Making $$$ Editing Photos... - DPChallenge Forums

02/01/2006 07:28:07 PM · #1

Anyone out there making $$$ editing photos? If so, how do you like it & how did you get started? Just curious about potential income, personal enjoyment, etc...

I ask because just last weekend I did edit some shots "for hire" that I did not shoot. I made sure I had permission from the photographer - in fact, I will probably be getting more business from her in the future as she uses film and had been farming the editing out to Washington state (and I'm local).

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

02/01/2006 08:55:11 PM · #2

bump

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

02/01/2006 10:18:51 PM · #3

Sounds like a good gig -- what kind of editing is involved? And do you get scans, or do you have to do that part as well?

I'd think you should be charging by the hour, and probably a pretty high rate at that -- photographers and graphic designers are (should be) in the "professional fees" range.

Nikolai1024

Nikon D300

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4.0D

02/01/2006 10:21:13 PM · #4

These people do it. Check out their rates:
//www.lazymask.com/

Nick

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

02/01/2006 10:52:47 PM · #5

Originally posted by Nikolai1024:

These people do it. Check out their rates:
//www.lazymask.com/

Nick

The prices they are quoting are for the dreation of clipping paths; check their other services and get redirected to a sister site. Both are Scandinavian companies that use a workforce in the Phillipines; no wonder they are inexpensive...

R.

C_Steve_G

Apple iPhone 12

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5

02/01/2006 11:26:59 PM · #6

Did I just see a post removed?

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70 f2.8 L IS

02/01/2006 11:31:43 PM · #7

Originally posted by C_Steve_G:

Did I just see a post removed?

Yes, I just removed a SPAM message by someone from Lazymask.

C_Steve_G

Apple iPhone 12

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5

02/01/2006 11:40:11 PM · #8

Originally posted by kirbic:

Originally posted by C_Steve_G:
Did I just see a post removed?

Yes, I just removed a SPAM message by someone from Lazymask.

My, my, you're quick! Good job!

Prof_Fate

02/01/2006 11:43:54 PM · #9

I'll hire you!
I'll pay what the micro stock sites pay - 20 cents per edited image.
I have a two day shoot on the 13/14 and a wedding on the 25th.
How about it?
You'll make your profit on the volume!

02/02/2006 09:54:47 AM · #10

Thanks for the replies! :-)

GeneralE: I am negotiating with the photographer currently and it'll be either an hourly rate of $50/hour or $50/edited photo. (She was paying $100/edited photo and I want the business - plus the other artist is honestly more talented than I am.) I charged my original client $35/hour (discounted rate) because she hooked me up with the photographer and she is a friend.

Nikolai1024: Thanks Nick - I'll check them out.

Prof_Fate: Thanks, but no thanks. :-) I don't think that $0.20/edited image is quite what I was hoping for... But thank you for thinking of me!

kirbic: Thank you SC! :-)

Message edited by author 2006-02-02 09:56:58.

Prof_Fate

02/02/2006 11:07:15 AM · #11

$50 per is outrageous!
From a wedding one often shoots 300-500 images. Culling that to 250 proofs. Of that I put about 100 in an album - at $50 per the editing is many times the total charged for the wedding!

I estimate I get 25 to 30 good shots per hour. Of those 8-10 are worthy of 'editing'. Total PP time including album design is about 14 hours. I have not truly broken the time down by job (yet).

I suppose it depends on how much editing one has to do, and that depends largely on the quality of the capture and what you want as an end result. If your talking magazine covers or something sure I can see investing the time, but what is she shooting that is worth $50 a pic editing?

As for my 20c, people upload images to micro stock all the time and edit them to some degree - and might sell them for 20c per. So i thought if people were willing to shoot and edit for 20c I'd shoot and still give them 20c an edit!

Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO M.Zuiko

02/02/2006 11:57:51 AM · #12

I guess I should qualify... These particular shots were (and will be) for a pageant and they had (and will have) specific requests - adding makeup & lashes, widening eyes, changing lighting/exposure/hue/color sat.

Granted, I thought that the deal sounded pretty good to me, but since the woman before me out in Washington state was getting $100/per photo, I wasn't going to argue with cutting her rate in half. Also, dealing with these pageant "moms" is a pain in the *** in itself too - worth a certain amount of $$$. The photographer works with film. She scans them and e-mails them to me, which means I have to do a lot of clean up of dust, etc., plus whatever else they want. One photo may end up taking much longer than one hour of time too. :-) The final shot ends up entered in the pageant as part of the girl's entry. The one and only one I've done so far did win though - plus she got most photogenic.

Brad

Olympus OM-D E-M1

06/18/2007 12:10:53 PM · #13

Looks like I've lost a small fortune.

levyj413

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

06/18/2007 12:23:05 PM · #14

I'm just getting into shooting paintings for local artists. If they shoot the paintings and ask me to correct the colors, I charge $7.50/painting.

Not much editing, but a little, FWIW.

LeeD

Canon EOS-30D

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

06/18/2007 12:33:41 PM · #15

Originally posted by SJCarter:

Please be very very careful Jimmy.... that is a path leading to the dark side!!!

Message edited by author 2007-06-18 12:37:15.

loriprophoto

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

06/18/2007 01:00:17 PM · #16

Originally posted by DowseDesigns:

Originally posted by SJCarter:
I guess I should qualify... These particular shots were (and will be) for a pageant and they had (and will have) specific requests - adding makeup & lashes, widening eyes, changing lighting/exposure/hue/color sat.

Please be very very careful Jimmy.... that is a path leading to the dark side!!!

OM Gosh those are horrendous, do people really pay to have that done to their photos??? They are the same eyes and smile in every shot!!!! How can that work, they look like dolls, nothing realistic about them at all.

IMHO of course

loriprophoto

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

06/18/2007 01:04:26 PM · #17

Jimmy $50 per hour sounds good. I charge $60/hour for the horse shows. To take out a pole, power lines or a badly placed head behind the horse or something like that normally takes 15 minutes and then a total background replacement will take up to an hour so basically I have a minimum charge of $15 and then it works out at an additional $1 per minute thereafter. It all averages out so if you charge $50 per picture I am sure you will come out on top as there will always be some that need less time and some that need more.

Good luck.

Lori

Camabs

Canon EF 35mm f/2.0

06/19/2007 08:34:09 AM · #18

Originally posted by Prof_Fate:

As for my 20c, people upload images to micro stock all the time and edit them to some degree - and might sell them for 20c per. So i thought if people were willing to shoot and edit for 20c I'd shoot and still give them 20c an edit!

Yup, they might sell them for 20c. Or more ofcourse. 20c is about the minimum payout for micro stock, at the smallest image size thinkable (300x400 pixels). And this is per download, remember? Micro stock is all about volume. I have a couple of pics that each earn about $5 per month, imagine what a good photographer would make.

timbrumley