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Concept: Interiors and Architecture images of the client’s recently completed high-end home project
Licensing: Web Collateral & Publicity use of up to 15 images in perpetuity
Photographer: Interiors & architecture specialist
Client: Interior design firm
I recently helped an NYC-based photographer quote on and negotiate a project for an interior design firm that had just finished a redesign of a high-end home. The final use of the photography would be web materials to promote the design firm’s portfolio.
While reviewing the initial shot list needs with the client, the photographer estimated this could be accomplished over one shoot day but with a note that they wanted to make sure to get a few sunrise images. The client reached out to the homeowner to get a pre-dawn arrival okayed and we were given the green light, as long as we planned for a shoot day when the family would be out of town. Luckily, the home would be vacant in the near future, but planning for the shoot led to a lot of emails to schedule and confirm availabilities on select dates. The scheduling headache was compounded because both photographer and the client really wanted to photograph the property during peak autumn foliage. And unfortunately, the window for foliage is unpredictable and generally short here on the East Coast.
The client would be handling all location coordination, styling, and cleaning. We included a Client Provisions section within the Job Description to note this.
I had been pushing for a tech scout day for the photographer to see the location ahead of time and plan lighting needs and the shot list around the time of day. This was vetoed by the client due to the scheduling needs of the homeowner and their family. The client was able to send mobile phone images of the interiors and combined with Google Maps and information from a sun positioning app the photographer was able to plan ahead as best as possible.
Take a look at the estimate below:
I put the fees at $4,000 for the photographer’s creative/licensing fees for the requested 15 images. This fee was based on similar rates that we have seen an interiors/architecture specialist command in this market for non-advertising work.
We added a first assistant/DigiTech to help with lighting, camera equipment, and file management. We added two hours of overtime for this person at 1.5x their hourly rate. These fees were consistent with previous rates the photographer had paid their team on past productions.
We included $725 for cameras, lighting, and grip rentals to cover the photographer’s own gear. And $250/day was added for a simple digital tech workstation rental. We chose to not charge for hard drives in order to keep the bottom line under $8,000.
The shoot location was a 2-hour drive from the photographer’s home in NYC, and we included $260 for the estimated mileage, tolls, and potential parking costs.
We included $250 for insurance coverage within the photographer’s existing policy. We also added $150 to cover meals and simple crafty for the photographer and their assistant.
As with the hard drives described above, we strategically chose not to charge for the photographer to perform a first edit to keep the total costs under $8,000. We decided to include retouching for the 15 images at $100/hr, discounted from the photog’s normal $150/hr rate.
The photographer was awarded the project, and the shoot happened on a gorgeous autumn day! The client loved the final work and has added five additional images to the license order at $750 per image, bringing the project total to $11,730.
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