I know this is probably a common topic on this forum, but I am extremely new to doing paid shoots. Here is the e-mail I received:

"My cousin and I are starting our own clothing line we each have our
own, and we would like a photo shoot with some models in our clothes.
So my question is how much would you charge for like 3 to 4 hours and
how many outfits?"

I was not expecting something fashion related (my offering was for family portraits, ect). I do not want to charge to high and scare them off, as I'm just looking to build my portfolio, but I don't want to sell myself short. I am young, so I'd like to put forth a professional attitude for them and possible future clients.

Any advice on how to handle this situation?
I'm of course doing more research online, just would like opinions here from you professional photographers.

Thanks in advance.

Inquire further about usage (website, catalogue, advertisement, etc) and that will help guide you toward a more appropriate quote.

Here's the reply I got:

"It would be both inside and outside location not to far apart. As of now the photos would be put on myspace until we get our website finish. We would like 4 to 5 outfit shot and the outfits are custom t-shirt leggings jeans stuff like that."

No more detail than that; I do not have any flashes for inside work, but outside I could handle with a reflector or two. And no prints to deal with.
Should I ask what there price range is? The "like" and "stuff like that" threw me off a bit.

if it's not your thing & your not equipped, maybe you should refer them on to someone who can do it.

now to the financials

cost of models (min $50/hr per model) ... assuming MM models and not agency ones
cost of makeup/hair (min $50 per model) ... assuming you find a novice

studio & light rental ($100 - $500) depending on your market
hiring a pro to teach you how to use the lights in studio ... priceless

your charge either day rate or hourly of ($100 - $300 / hr)

then you have licensing & useage of the images, find a pricing calculator for this
(this will add up quickly)

if it isn't your style or your thing, or you don't know how, you probably shouldn't take the gig and/or accept payment for it, as you'll just be wasting their $$

The "like" and "stuff like that" need to be addressed. A contract needs to be drafted up that covers everything they want; the number of looks, number of clothing changes, etc. the contract should cover everything through final image delivery.

Also, I agree that if you are not equipped to provide professional level service and don't have the means to rent the gear, it might be best to offer it to someone who is qualified.

Maybe its worth passing this over to a pro in your area and asking if you can assist for the job?

NinaS wrote:

hiring a pro to teach you how to use the lights in studio ... priceless



SOOOOO true... in all the things that have changed in photography lighting and knowing how to use it is the one thing that has maintained.

I charge what i need to make a living... dont under price your self because you think you are in-experianced... if you are losing money you are wasting time... just my 2cents

As Pyro stated, don't undercharge!

Another thing to think about (at least for me) is their email. If you cut/pasted directly from their email, they come across as unprofessional (grammar errors, poor writing) to run a serious business and have no idea what they are getting into.

I was asked by several friends in the skateboarder/surfer world to do the same thing. They were starting clothing companies with dreams of becoming the next Hurley. Pretty much every skateboarder/surfer in the world has tried to start their own clothing line at one point or another, and 99% of them fail miserably within the first year. So keep that in mind when you set your rates, in case your thinking they might keep coming back to you if you give them low rates the first time.

It sounds like you might not be prepared though. Besides the rate thing, you have to know if you have the right equipment, hire makeup/hair person for the shoot, coordinate an entire day of shooting with multiple models and clothing changes, find a location, probably should have an assistant available to handle things like off-camera flash units, scene prep, etc. and then you need to work out how they want all the images processed. What kind of look are they going for? Something simple or very specific? Are you going to handle post-processing or is someone else?

Also, they claim you can do the shoot in 3-4 hours. How do they know how much time it will take for the shoot? You might have an hour just in prep time of your gear, driving to the location, etc. YOU need to tell them how many hours the shoot will take, but only after you get very specific details about what they want. Then tell them you'll get back to them with an estimated time & cost that will be involved.

