| Author | Thread |
|
|
04/10/2004 05:10:13 PM · #1 |
I have just received my first proposal to do some commercial photography for a company that sells jewellery online.
I am pretty creative in terms of equipment I can use (home made lightboxes, etc...), but I have never done photography for money.
Can someone please give me an advice on what to budget and how much to charge them? To start, I was asked to photograph 10 products (rings, necklaces, earrings...).
Should I charge hourly? Or by products? What do I add on top of that for retouching? I am a beginner, so I do not want to go overboard in terms of what I charge them.
I currently have full-time job, so this would be done on weekends in my house. I would greatly appreciate any advice from anyone who has done commercial photography.
Thank you so much.
|
|
|
|
04/10/2004 05:11:29 PM · #2 |
| Take a look at this thread, timmi. |
|
|
|
04/10/2004 05:42:36 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by PaulMdx:
Take a look at this thread, timmi. |
Nice one Paul, I did a search on 'jewellery' cos I remember reading that post, glad to see someone is awake :) Mind you, the search did turn up the what do you do for money thread - interesting reading.
|
|
|
|
04/12/2004 09:31:33 PM · #4 |
Thanks Paul. Great thread.
|
|
|
|
04/12/2004 10:04:53 PM · #5 |
Timmi,
I am a commercial metallics photographer for Johnson & Johnson. I wish you the best of luck. I've been orthopedic implants for years and sometimes I still feel I don't quite have the hang of it. Metallics is prolly one of the hardest niches in photography (jewellery included). If anyone disagrees they are totally ignorent of the unique challenges presented by it.
I cannot tell you what you should be charging because I do not know your talent level... and as a staff photographer I don't charge internal customers. My experianced coleages in the orthopeadic metallics field charge around $150.00. I wouldn't start charging that until you have about half-a-decade of experiance under your belt in the metallics niche.
The best simple advice I can give you is master the whitecard, blackcard, and silvercard. Shooting metallics is like photographing yourself in a room full of funny mirrors. Make sure you iron out the wrinkles in your sheets on your homemade lightboxes.
Feel free to PM me and I'll give you my e-mail. I'd love to help someone starting into the metallics field.
|
|
|
|
04/12/2004 10:13:52 PM · #6 |
way to go joel, nice gesture.
|
|
|
|
04/12/2004 11:02:52 PM · #7 |
I'll just say Joel does know his stuff when it comes to photographing metallics. I see his work every day.
Message edited by author 2004-04-12 23:03:11.
|
|
|
|
04/13/2004 10:56:57 AM · #8 |
I got some PMs about interest in learning more about whitecards, blackcards, and silvercards.
These cards are used to reflect and direct light toward your subject. All of these are essential tools for the product photographer no matter what they a photographing.
There isn't really anywhere to buy large ones like I use so we make them. All you need is some foam boardâ€Â¦. Its like poster board except its about a quarter inch thick (Sorry, I'm ignorant of the metric system.). Use one as the front the cut the second one in half so you have a triange to hot glue to the back so it will stand on its own. The size of the cards you should make depend totally on the size of the product you shoot. It will be the best $5 you'll ever spend on photography equiptment.
Whitecards reflect light softly.
Blackcards are black and they absorb light. These are usually used on one side of the product to help create a hardlight effect.
Silvercards can be made by adding wide aluminum foil to your whitecard they reflect light very harshly. This works well when doing high-key lighting or if you want to ehnance the shine of metallics.
You may only need one of these for a peticular shot or you may need all three or two of one or none of the rest. Its fun to experiment. Your photos will be dramiticallly improved by using these cards to create dymanic lighting.
I'm more than happy to help anyone who is getting into product photography. I'm no expert when it comes to the rest.
|
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 09/23/2025 12:14:58 AM EDT.
