[Deiberson]

I was asked to shoot some items (lockers/monograms/bath stalls etc....) in two different cities in the US. Both would involve flying. One would be a day trip and the other would probably be an overnighter. I've never done this before so I have no idea what to charge. The flights and expenses are paid for so what would YOUR quote be for time/shooting/post? Please include whether or not you do this for a living. I don't plan on charging what a pro would since I don't expect to get pro results. However, I can't alter my price if I don't have a starting point.
For example, I would have no idea if there is an hourly rate for sitting on an airplane. That's what I need help with.

Thanks for the help.
Kevin

[eddie1960]

the real answer is what do you think 2-3 days of your time plus expenses is worth (plus additional time for any post processing work,)
How the images will be used usually has some impact on cost as well.
Personally for me I would add $1500(allowing for 3 days including post work) plus the cost of all expenses (flight hotel, per diem for meals)
that gives a base that pays for your time (which has to also cover equipment costs)
I'm probably also pretty low on the price as It's not my primary job, just an add on (but remember it removes you from your primary work so you have to cover that loss plus take into account your fixed costs like equipment)
Depending on the Tog it could be a hell of a lot higher - I think the fashion guys daily rate can be hellishly high $10000 +++ if they are top names like Ben on here
So the real answer is what do you think your time is worth, start a little higher because it will give you room to come down a bit if need be.

[daacon]

First off I am not a professional photographer ....

Why would you 'not charge what a pro does' - are you not now a pro ? Personally I have been in similiar non photographic situations where I was aksed for services that as a rule I don't sell (i.e. was asked to teach a course one time).

I did not have to pick a rate as it was a fixed fee but it was more or less what a 'professional instructor' would have charged.

There are a number of factors you should consider:

1 - Do you want to do more of this ? Will these people be a reference for you ?
2 - Will these people generate more income for you ?
3 - Don't underestimate your time ....you are worth it
4 - Are you selling the printed photo's or giving them the Digital Rights ?

I think if it were me in this situation as a first time I would do a fixed rate for my services (so pick a daily rate ) and if they want the digital rights , I would also have a fixed price per shot (if a lot of shots then perhaps some volume discount). Of course it depends on the answers to some of the questions above as wel.

Optimally this would have been negotiated before you accepted - it may get a little tricky after the fact, but be confident. The biggest peice of advice I can offer is do not short sell yourslef - I have done this in the past and regretted it. You can do this , you should be paid market rate for doing it (whatever that is - I am sure google can help or others here whom are professionals can chime in).

Best of luck.

[eddie1960]

First off I am not a professional photographer ....

Why would you 'not charge what a pro does' - are you not now a pro ? Personally I have been in similiar non photographic situations where I was aksed for services that as a rule I don't sell (i.e. was asked to teach a course one time).

I did not have to pick a rate as it was a fixed fee but it was more or less what a 'professional instructor' would have charged.

There are a number of factors you should consider:

1 - Do you want to do more of this ? Will these people be a reference for you ?
2 - Will these people generate more income for you ?
3 - Don't underestimate your time ....you are worth it
4 - Are you selling the printed photo's or giving them the Digital Rights ?

I think if it were me in this situation as a first time I would do a fixed rate for my services (so pick a daily rate ) and if they want the digital rights , I would also have a fixed price per shot (if a lot of shots then perhaps some volume discount). Of course it depends on the answers to some of the questions above as wel.

Optimally this would have been negotiated before you accepted - it may get a little tricky after the fact, but be confident. The biggest peice of advice I can offer is do not short sell yourslef - I have done this in the past and regretted it. You can do this , you should be paid market rate for doing it (whatever that is - I am sure google can help or others here whom are professionals can chime in).

Best of luck.

A massive +1 to all these points

Too many people short sell themselves and the market has in fact been seriously disrupted by this.

[Deiberson]

Bump for some numbers.....I really need to see some figures. I'm starting to think that there are not too many pro's shooting Pentax.....
Well, I know there's not. But this is even worse than I thought.

[mattb123]

I have a different day job but have been paid as a photographer too. I'll throw out $1000/day + expenses but I'd probably only charge for days I actually shot. If the project is successful then you can probably charge more in the future.

[Deiberson]

Of course, if the client is Zeit.Weit the price goes up exponentially.

[daacon]

I goggled "Photograher product shots what to charge" and some decent links came up.

It all really boils down to you and the client though - have they hired professionals before ?

Are you going to give them 4 shots or 400 ? Use them all the time (Diigital Rights) or a one time use in some broucher / catalog ? If the former (4 shots) you need a daily rate if the later (400 shots ) a per jpg can be worked out.

I think the quotes here $1000 - $1500 a day are resonable (or $10.00 - $20.00 jpg if you can sell them 100+ pictures) , it's contract work and generally the shorter the contract the higher the rate (so if they are going to offer you 6 or 7 more 'gigs' you have room to negotiate).

[reeftool]

Last fall I stumbled on a photo job by accident. I was attending a tool and custom car show put on by local Snap On Tool dealers. They wanted some shots from the top of one of the trailers and their photographer wimped out due to the wind. My dealer asked me to get some shots, knowing I'm a truck/trailer guy and work in those conditions. He liked them and I got $30 for each shot he wanted. His offer was probably low as I have no experience in what to charge. I made more than a days pay at overtime rate in a few minutes plus a couple hours in PP. This is going to consume a few days of your time plus a lot of work in PP by the time it's all done. While the $1000+ a day might seem high, you are likely going to spend a longer time in front of your computer screen and consume a good quantity of paper and ink as well.

[bdery]

I think the quotes here $1000 - $1500 a day are resonable

I think that's fair, if you stress that you will post-process afterwards, and not officially charge for that.

I sold one picture recently, my first real sale, and I charged 100$.