PhotoShelter, in conjunction with Bill Cramer, founder and CEO of
Wonderful Machine, has released a new free guide on
Pricing Corporate and Industrial Photography.
The guide provides useful price ranges for a variety of shoot types including: Corporate Lifestyle, Environmental Portraiture, Corporate Reportage, Headshots, Event Photography and Library Shoots where the photographer is asked to create a wide variety of images for use for many different purposes across different divisions of a big company. To see sample estimates for a variety of shoots go to the
Wonderful Machine blog.
Cramer points out, “There are four main factors that influence the value of assignment photography: time, usage, expertise and competition: a photographer’s time (including pre-production, shoot time and post-production time) sets the minimum value of an assignment (the value to the photographer). Where along that continuum you should position yourself is a function of your expertise (which if very good, will apply upward pressure to your price) vs. competition (which if equally good, will apply downward pressure).”
There is also information about pricing motion shoots.
While the prices quoted are a good starting point for negotiations the competition element is playing an increasingly important role in the customer final decision of who to use. For most jobs it has become easier and easier for the customer to find a number of photographers with the skills necessary to successfully complete the project. In such cases the choice often comes down to price and the personality of the photographer.
Another useful tool for comparative purposes is the
Photographer Day Rate Survey conducted by Eposure in the United Kingdom. The survey of both U.S. and UK photographers gives overall average day rate information, but does not specify the type of projects worked on for these prices.