[Price Woes] How much should I quote a Uni Dept?

[eunique]

Dear all,

I am an undergrad at a local university, and recently a professor of my department is inviting me to take candid shots of the department staff 'in action' (i.e. during lectures), so that these photographs can be placed on the newly revamped staff website.

The professor said that on behalf of the department, I will be paid per quality photograph that the department chooses. The price, however, is up to me to quote. There are about 16-20 staff all in all. I estimate for each staff, I would have to attend one of his/her lectures for about half an hour to an hour to get a few shots.

As this is my first ever paid assignment, I do not know the 'market' of what I should charge per photograph piece. Yet, I want to charge a reasonable amount which will not underestimate my worth as a photographer nor do I want to take advantage of the situation that is before me (i.e. charge a high amount just because it is a university department).

I sincerely seek your advice, thank you very much

Cheers,
Eunique

[Lumiere]

i'd charge $30 per photo if its my own sch

mainly becoz its for website...u dun need it to be very high res or commercial quality

it'll come up to abt $450 for 15pax...quite reasonable and u never know the sch will give u more jobs if u do a good job with reasonable price

[eunique]

Originally Posted by Lumiere i'd charge $30 per photo if its my own sch mainly becoz its for website...u dun need it to be very high res or commercial quality it'll come up to abt $450 for 15pax...quite reasonable and u never know the sch will give u more jobs if u do a good job with reasonable price

Thank you, Lumiere! I'll keep this in mind

Truth to be told, this getting-paid-for-the-love-of-photography is all very new, and I am still quite amazed by the fact that I can actually charge $30 (still sounds a lot to a student like me..!) for apiece!

May I know what is a professional photographer's quote too? So that I may explain this part to my professor and the department and let them compare, lest they think my quote is too high and that I'm taking advantage of them

Thanks!

[eunique]

any advice, fellow clubsnappers?

[eunique]

Wondering why there's so many views but no replies (except from Lumiere)?

"lai ah lai, pls do give your 2cents (or much much more) worth!"

[eunique]

Dear all,

I am an undergrad at a local university, and recently a professor of my department is inviting me to take candid shots of the department staff 'in action' (i.e. teaching during lectures), so that these photographs can be placed on the newly revamped department website.

The professor said that on behalf of the department, I will be paid per quality photograph that the department chooses. The price, however, is up to me to quote. There are about 16-20 staff all in all. I estimate for each staff, I would have to attend one of his/her lectures for about half an hour to an hour to get a few shots.

As this is my first ever paid assignment, I do not know the 'market' of what I should charge per photograph piece. Yet, I want to charge a reasonable amount which will not underestimate my worth as a photographer nor do I want to take advantage of the situation that is before me (i.e. charge a high amount just because it is a university department).

I sincerely seek your advice, thank you very much

Cheers,
Eunique

[conquer500]

60~100 per hour without prints.

[GavinTing]

Hey bro, no need to double post..

http://forums.clubsnap.com/showthread.php?t=343554

Not that I want to be rude or anything, but..

Quote: 4. Spam - We will not tolerate posting of the same message to two or more forums. Any such posts will be merged or deleted and repeated abuse will result in banishment.

[eunique]

Originally Posted by conquer500 60~100 per hour without prints.

hey mann, thanks for replying, but they're only accepting per photo kinda payment, not per hourly charge.. so yupps, I gotta quote based on per quality photos they accept.

[eunique]

Originally Posted by GavinTing Hey bro, no need to double post.. http://forums.clubsnap.com/showthread.php?t=343554 Not that I want to be rude or anything, but..

hey bro, sorry but I didn't mean to do so.

Just that there wasn't anyone on the other biz forum who was replying (only one replied), and I really needed pros' advice regarding this matter cos I gotta write a quote soon. Hope to seek the moderators' understanding.

[conquer500]

Originally Posted by eunique hey mann, thanks for replying, but they're only accepting per photo kinda payment, not per hourly charge.. so yupps, I gotta quote based on per quality photos they accept.

then the charges are higher already. cause you may spend few hours and they only select one photo.

most would charge $50 per photo, cause you nv know how many they going to select also.

[theRBK]

a professional photog would probably want to work out a minimum number of shots that the client would buy (later the client don't chose any how?), and may also have a tiered pricing system where if the client buys more, the price per image is less... either that or a per day rate... as well the rate very much depends on the reputation of the photog...

[vince123123]

Based on the time you have to spend per photo, I think S$50 per photo isn't unreasonable. Of course I must caution that I am not a full-time professional so place the appropriate amount of weight to my view.

[Xing]

Originally Posted by eunique As this is my first ever paid assignment, I do not know the 'market' of what I should charge per photograph piece.

I'm just wondering why not take this opportunity to take some great shots of your classes... since it's for your school, why shd you be concern with $$$. Use this opportunity to learn and get yourself some good sample portfolio shots.

Moreover you are not earning your keep as a photographer, doing some shoot for "charity" doesnt harm or damage you in any way. Do it for the sake of fun

Cheers

[eunique]

Originally Posted by conquer500 then the charges are higher already. cause you may spend few hours and they only select one photo. most would charge $50 per photo, cause you nv know how many they going to select also.

Originally Posted by vince123123 Based on the time you have to spend per photo, I think S$50 per photo isn't unreasonable. Of course I must caution that I am not a full-time professional so place the appropriate amount of weight to my view.

