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10/19/2014 06:59:47 PM · #1 |
My wife and I will be taking a trip out to New York in December for a few days. I HATE taking photo's on a trip. Either I have to photo her, she has to photo me, we take selfies, or strangers have to awkwardly handle our camera. So I thought I came up with the genius idea of having a local photographer just follow us and snap photos for us.
Turns out its not such a unique idea, and that this is something people do. But dam is it expensive! A 3 hour photo shoot at famous landmarks in New York would be $400 for me and my wife. Which brings me to why I'm here.
First, I think 3 hours is way too short. I wanted a photographer to literally follow us around most of the day (lunch is on us of course). Is it rude to expect a photographer to follow us around for that long? Is it exhausting taking photos for too long?
Second, what is the average day rate a photographer would charge? Before I started researching, I was expecting about $150-$200 a day, plus $100 to edit the photo's. Is this reasonable or insulting to a photographer? Remeber, were not celebrities, so it's not like were looking for the best photographer in the world. Just someone who understands light, angles, etc.
I figure I'll put ads out closer to the date on craigslist, looking for students or amateurs, but I just wanted to get a little feedback from people who know about photography first. So, what do you guys think? |
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10/19/2014 07:24:34 PM · #2 |
| $650/750 a day would be my idea of lowish day rate for a pro to do this in NYC. You might find someone to do it for less, of course, but not a full time working pro... |
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10/19/2014 07:43:46 PM · #3 |
I would expect $125-200 per hour for any experienced photographer. (Consider they are having to send ~1/3 to taxes, ~1/3 to equipment/software/business expenses etc, leaving 1/3 for 'salary'.) Not a terribly outrageous salary. And you aren't going to get many photos edited for $100. Also consider that a wedding photographer fee for a 8-10 hours could run anywhere from $2000 and up! and while you might think you are asking much less than someone, time is still time.
But if you're happy with a student and results that might not be significantly better than you would you would get on your own, you may find someone willing to go around with you for what you want to pay. |
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10/19/2014 07:49:13 PM · #4 |
Actually a really good idea, for all the reasons you listed; much better than just handing your precious gear over to a total stranger who may just bolt with it and pawn it for drug $$!
But yeah, if you're going to go with someone who truly knows their way around a dslr, expect to shell out some decent $$. FWIW if I were you I'd probably go with a student who was fully conversant in your camera brand and probably in need of some extra cash.
Nothin wrong with amateurs, but they might be missing some basics and revert to *green camera* mode without your knowledge, in which case mebbe that stranger doesn't look so bad after all :-/ And pros...hell I'm an enthusiastic hobbyist, and I'd happily charge you $1500 for 8 hrs. Gotta cover my time, travel, gear and pp too (unless you're going to pp images shot by someone else?)
Also what kind of shots do you want - just cutesy/fun stuff of you two at various NYC landmarks, or are they also expected to be *on* during lunch, meanderings and travel from NYC landmark A to landmark B? All just things to weigh before you decide to go ahead. All the best!!
Message edited by author 2014-10-19 19:51:51. |
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10/19/2014 09:56:33 PM · #5 |
Wow, huge reality check!
Photographers are closer to lawyers and doctors in what they charge. I thought they would be a little more blue collar, but you never know when the next job is coming, so I guess it makes sense to charge as much as you can.
For the price it's going to cost me, I'll probably just bring my sister in law on the trip. I don't have to pay her, just get her a hotel room and a per diem.
Thanks for your help guys, it's much appreciated! |
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10/19/2014 10:31:29 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by akomar:
Wow, huge reality check!
Photographers are closer to lawyers and doctors in what they charge. |
A good lawyer charges upwards of $500 per HOUR...
Your reality check is actually that you are asking for two opposite, and mutually exclusive things:
1. - someone to follow you around for an 8 hour day, who is professional, knows their craft, is able to edit all your images
2. - someone cheap.
Either/or.
Much better idea to bring your sister along. |
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10/19/2014 11:02:04 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by tanguera:
A good lawyer charges upwards of $500 per HOUR... |
Good lawyers charge $100 - $200 an hour. You'd have to be a great lawyer to be charging $500+ an hour
Originally posted by tanguera:
Your reality check is actually that you are asking for two opposite, and mutually exclusive things:
1. - someone to follow you around for an 8 hour day, who is professional, knows their craft, is able to edit all your images
2. - someone cheap.
