I have a situation were the client has a day starting at 8am and ending at 10-11pm. That is an insane amount of hours. However in her timeline for the day, between 2:30pm and 6pm, she is "taking a break" and does not require photography then. Considering how many hours she needs me for should she be charged for that time?
Absolutely... you are already giving up your full day... just because she doesn't need you for 3.5 hours, doesn't mean she doesn't pay for your full day. It's not like you can get anything done at that time other than recharge batteries, grab a bite to eat, and download memory cards!
We run into this kind of situation with video production. We charge for overtime after 10 hrs. It doesn't matter if we're working or not, if we're on location then we charge.
Martin, typically I will not charge an hourly rate for that, but a "split" charge of one hour. This keeps the cost down for the customer and is fairer to the customer.
Imagine you're the customer, would you want to pay someone for not "working" during that time? If you're not required to be somewhere, then no, I wouldn't charge an hourly fee.
If you think that's insane, I covered a traditional south Indian wedding from 5:30am to 12am... with a 2 hour break around 3. Her original hours were up 1/2 way through the day, but she paid for the remaining hours after the wedding. It's def. doable, but you may be exhausted when you come back home.
I'm with Brian on this one... we quote for a split day. For example, in your case you would be shooting for a total (assuming it goings until 11pm.) of 11.5 hours... we would charge for that time plus a split chrage of $300 dollars. You can take off and see a film but you are stuck within the schedule... you've got the responsibility of your assistant and all your gear.
I find clients don't often stick to the "break" time... late finish, earlier start.
This is why one should consider having an "all-day coverage" package. When the client needs a few hours, it's easy to use hour based packages. However, when the project gets this big, having a "full event coverage"/"all day coverage" option really beats counting hours. It gives the client peace of mind and it keeps you happy (as long as you charge what you feel is right for it).
Charge for the full day. Most likely they will not be on schedule anyway so your break could be cut in half or less. If you must charge by the hour then add a overtime clause at a higher rate.
I had a commercial auto manufacturer, or should say the firm they hired book me months in advance then want to cut me out an hour due to dinner. I then went from a flat fee to hourly plus double overtime if the event went long. Of course it went an hour and half over so I charged double time for 2 hours. Several hundred more than my original flat rate.
The last event I covered like that with a 4 hour break in the middle, I requested the family put me up in the hotel everyone was staying at and they readily complied. I got to take a shower and nap so I was refreshed for the 6 hour reception that evening.
If it was close enough to go home for the time, then no, I wouldn't charge. If it was an out of town wedding, then yes, I would charge at least half the hourly rate. I also like the idea that Jonathan mentioned... being put up in the hotel so personal (and camera) batteries could be charged etc.
Saad Syed wrote:
This is why one should consider having an "all-day coverage" package. When the client needs a few hours, it's easy to use hour based packages. However, when the project gets this big, having a "full event coverage"/"all day coverage" option really beats counting hours. It gives the client peace of mind and it keeps you happy (as long as you charge what you feel is right for it).
I agree.... but this is also why someone shouldn't have all their packages cover the whole day as some do here. A 6 hour wedding should be compensated much differently than this example if you ask me.
Tony Hoffer wrote:
I agree.... but this is also why someone shouldn't have all their packages cover the whole day as some do here. A 6 hour wedding should be compensated much differently than this example if you ask me.
I agree - a lot of times if it is like a 3 hour event, I will cut them a break. However, most people here need me for the whole day as we're booking a lot of Southeast Asian (Pakistani/Indian) weddings. Nonetheless, I have brides coming up that liked the idea even though their event was 5 hours. They'll use the morning for a two hour bridal session. I just hate having to count hours - there's nothing wrong with it though.
Saad Syed wrote:
I agree - a lot of times if it is like a 3 hour event, I will cut them a break. However, most people here need me for the whole day as we're booking a lot of Southeast Asian (Pakistani/Indian) weddings. Nonetheless, I have brides coming up that liked the idea even though their event was 5 hours. They'll use the morning for a two hour bridal session. I just hate having to count hours - there's nothing wrong with it though..
Some other Asian weddings can last for 3 days, I wonder how much is the coverage for that!
