Pricing help - not in sticky

[dustydirtbiker]

I'm wanting to give an offer to a local restaurant/bar/club soon. I'm wanting to offer 2 things. Food photos (they don't have ANY in their menu), and venue photos. Inside during busy time, and outside during both day and night...mostly at night though.

I do have a decent portfolio growing but this would be my first paid shoot. Knowing that, the manager would be risking their money for the food photos since I have don't almost none of that before... but I have been studying other people's work.

I was thinking $700 for venue shots. 300 down and if he/she likes, the rest when we sign over the licensing.
same thing with the food...

Are these prices reasonable? should I do an hourly rate instead?

[toverman]

Food photography is a difficult and specialized discipline. In most successful shots, the food has been manipulated so much to make it look good that it's no longer edible. On top of that, and this is a generalization, the places I most often see food photos in the menus are the national chains because they have the budget to have it done correctly.

With the sour economy and competition for customers so heated, do you think this place will want to shell out any money for something that they may not need, done by someone who may or may not come through? Someone else can probably be helpful in regard to your question on pricing.

[bondarnes]

I think your pricing is reasonable, but whether the owners will agree is another issue. And if they do, don't expect any up front money. Payment on delivery is customary.

[CaptainTom]

Consider offering a barter, assuming the restaurant is any good. If so, increase your prices by a third.

[ShaneKislack]

Are these buy outs? How many dishes are you shooting? Will you use a food stylists? Where will you shoot them, at their location or your studio? Who will cook the food? How much will you pay the people that appear in the "location shots"?

The price of shooting a plate of fajitas for their menu at their restaurant cooked by one of their guys during business hours will be much different than shooting their entire menu (and let's face it, it's no good unless you shoot a good portion of the selections) at your own studio, cooked and prepped by food stylists and used for advertising.

Oh, and most food shots are composited from many different images. That's a lot of PS work.

[dustydirtbiker]

Originally Posted by ShaneKislack

Are these buy outs? How many dishes are you shooting? Will you use a food stylists? Where will you shoot them, at their location or your studio? Who will cook the food? How much will you pay the people that appear in the "location shots"?

The price of shooting a plate of fajitas for their menu at their restaurant cooked by one of their guys during business hours will be much different than shooting their entire menu (and let's face it, it's no good unless you shoot a good portion of the selections) at your own studio, cooked and prepped by food stylists and used for advertising.

Oh, and most food shots are composited from many different images. That's a lot of PS work.

i don't know what buy outs are. I don't know how many dishes. It is almost all sushi at that place. Some drinks will probably be shot as well, but I wont include that in my price. Drinks are a whole new ball game. No food stylist. Setup a "travel" studio, not during their hours... with them setting up all the food. They will set up the food how they want it shot.

The location shots wont have paid people. The place has amateur-looking snapshots on their website with tons of people... so I guess they don't care about that. If they do seem to care, we can make people sign a waiver upon entering.

I'm not going to do ALOT of photoshopping b/c we don't want to represent the food in a non-honest way. I will probably enhance colors a bit and mess with highlights and shadows. no big deal...

dustydirtbiker added 1 Minutes and 50 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

Consider offering a barter, assuming the restaurant is any good. If so, increase your prices by a third.

it's mostly sushi (EW!)

no bartering!

Oh, wait. They have liquor. lots and lots of liquor

[ShaneKislack]

Is this part of a bigger marketing plan? Or how do you know that they want your services specifically? Just curious.

Often restaurant managers are NOT design people...so "how they want it shot" is sorta a bad idea. Also, that's part of what food shooters bring to the table. The experience of how food is shot.

Anyway, in terms of knowing the cost/value...you aren't to a place to start pricing it in regards to the details. There can be thousands of dollars of production between the smallest shoot you could do for them and the biggest/best.

[dustydirtbiker]

don't tell me what is or is not a bad idea unless it is a topic i ask for your opinion about. All you guys (or gals) need to know are the things that might cost money. I say, "I'm not going to have a food stylist" and you should accept my decision.

I have taken art classes for the last 15 years, so I know how to make 3D look good in a 2D format. If the restaurant owner doesn't like my style, he can let me know that and not pay me. To me, I feel like I have a decent art background and I can try to get past the "food stylist" thing to save both the owner and myself some money.

All this thread was/is about is... do you think my prices are fair and how I'm going about the money-down aspect of the plan?

Oh, and to answer your curiosity... I don't know if the owner wants pictures for this menu. I just noticed that there aren't any in it and only amateur photos on his website. His chain is growing and now has, I think, 3 locations... so professional-type photos would help. I want to get the money part figured out so I can type up a proposal.

I don't know if it did or didn't seem snappy, but I'm sorry if it did. I understand constructive criticism, but asking me why I'm not having a stylist would be a better question than telling me that it is a bad idea.

[ShaneKislack]

OK, then sure...$700 for shooting a menu is fine.

[bondarnes]

Note to self: Add dustybiker to list of wannabe photographers that have no clue what they are doing and only want advice that agrees with their uninformed ideas.

[w9ctm]

Oh Don. You're stirring the pot there........

[dustydirtbiker]

you guys are cracking me up. I am definitely the last person to have uniformed ideas. It just came off as offensive, so I got frustrated. I learn ALOT on here, but I was looking for more of a yes/no answer...maybe some tips and no one was giving me that.

I really am sorry if I pissed off anyone... especially the guy I replied to yesterday. I know there isn't a real excuse, but I was tired and sick. I think this thread is done...

I know! I'll use a pseudonym, and start a similar thread... :)

[Marv800]

Originally Posted by dustydirtbiker

you guys are cracking me up. I am definitely the last person to have uniformed ideas. It just came off as offensive, so I got frustrated. I learn ALOT on here, but I was looking for more of a yes/no answer...maybe some tips and no one was giving me that.

I really am sorry if I pissed off anyone... especially the guy I replied to yesterday. I know there isn't a real excuse, but I was tired and sick. I think this thread is done...

I know! I'll use a pseudonym, and start a similar thread... :)

Dusty,


Instead of insulting you for asking a legitimate question, i'll actually answer it. ;)

As a restaurant/bar owner, I can tell only speak to what my thoughts are. Generally, the thinking in the restaurant industry is (especially higher-end), that food pictures on menus are "tacky". That being said however, many restaurants (inclunding all of mine) use food photos for the kitchen line so cooks can see what their final product should look like. These images are usually very sterire, and intended to convey the plate build of a particular dish. These images are easy to shoot.

However, advertising photos of both food and venue for hotel guides, local scene publications etc, have a lot of value. However most of these publications offer photography services for their clients.

The other use, is websites. Most web designers i;ve used, don;t have photo materials any more than they do logos and trademarks. However, most of them are happy to give referrals to photogs that they feel are qualified.

Also, you need to understand that most restaurants in every sector except quick-service are experienceing a steep decline in business. Therefore, for most operations coughing up $1k can be a hard pill to swallow. Assuming the restaurants nets 10% all they way to the bottom lime, the operator would have to believe that these pics alone can generate $10,000 in sales. I know this seems simplistic, but its just how restaurant/bar operators think. Nothing in the restaurant business is overly complex. Its just the combination of thousands of simple things that make it challenging.