HELP!! What to pay a second wedding shooter

[prilamai]

I have a girl I would like to hire to help me with my growing wedding business. Though she is good she still needs some more practice ect. I guess could say I want her as a paid intern when I have a large wedding to do. Is $350 a fair price to pay her to simply shoot and dump the images for me to edit? I want to be fair but not overpay for simply a shooter.

Thanks for your help. :)

[Alexajlex]

$350 sounds like a fair price for full day for mid range packages.

Not sure where you are with the pricing.

The going rate is around $500++ for high end ($4000+) weddings in Indy for a 2nd shooter.

[prilamai]

$350 sounds like a fair price for full day for mid range packages.

Not sure where you are with the pricing.

The going rate is around $500++ for high end ($4000+) weddings in Indy for a 2nd shooter.

I am a mid priced photographer. My most expensive package is $2500. Sorry I should have said that. I am just really getting into doing a lot of weddings. I am sure that I will increase my prices over time. Thanks

[prilamai]

Does anyone else have any ideas?

[darkdragon]

Sounds very fair to me.

Much better than the "no pay, but you'll get exposure and portfolio images" offers I see around here.

[Thomas Lunt]

I have recently hired 2 photographers and I am paying $300.00 for a full days shoot. These 2 don't have much of a protfolio so the opportunity for them is a good one. My top package is also $2500.00. What are you charging for the second shooter?

[KaylaNicole]

Sounds like a very fair price especially if the 2nd shooter is experienced. ;)

[prilamai]

I have recently hired 2 photographers and I am paying $300.00 for a full days shoot. These 2 don't have much of a protfolio so the opportunity for them is a good one. My top package is also $2500.00. What are you charging for the second shooter?

Sounds like a very fair price especially if the 2nd shooter is experienced. ;)

Thanks for the info!!


The second shooter does have previous experience. She is a good shooter- just at times struggles with PP(she will be still editing the images she shoots as practice so that she will get better). I will simply be paying her out of the fee I charge. She is my future sister in law. I will be paying her cash the day of the wedding. She is also signing the contracts with me when the brides book as the second photographer. This is all barring she accepts the deal.

Any other words of wisdom for a person using a second photographer?

[Rubi Jane]

I pay $75/hr for a second shooter when a second shooter is booked in the contract. I charge the bride & groom what I pay and don't add any margin for myself. My expectation is fully edited images saved as TIF files with layers intact on DVD. Obviously I make any profit on sale of the prints. My second shooters can use their images in their portfolio. If I get unedited images then I only pay $50/hr but still invoice the bride & groom $75.

[ssim]

I approach them more like an employee than hiring someone on a contract. I have a pool of 3 people that I use and I pay them reasonably well but not as high as 350.00. The one person I will go to 250.00 depending on what the wedding coverage is.

I supply all equipment for them to use. I allow them to take copies of the shots that they did for self promotion but the copyright remains with me. I have all of this documented in a signed agreement. I use the same shooters for alot of my commercial work as well. Sometimes they actually function as a second shooter, sometimes they are just moving lights around and such. This is more like a work for hire approach.

If a photographer got a job in an established brick and mortar studio they are not going to be making 350.00 for working on a wedding. They will be an employee like everyone else.

[cosworth]

Pay them what they are worth plus a bit more to make them come back a second time.

This can sometimes be 1/4 of the price you are charging the bride and groom. If the shooter contributes they way a second shooter should.

[prilamai]

I approach them more like an employee than hiring someone on a contract. I have a pool of 3 people that I use and I pay them reasonably well but not as high as 350.00. The one person I will go to 250.00 depending on what the wedding coverage is.

I supply all equipment for them to use. I allow them to take copies of the shots that they did for self promotion but the copyright remains with me. I have all of this documented in a signed agreement. I use the same shooters for alot of my commercial work as well. Sometimes they actually function as a second shooter, sometimes they are just moving lights around and such. This is more like a work for hire approach.

If a photographer got a job in an established brick and mortar studio they are not going to be making 350.00 for working on a wedding. They will be an employee like everyone else.

She has her own equipment. All images will be copyrighted under my studio name. I totally agree about the brick and mortar studio scenario. However I feel she is a more valuable asset than just a paid by the hour hire for me.

[Uhland]

Sounds like a fair price to me considering she doesnt have to post proccess the work.
I'd do that all weekend long.

[Francis Farmer]

Hey I am curious, are you working out of your home?

FF

[prilamai]

Hey I am curious, are you working out of your home?

FF

Yeah I do. I do location only:)

[Bubble]

typical price we paid from $350 to $500/day. So your range is reasonable.