Understanding the Creative Fee | Day Rate vs Per/Person Fees.
What is a Day Rate in Professional Photography?
A Day Rate AKA: “Creative Fee” in photography refers to a fee that a photographer charges for their services for a full day, typically around 8 hours. A half day would be 4 or less.
The creative fee covers the photographer’s time, skill, and expertise for the entire day, regardless of how many photos are taken or how many people are photographed.
This type of rate is often used for corporate photography, where the photographer is hired to capture a variety of images for a specific project or purpose. An example would be a firm that is looking for a photographer that can do corporate photos, group photos, and individual photos
Why would a photographer charge a day rate instead of hourly?
First, some photography projects may require a significant amount of time to complete, such as commercial or editorial shoots that involve multiple locations or setups. Photography also requires behind the scenes work such as editing and retouching.
Charging an hourly rate in these cases may result in a high and unpredictable fee for the client, making it difficult to budget for the project.
A Day Rate or Creative Fee provides a more predictable cost for the client, and may be more cost-effective for the photographer, especially if the project requires a full day or multiple days of work.
Second, a day rate allows the photographer to focus on delivering a high-quality final product, rather than rushing to complete the work within a set number of hours. This can be especially important for creative projects, where the photographer needs time to experiment with different approaches and capture the desired images.
Third, charging a day rate can be more efficient for the photographer, as it eliminates the need to track hours and invoice for small increments of time. This allows the photographer to focus on their work and complete the project without the added administrative tasks of tracking time and invoicing.
Overall, charging a day rate can be a beneficial arrangement for both the photographer and the client, as it provides a predictable and often cost-effective fee for the client, while allowing the photographer to focus on delivering high-quality work without the constraints of hourly billing.
Per Person Fees for Photography
On the other hand, a per person headshot rate is a fee charged by a photographer for each individual headshot they take. This type of rate is commonly used for corporate or business headshots, where the photographer is hired to take a professional photo of each employee or team member.
The per person headshot rate typically includes a set number of edited images per person, and the fee may vary depending on the number of individuals being photographed. For example, a photographer might charge $150 per person for headshots, which includes 2 edited images per person.
What Are Corporate Photos
Corporate photography refers to the specialized field of photography that is focused on creating images for businesses and organizations. The goal of corporate photography is to capture images that can be used for various purposes, such as marketing and advertising, public relations, company websites, annual reports, and social media.
Corporate photographers are experienced in working with businesses and understand the unique needs and challenges of this market. They often work closely with clients to understand their specific requirements and goals, and to ensure that the images produced are of high quality and meet the desired specifications.
Corporate photography can include a range of subjects, including portraits of employees, group photos, action shots, products, facilities, events, and more. The images produced through corporate photography can play an important role in shaping the public perception of a company, and can help to create a professional and engaging image for the business.
How Do I Handle Day Rates?
In general if the client just needs headshots I will charge a per person fee. If the client is looking for multiple types of photography (such as corporate photos, group photos, and individual photos) I will wrap the fee into a day rate.