How much to charge for a shoot??

[Nostalgie]

Hey everyone,
I've been offered some work shooting model homes, interiors, exteriors, for the company's website and advertising/print work. Not glamorous but work! The thing is, I have no idea how to charge? I was aked, and said I'd talk to some friends that knew and get back to him. Ive always just sold prints, etc. This is more of a commercial kind of job, so I'm in the dark as how to charge. Hour? Work done? Ahh, haha, I hope some of you guys have done something similar and have some input! Thanks in advance!
Bryan

[fotografr]

A good starting point would be $75 to $100 per hour for shooting, plus expenses like mileage, film, processing, etc.. If you're shooting digitally, you should charge around $75 per hour for computer time.

If you get into this as a business, you'll want to start charging by the job eventually. Those fees would be determined by type of usage (print run, image size, area of distribution).

[akptc]

Congratulations! I would suggest using hourly rates to arrive at an overall estimate of what it will take to do the job, add expenses, then look at the total and see if you like the number. Then I'd offer a lump sum contract to the client, with optional "Additional Services" at an hourly rate. This pricing model seems to work well in my consulting work because a lump sum contract gives you the opportunity to make a larger profit if you manage to get the job done with fewer hours than planned.

[markinlondon]

http://tinyurl.com/yuvqk4 l:)

Seriously though, good luck with the job, Bryan.

[Nostalgie]

http://tinyurl.com/yuvqk4 l:)

Seriously though, good luck with the job, Bryan.

HAHA, thats great!! Thanks.

[Nostalgie]

Thanks for the replies so far! Definetly helpful, I had been thinking $75/hour plus $something and hour for editing if its needed. Keep em coming haha, thanks again!
Bryan

[drewbarb]

There are several books out there on how to establish fees and what to charge as a photographer. You should also do a websearch, as there are a number of sites which describe the process. Basically, the place to start is to sit down and figure out the cost of doing business; this should include everything from a share of your utility bills (powering your equipment isn't free, whether it's charging cameras, running computers, or the utility charges a darkroom generates) to wear and tear on your equipment, lab fees, etc. etc. Each job you do should bring in a small amount for this- or rather, every penny this stuff costs you comes out of your pocket, so you shouldn't give this away. Digital post production has a fee structure all it's own, and I would begin with a decent creative fee, rather trying to charge by the hour for shooting time.

Again, do your homework on this to be sure you give a fair deal to yourself, your clients, and the competition. Cheating any one of these three groups will hurt you one way or another, in the long run.

[Michiel Fokkema]

Hi,
I charge EUR 600 for an eight hour day. Or EUR 62,5 for an hour. Plus expenses and mileage.
Cheers,
Michiel Fokkema

[RML]

Hi,
I charge EUR 600 for an eight hour day. Or EUR 62,5 for an hour. Plus expenses and mileage.

That sounds OK.
I had a similar discussion not long ago with a department in my company (this is worldwide operating, 100.000+ employees financial company with a net profit of over 7 billion euro last year). There I was told the regular fee for a hired photographer is 80 euro per hour, which includes everything. Take it or leave it. :)

[Nostalgie]

RML,
Thats what I figured, which is fine with me! Thanks
Bryan

[sf]

My flat rate is $1000 USD per hour (or $10,000 per day on multi-day projects) + expenses.

Needless to say, no one can afford my services.

[lZr]

Model homes? You got fantastic ideas from the members. I want to add thought about model releases (not only people, but sometimes for building and homes). If you need some, consider signed papers and payment for