Thank you for your advice, conquer500 and vince123123!
I think I may quote between $30 - 50 I should think, perhaps in the $30+ range as this is my first job and it is afterall, the department I am in -- they've got a bunch of friendly and good professors whom I respect. And I really thank them for the opportunity to take shots of them

[eunique]

Originally Posted by theRBK a professional photog would probably want to work out a minimum number of shots that the client would buy (later the client don't chose any how?), and may also have a tiered pricing system where if the client buys more, the price per image is less... either that or a per day rate... as well the rate very much depends on the reputation of the photog...

True, true. Though this is my first ever paid assignment, and would like to know roughly the market rate and fellow photographers' opinions regarding this before I start putting any fixed range of prices. Thanks for your comment

[eunique]

Originally Posted by Xing I'm just wondering why not take this opportunity to take some great shots of your classes... since it's for your school, why shd you be concern with $$$. Use this opportunity to learn and get yourself some good sample portfolio shots. Moreover you are not earning your keep as a photographer, doing some shoot for "charity" doesnt harm or damage you in any way. Do it for the sake of fun Cheers

Hi Xing,

No doubt I love my department and fellow coursemates, no doubt I love photography and do it first and foremost because I love it. But I have never ruled out using my skill as a means to earn some income on the side to continue funding this passion of mine. Being a student and choosing photography as a means of interest is no means cheap. If I have the passion and the ability, why not use it to the fullest? I am not trying to be pessimistic here, but out there in the world today, there is truth that if we never put a price on our talents/ efforts, no matter how skillful we are, our works will not be recognised as much, and there is always someone out there who would like to take advantage of such a person and situation.

For one thing, I have been the main photographer at several society events of our department, as well as my Honours class. And I have never asked for any pay regarding all these, because all my friends have yet to hold any jobs as yet, and I do understand and cherish the fact that photographs serve as a memory for all of us to look back at the good 'ol days. In fact, I am bent on doing a photography + video project with a few coursemates of mine, so that our Honours class of about 50 would be able to have something with them for keepsake when we all graduate. All this I am using my own time, effort, and finances to do this, and I have completely no intention to profit from my fellow mates.

This assignment here, however, is a completely different thing. Think about it-- this is a university department seeking a photographer. Even my professor said the department is willing to fork out the money to pay for my efforts. I have complete respect for them recognising my efforts and skills in this area, and not take advantage of the fact that I am their student. On my part, I have stated clearly that I do not want to take advantage of this situation either, and that is why I am asking the opinion of photographers out there in the field who knows the market. If my intention was to be greedy, I would have just quoted a large sum to them. I have already told some coursemates of mine that need be, I can use part of the amount I gain from this assignment, to fund for the eventual projects we have in mind for our Honours class.

As you can see, I have thought things through, and I do hope you can see my point of view too. I will, however, take your advice and use this opportunity to keep on learning and getting some good profile shots, thank you.

[wesley]

Originally Posted by eunique True, true. Though this is my first ever paid assignment, and would like to know roughly the market rate and fellow photographers' opinions regarding this before I start putting any fixed range of prices. Thanks for your comment

Hello Eunique,

I think you have received some very good advice. Here are some other things you might want to consider:

1. Do you have a written agreement with the professor? If not, please do one up. It can be very simple, just make sure all the points are clearly stated. Make sure you and the person in charge of this sign the document. Why do you want to do that? So that if there's any misunderstanding, it will be easier to correct the misunderstanding. Be warned that some folks don't like to sign documents because it locks them down.

2. Do you know exactly what requirements your university dept wants? Half body shots, full body, etc. Sketching or having image composites done prior to the shoot will help.

3. What happens if the dept doesn't like some/any of the images. Will you retake them at your expense? What is their criteria for approval and art direction?

4. What happens if your pictures are used for publication/web/advertising use for the university, would you like to charge more if that is a possibility?

The points might look overwhelming but it would be prudent to consider them carefully before embarking on this project.

Best regards
Wesley

[eunique]

Originally Posted by wesley Hello Eunique, I think you have received some very good advice. Here are some other things you might want to consider: 1. Do you have a written agreement with the professor? If not, please do one up. It can be very simple, just make sure all the points are clearly stated. Make sure you and the person in charge of this sign the document. Why do you want to do that? So that if there's any misunderstanding, it will be easier to correct the misunderstanding. Be warned that some folks don't like to sign documents because it locks them down. 2. Do you know exactly what requirements your university dept wants? Half body shots, full body, etc. Sketching or having image composites done prior to the shoot will help. 3. What happens if the dept doesn't like some/any of the images. Will you retake them at your expense? What is their criteria for approval and art direction? 4. What happens if your pictures are used for publication/web/advertising use for the university, would you like to charge more if that is a possibility? The points might look overwhelming but it would be prudent to consider them carefully before embarking on this project. Best regards Wesley

Hi Wesley,

Wow, that is a whole list of things that I ought to consider carefully! You have given good advice, and I thank you very much for pointing these out to me, Wesley I found the "[Department's] criteria for approval and art direction" especially important, as it has been vague so far, and it would definitely be good to clarify this aspect with them.

Thank you once again!

Cheers,
Eunique

[vince123123]

I have considerable doubts abt the viability of use of such shots in any portfolio.

Originally Posted by Xing I'm just wondering why not take this opportunity to take some great shots of your classes... since it's for your school, why shd you be concern with $$$. Use this opportunity to learn and get yourself some good sample portfolio shots. Moreover you are not earning your keep as a photographer, doing some shoot for "charity" doesnt harm or damage you in any way. Do it for the sake of fun Cheers