Either/or.
Much better idea to bring your sister along. |
I understand what your saying, but I'm not being quite as demanding as your suggesting.
I do want someone for 6 - 8 hours, paying them $25 -$35 an hour. I wasnt sure if that was reasonable, but as others explained, that is incredibly low in the photography world. But I'm not interested in someone taking wedding quality photos. In fact, my "camera" is my cell phone. All I wanted is someone with a dslr who knows about lighting and angles.
I'm glad I found this place though. Looking at some of the pictures here might inspire me to start taking better photos. |
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10/20/2014 11:11:26 AM · #8 |
| But that 6-8 hours they would be with you doesn't account for travel, equipment prep, cleaning, downloading images, editing and delivering a product to you. Your $25-35hr turns into something more like $12-15hr then you take out all the business expenses and taxes and you are down to $4-6hr in a big city. they would make more at a fast food place. Why would someone do that when they could get a minimum of $250 for a one hour session. |
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10/20/2014 11:18:26 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by akomar:
Originally posted by tanguera:
A good lawyer charges upwards of $500 per HOUR... |
Good lawyers charge $100 - $200 an hour. You'd have to be a great lawyer to be charging $500+ an hour |
I have no idea as to what the rates are where you live, but Ontario the rates are such that experienced civil and family law lawyers charge anywhere from about $250 an hour to as much as $800 an hour in Toronto.
I would imagine that the legal fees one encounters in places like New York would be significantly higher.
As for bringing the sister in-law, by the time you factor in the travelling costs, hotel room and per diem rate, you might be better off paying for a photographer.
Ray |
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10/20/2014 11:50:11 AM · #10 |
| I would reconsider the 3 hour shoot at the landmarks. That may be a nice way to hit all the famous spots, get some awesome shots and after you can just go where you want and use your cell phone. |
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10/20/2014 11:55:23 AM · #11 |
The point is simply that your expectations were off. You are asking too much from a "professional" photographer for the fee you're willing to pay.
Being that you are planning on using your cellphone, I don't think you'll get a "professional" to follow you around for a day to take photos with your cellphone. And if you want them to use their camera, it's not enough money.
Remember, you are on a site where many of the folks taking these amazing photos do so for a living, or want to. We spend a LOT of time and money to get to the point where others want to hire us. So obviously, our responses will be skewed in that direction.
I think you have several choices:
1. ask strangers to take them for you, then edit them yourself.
2. reach out to a photography school and hire a beginner
3. put an ad in Craig's List (or similar) explaining what you want; you may get lucky
4. find out if there's a timer mode on your phone and take them yourself. They make these little rubber legs you can affix to the back of the phone via suction cup, so you can stand it up just about anywhere.
You would find that hiring anyone to follow you around for an entire day, regardless of what the job is, will be far more expensive than you imagine. Just think about hiring a limo for an entire day.
And all they have to do is drive :) |
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10/20/2014 11:59:28 AM · #12 |
| I had no idea you were such a greedy bunch of people.:0 |
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10/20/2014 12:01:02 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by Tiny:
I had no idea you were such a greedy bunch of people.:0 |
There ya go, akomar. Tiny is volunteering! |
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10/20/2014 12:02:25 PM · #14 |
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10/20/2014 01:03:47 PM · #15 |
| I'm a little surprised no one has suggested organizing a DPC GTG for the appropriate time and place ... seems to me that on those occasions people take pictures of each other all the time ... for free ... :-) |
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10/20/2014 01:58:34 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
I'm a little surprised no one has suggested organizing a DPC GTG for the appropriate time and place ... seems to me that on those occasions people take pictures of each other all the time ... for free ... :-) |
Cool idea, I'll expect you all in Blenheim next time we're down with the grandies !!!!!! |
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10/21/2014 12:59:55 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by tanguera:
There ya go, akomar. Tiny is volunteering! |
:)
Originally posted by MinsoPhoto:
I would reconsider the 3 hour shoot at the landmarks. |
I was thinking about that. The issue then becomes quality over quantity. We would have a few great photos at some famous locations. Or we could have a lot of regular photos, but from all of the different places we want to go. Definitely still thinking about it
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