Nowhere Man raises some interesting points, but their lack of detail and/or consideration for the difficulty of the shoot may be an advantage for you. Perhaps they are just starting out, and as a result, may not require a shoot having a bunch of different light sources, scene prep, etc. In other words, don't use a lot where a little will do. They may be perfectly satisfied with models doing their own make up, staging the shoot at an easily accessible location near their shop, etc etc. You never really know, but to me it seems like they would have a hard time accepting a brilliant product when they appear so vague as to their requirements.
So maybe you don't need as much to deliver as you thought.

mdude also brings up good points

Less is more if that's the case.

Another thing to check out -- the outdoor location? What's the light in that area? They sound like they wouldn't have a clue what would be the best lighting (and time of day for that particular area), and you need to check it out and advise them on that if you decide to take the job. It may be in an area where doing it with "a few reflectors" won't do the job!

IMHO-They want to save money, you are new to the job. Keep it simple. You can do this! Suggest some cool locations such as alley or industrial parks. sway them from locations like some dude's bedroom or his mom's kitchen. Charge them hourly ($50-$100 per hour) If they take all day better for you. 3-4 hours plus post/sending them images. Then go buy some lights/flash. Good luck.

This is a company that only has a myspace, not even a website. They clearly aren't the next Hurley. They probably haven't budgeted much of anything to this shoot.

This advice I'm about to give you is terrible long-term, but for right now, might actually be worth your while.

Find a new piece of gear.. lens/flash/etc... something in the $250-$350 range. Tell them you need that exact piece of gear to do the shoot, and if they buy it for you, you'll do the shoot for only $50. "Upsell" the idea by telling them that they'll get to write-off the purchase as a business expense - if they're as inexperienced as it sounds (and actually have aspirations of going legit) they'll probably like it, even though they might not even know what a write-off is.

You get a new toy, you get some cash just to cover your day and gas, and they get some pictures.

You're no commercial photographer doing pre-production, scouting, talent castings, tethered shooting with an AD standing over your shoulder, so no point in making things more complicated than they need to be. Anyway, you'll probably be shooting some disaffected looking teenagers standing against a graffitied wall.

Just go for it.

Jonathan H wrote:
This is a company that only has a myspace, not even a website. They clearly aren't the next Hurley. They probably haven't budgeted much of anything to this shoot.

This advice I'm about to give you is terrible long-term, but for right now, might actually be worth your while.

Find a new piece of gear.. lens/flash/etc... something in the $250-$350 range. Tell them you need that exact piece of gear to do the shoot, and if they buy it for you, you'll do the shoot for only $50. "Upsell" the idea by telling them that they'll get to write-off the purchase as a business expense - if they're as inexperienced as it sounds (and actually have aspirations of going legit) they'll probably like it, even though they might not even know what a write-off is.

You get a new toy, you get some cash just to cover your day and gas, and they get some pictures.

You're no commercial photographer doing pre-production, scouting, talent castings, tethered shooting with an AD standing over your shoulder, so no point in making things more complicated than they need to be. Anyway, you'll probably be shooting some disaffected looking teenagers standing against a graffitied wall.

Just go for it.



_+1

Jonathan H wrote:

Find a new piece of gear.. lens/flash/etc... something in the $250-$350 range. Tell them you need that exact piece of gear to do the shoot, and if they buy it for you, you'll do the shoot for only $50. "Upsell" the idea by telling them that they'll get to write-off the purchase as a business expense - if they're as inexperienced as it sounds (and actually have aspirations of going legit) they'll probably like it, even though they might not even know what a write-off is.



I think in many cases, photography services for a business can be used as a tax write-off, even if no physical piece of equipment is purchased. So they should be able to write off the photo shoot whether or not they price it to include the purchase of a flash/lens.

They are more than likely a couple kids with NO MONEY and if you expect to make a lot of money off of this think again . You said you wanted it for your portfolio so do it for the experience and whatever cash you can get out of the job and stop worrying about usage or they will just get a friend with a point and shoot to shoot it for them .

If I would have listened to every person here when I was starting out I would have priced myself out of the market for my experience at the time and would have never got where I am now without the portfolio I built pretty much unpaid . Do what it takes to build your portfolio now as it is hard to get the high paying jobs without one .

If you are just starting out you need to shoot, do whatever it takes to shoot and stay moving forward . You get to cash in when you gain experience which it sounds like you don't have now.