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Budget for Photography


In last week’s post “Getting a Product Photography Quote” I mentioned that if you have a budget in mind it would be helpful for me to know how much that is when quoting for a project.

Product photographyIt seems that when asked this question, most clients answer with “I don’t know” or “As little as possible”. That or a client may not want to divulge how much their budget is. I’m not sure why a client would be secretive of their budget but sometimes they are.

Frankly, between you and me, when I know a range I need to be in, I can better tailor what I can do for that client. Or at the very least know that I may be either way to high or low for the project and can save the client and myself both our time by simply saying “I don’t think I would be a good fit for this assignment but maybe (a friend’s name here) can help you.”

My job is to help you. My goal is to be under-budget. I feel that if I can do that, then I’ll get a Happy Client who keeps coming back again and again. Just like you in your business.

That having been said, I’m sure many folks out there are not sure how much they should budget for photography. I can’t tell you how much you need to spend but ballpark you can probably expect to spend anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand.

Oh and FREE is not a budget. Neither is working for a photo credit. I really want to work with you but I need to eat and pay my bills too.

Recent Posts at Cycling-Foto.com
App Review: Endomondo
Paleo Diet

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May 01, 2012 | Categories:Business | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Happy World Intellectual Property Day

I just wanted to wish you and your family a Happy World Intellectual Property Day

Recent Posts at Cycling-Foto.com:
App Review, Endomondo
Paleo Diet
My Cycling Life

 

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Apr 26, 2012 | Categories:Business, Industry News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Getting a product photography quote

Often in the past I have gotten calls asking how much do I charge. Unfortunately that’s not a simple question to answer. As like most photographers today, I do not have a “Day Rate” of “Hourly Rate”. My rate is dependent on what it is that you want me to do. Basically, some jobs are more work than others and thus carry a higher rate. I could just assign a Flat Rate based on the High End but then I would rarely get any assignments.

(Von R Buzard)Buying photography is not like buying a toaster. Every project is different. What it comes down to is, I want to be able to give you the best rate possible. To do so we will need to have a conversation regarding your project.

I need to know “What is it you want photographed?” So I can get an idea what will be involved. “Does it need to be assembled?” So I can get an idea if I need to hire someone to assemble it, or if I would feel comfortable doing it myself.  “How big are the items?” Bigger items can sometime be harder to work with.  It makes a difference if the objects have a shiny surface or flat. And so forth…

I’ll also need to know how you plan on using the images I supply. This will let me know how if I need to deliver small images for a web site or maybe HUGE files for a billboard. The larger files would require more work. This will also help to know how you need the files to be delivered. Will you need me to burn the files to a CD? Or maybe you want them available online (I can offer you your own private password protected gallery) or maybe you would like me to upload them directly to your server (More and more clients are asking for this now)

All of this will help me to give you the best possible quote. The last thing I want to do is photograph your project only to come back and charge more because of unexpected expenses or due to taking longer then expected.

You got to remember, I NEED you to be happy. I NEED your project to be a success. Why? Simple, I REALLY want you to come back again and again. Or at the very least, recommend me to a friend.

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 Recent Posts at Cycling-Foto.com:
App Review, Endomondo
Paleo Diet
My Cycling Life
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Apr 24, 2012 | Categories:Business | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Woulda v Coulda


I don’t know how many times I’ve shown a piece of work only to hear someone say “I coulda done that”

Now with today’s technology, that may be true, in some instances BUT the real question is “Would you have done it that way?” Would you have chosen that angle? Would you have lit the subject the same way? A photograph tells a story. How would you have told that story?

There is a lot of commercial photography that relies on the input of an Art Director. They will give the photographer and idea of what needs to be expressed and may even point out certain details that must be adhered to. The photographer often has to do everything in their ability to make that vision a reality. In many cases, the photographer has to come up with their own completely unique vision of the story (think improv)

The real question comes down to, would you have come up with the idea and then could you have implemented the idea into reality?

I remember years ago, a friend of mine was dating a girl who one day, while listening to the radio a Whitney Houston song came on and she made the statement “I can sing as good as her” to which I replied, Then why don’t you? Whitney is making millions of dollars, tours the world, lives a life few can dream of (this was pre-crack cocaine, Bobby Brown days). She had no reply.

If you coulda done that, they why don’t you? The world needs more creative folks. Come on in, the waters fine, the more the merrier. I hope I’m not coming off sounding like a jerk. I’m not defending my work, I don’t have to say I “Coulda” ya see, I already did the work.

There’s a joke, “How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 10, one to change it, and nine to stand around and say, I would have done it differently”

Those who really “Could” have done that, instead would say,” I would have done it differently”

I’ve recently listened to two podcasts that help with this notion

Lenswork: Those Pesky Molecules

Jeff Curto’s Camera Position 102: Creative Process in Stages

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Apr 17, 2012 | Categories:Business, Photographers | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Back, with a Vengence!!!

Hello and welcome back to my blog

It’s been a while and let’s get caught up on what has been happening. Usually the months of December thru March are my busiest time. I normally will photograph one catalog after another with no time in between.

Also during this busy season, this web site had some major technical issues. Due to this, I had to move my site to a new server and had to rebuild it from the ground up. Aslo during this many of the past blog posts were lost. On the bright side, while rebuilding, I was able to clear away a lot of widgets and plugins that, quite frankly were just talking up space. I like to think that this latest incarnation is a cleaner and meaner web site.

In addtition, I’ve decided to start adding more video to this blog.

Last year, just before I got super busy I had created two new sites. The first, cycling-foto.com is a blog dedicated to more personal issues. Cycling, fitness, diet as well as a home for my personal photo projects.

The second site, cyc-lust.com will be a home for my fine art photography.

I hope you enjoy these sites and find them helpful and informative

Thank you and see you soon

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Apr 10, 2012 | Categories:Business, Personal | Leave A Comment »