Or what is a good price to pay a photographer?
“How much do you charge per hour?”
“I just need a simple headshot”
These are the most common questions I receive. The answer unfortunately is a little complicated. Let me break it down as simple as possible.
-There is no one price structure for photography. The easiest way to understand it is photographers will charge based on the following: competition, experience, demand, skill required for a job, time on the job shooting and editing and something called “usage” (basically licensing).
-I price my work by where I see myself compared to my competition. There are a certain set of photographers that I consider are in my skill range and that’s how I determine what to ask for a job. It is also based on booking work and positive response from clients at that rate.
-Many photographers charge a “Day Rate” (or creative fee) for larger jobs. This just rolls all the factors into a basic fee. Often I will say “half day” or “full day” on a catalog or a larger corporate shoot.
-Expenses are always factored separate from the creative fee. I do not mark up expenses as I expect to be paid a 50% deposit before booking jobs.
When I am told that my client “just” wants a “simple” X or Y shoot I help them to understand that when I block out time for a job I lose the opportunity to book another (potentially more lucrative) job that day.
If you are interested in how I price my photography for your project please contact me anytime and I will break it down for you.