small business catalog shoot that I did, but I ended up gettin the short end of the stick. That shant happen again.

More and more I am leaning towards a simplistic day rate - 1/2 day rate + expenses, if any.

I wasn't certain how well the barter system would go over in this area, but I was certainly considering it as an option. I'm going to think a bit more about that as well ... perhaps as a back-burner option.

Thanks to you also for taking the time to post your reply. It is sincerely appreciated.

Peace ...

Don

[janikphoto]

barter system? I hope you want/need what she makes. I'm not sure my pricing structure will work for you. Dallas may have a different threshold than Jarrell. I would charge an editorial rate for the magazine pics, which is usually between $250 and $500 for a feature story (not counting some of the really small niche pubs that only offer $100 per assignment, or the BIG pubs that can easily give a grand or more for a simple shoot). I would then charge $200 per hour for the event.

But again, these prices may be too far off from what is normal for your area. Event shooting in your town could be less or more...