Pricing for specific job - Antique guitar collection photography

[theslyestfox]

Hello!

I know that the most asked question on this forum is "how much do I charge for my work"?, and I'm sure you're all really sick of answering them, but I've read through a LOT of them, and I'm still unsure how much I and my partner should be getting paid in my specific situation.

Here's the details:
- We're working for my father, photgraphing his collection of guitars.

- He wants full copyright use of the photographs for use on a website now and theoretically in print later.

-He wants to pay us by the hour or by guitar. We never agreed on our terms of payment beforehand. In a few of the forums people have said at LEAST $100/h?

-My partner is taking the pictures and I am in charge of post-production. This requires adjusting light levels and editing out backgrounds for use on the website.

- The actual photography took us 26 hours. Post-production is likey to take far longer. (I KNOW we should have worked out payment before working, but he's out of town when we had time to come do the pictures...and it's too late now. In the future I'll work it out in advance.)

- If we're being paid by the hour, post-production is going to be far more expensive, as well as the photographer not actually being paid for the images. What method of billing do you suggest?

- Our useable photo output is about 5 images per guitar. That'll end up being about 600 images altogether.

- We've both got some professional experience with photography but we're hardly full-timers in the field.

- Since we're staying with him for the time we're shooting his business is covering travel and food costs (he lives quite out of the way) and is providing the studio in which we're shooting. We're providing labour, the camera and the end product.

Basically, we want to cut my dad a deal, but we don't want to get shafted for the relatively intense work we're putting in. We're responsible for the entire photographical output of the website (as well as potential future use of our images in print).

Any thoughts? This is a big job and we just want to make sure everyone gets a fair and reasonable deal. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read and give us an input.

[Gary_Evans]

My view on this is .......... he's your dad.

I appreciate that he might use the images commercially, but still he's your dad. And I bet he did things for you when you were a kid without thinking about the profit.

Probably not the answer you were hoping for, sorry.

Now how did that Melba Montgomery song go ............:D :D :D

[theslyestfox]

The things is, he's hiring us as photographers. It's a business arrangement rather than just a favour for my dad. If we weren't available, he'd have hired someone else. He'd also have to pay a LOT more money for it. We're just trying to find a rate that's fair for everyone.

[Rubi Jane]

Why not ask your Dad what he thinks is fair? If you went $100/hr for photography and $50/hr for PP (if you're reasonably proficient) then offered a "Daddy" discount of 30-40% off perhaps all 3 of you would be happy.

I expect that 26 hours of shooting means he has quite a large and probably impressive collection.

[tcphoto1]

He wants ownership of the Copyright, Unlimited Usage, did he make the guitars? What will he do with the images, use them to advertise the sale of the collection? Is it merely for insurance purposes? Let us know the purpose of the images and we can give you a ballpark figure.

[theslyestfox]

He wants ownership of the Copyright, Unlimited Usage, did he make the guitars? What will he do with the images, use them to advertise the sale of the collection? Is it merely for insurance purposes? Let us know the purpose of the images and we can give you a ballpark figure.

All of the above, really. He wants to make a website to showcase and archive his collection (with the ultimate intent of using the images to sell at least some of the guitars). He also wants to publish a coffee-table style book of the collection. That's more something he wants the option to do, and isn't definite right now.

He does want both copyright ownership and unlimited useage. The guitars are old, rare german guitars. He didn't make them, but they're worth quite a bit. Many are one-of-a-kind pieces.

[Box Brownie]

Rambling thoughts ;)

A commercial arrangement with your Dad ? Well as you say if did not commission you he would be paying someone else so my (amateurish?) thoughts are that he should pay the commercial rate for the photography and PPing hourage (I assume you are running a business or in paid employment?) but as for the rate only you can decide what is a fair business proposition but the caveat here is the handing over of the copyright as he is you Dad perhaps that should be your gift to him, though remember if he were paying the market "rate" the fee for handing over copyright would likely be considerable. However, in recognition for your and your partners talent in producing the wonderful images he should at least make sure there is a credit line associated with each image (on the web or the book).

Best of luck with and do ask him if you can post some to share?

:)