How much to charge?

Tpex

Tpex

Teh Cyber Ninja
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hey you awesome people, just got a question for you from a friend.
Somebody wants here to photograph shoes for 3 hours for his shops website, no printing will be done, how much should my friend charge him? she has a Cannon EOS 350D and has quite a bit of practice in photography.

Thanks in advance :)
 
here are the recommended rates:

http://www.safrea.co.za/about/about.asp?aboutID=620

PHOTOGRAPHIC BASE USAGE RATES (BUR)

Ownership, copyright and terms of usage should be negotiated prior to commencement of the job.

The BUR is a combination of the photographer’s overheads and creative fee and is limited by time constraints.

Half-day rates are charged at 55% of full day rate. Use of an assistant will remain up to the photographer’s discretion at a fee of 15% of BUR.

Advertising/Aerial/Creative R5 250.00 / 10 hour day
Catalogue/Corporate/Industrial R3 850.00 / 9 hour day
 
za1 said:
here are the recommended rates:

http://www.safrea.co.za/about/about.asp?aboutID=620

PHOTOGRAPHIC BASE USAGE RATES (BUR)

Ownership, copyright and terms of usage should be negotiated prior to commencement of the job.

The BUR is a combination of the photographer’s overheads and creative fee and is limited by time constraints.

Half-day rates are charged at 55% of full day rate. Use of an assistant will remain up to the photographer’s discretion at a fee of 15% of BUR.

Advertising/Aerial/Creative R5 250.00 / 10 hour day
Catalogue/Corporate/Industrial R3 850.00 / 9 hour day
Click to expand...

Shooting shoes for the web is something any tool with a cell phone can do on a Sunday morning, so no, no one's going to pay two grand for it. It doesn't need 200 m² of backdrop and 6 strobes either. I'm not saying that professionals shouldn't be paid, or that the photos shouldn't be taken professionally, but R 200 per hour plus travel seems more than fair. (I know a lot of skilled people, not photogs, that work on similar rates)
 
I charge roughly R136 an image for Catalogue work - the price is neg depending on the amount of images. But that also includes any etching, colour correction etc.
 
The BUR seem pretty fair to me. The r200-250 that people are quoting really don't come close to covering the expenses people who are doing this sort of thing for a living have. Each time the shutter flips there is a cost involved from wear and tear to time spent in post. I've probably got over 120k worth of equipment in my bag at any time that has to be paid for and eventually replaced.
 
bwana said:
The BUR seem pretty fair to me. The r200-250 that people are quoting really don't come close to covering the expenses people who are doing this sort of thing for a living have. Each time the shutter flips there is a cost involved from wear and tear to time spent in post. I've probably got over 120k worth of equipment in my bag at any time that has to be paid for and eventually replaced.
Click to expand...

True but the OP friend has a like a 6k camera compared to your whole kit.. So there is a huge difference...
You gotto take into account exactly what she will be doing. Will there be any post processing of the images? or just snap and upload?
 
bwana said:
The BUR seem pretty fair to me. The r200-250 that people are quoting really don't come close to covering the expenses people who are doing this sort of thing for a living have. Each time the shutter flips there is a cost involved from wear and tear to time spent in post. I've probably got over 120k worth of equipment in my bag at any time that has to be paid for and eventually replaced.
Click to expand...

Your R 120k worth of kit, depreciated over an average of 5 years (lenses last longer, bodies shorter), costs about R 100 per day to run. No matter how you look at it, professional photography is cheap to get into. As for post, she can bill for that too, but because it's not something that every yahoo and their dog can do with R 500 worth of kit, she can bill at a higher rate. Supply and demand.
 
Drunkard #1 said:
Your R 120k worth of kit, depreciated over an average of 5 years (lenses last longer, bodies shorter), costs about R 100 per day to run. No matter how you look at it, professional photography is cheap to get into. As for post, she can bill for that too, but because it's not something that every yahoo and their dog can do with R 500 worth of kit, she can bill at a higher rate. Supply and demand.
Click to expand...
Correction, amateur photography is cheap to get into, for professionals its quite another story. I'm looking at up to r58 per day for each camera that will realistically have to be replaced every two years. Computers, rent, studio equipment, servicing, repairs, . . . and lets not forget salaries, heath care, vehicles, advertising, etc - remember you've quit your day job.
 
wow you photographers can have a discussion! LOL thanks for the info I will pass it on

Oh apparently there is going to be no post processing, I gather it will go straight to the web designer. :-/
 
Tpex said:
wow you photographers can have a discussion! LOL thanks for the info I will pass it on

Oh apparently there is going to be no post processing, I gather it will go straight to the web designer. :-/
Click to expand...
Your friend will probably need a few inexpensive items like a tripod, some lights, and a backdrop, some of which she might have lying around the home (desk or clip lights and a sheet for the backdrop) but if not she's going to have to factor that in.
 
It's always interesting to see how photographers shouldn't make money from their work. Just cause the client has his / her own camera and gets a salary from a paid job doesn't mean the photographer can't make money from this as well. This is his salary. HE needs to pay for this professional equipment (No, a P&S WON'T take the same photos I take with my Canon 1D mkIII), laptop, backup storage, software licensing , car, fuel, insurance, marketing, etc, etc, etc.

Please, learn to respect the fact that professional photographers need to eat tonight as well. Most of the togs I know don't drive the same Beem you do and don't live in a R3Mill house like you do.
 
Drunkard #1 said:
Shooting shoes for the web is something any tool with a cell phone can do on a Sunday morning, so no, no one's going to pay two grand for it.
Click to expand...

You can't be serious???? Any tool with a cellphone can take catalog quality photos for a pro website? you have to be kidding..
A pro website needs pro photos, especially one selling a product.

I'm not in the photography business but I was thinking those BUR rates look average to low
 
za1 said:
You can't be serious???? Any tool with a cellphone can take catalog quality photos for a pro website? you have to be kidding..
A pro website needs pro photos, especially one selling a product.

I'm not in the photography business but I was thinking those BUR rates look average to low
Click to expand...

I think he's referring to those websites that never sell anything because they look so bad...
 
I was exaggerating people, you need a DSLR and about a grands worth of extra kit (literally). You DON'T need a 24 megapixel D3x or 1D. Web is taken at what, 200 x 200 pixels? And the 'view larger' at 800 x 800 pixels? It's got more to do with the photographers skill, than their kit, and speaking from experience, those skills take about 2 hours of experimenting to learn (not in front of the client, obviously). Like bwana said, a few tungsten filament clip lights (I use halogen site lights, 'cause that's what I've got), a tripod, a backdrop and a table is all you really need to take great shots. How many shots do you need to take to realise that you put one light very oblique (to bring out the texture) and one dead on. Get the client to OK the backdrop, and you're off.

No, pro photogs who are used to corporate clients won't work for those rates, and that's partly why they don't work every day, but I know a lot of people who charge R 200 p/h, and they bring more than 2 hours of experience and ten grands worth of kit to the job.
 
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