Desposits?

What made you decide you needed to start taking deposits for shoots?

I shoot out of my home, so my "studio" takes a bit of effort to setup and bring down, and I have a busy wife, and a 1 year old, so I block my calendar off in advance when I have a shoot booked (they tend to happen on weekends).

I've just had my second "reschedule" for the month, both came in a day before the shoot, scuppering my weekend. Especially this coming weekend, when my wife had canceled some stuff so I could do the shoot, and I had scheduled a free head shot for a friend, seeing as the studio was going to be setup anyway (I'm still shooting these, I'll just have to setup for this alone). Of course, none of that is the clients problem - all they care is that they double booked themselves, and this wasn't as high a priority for them.

I'm considering asking for some kind of deposit when booking dates now - would that be unreasonable for a home / hobby / weekend shooter?

25% is what I hold. Call it a retainer, not a deposit. Retainers separate the no shows from the always shows because if they are money to lose, they will think more clearly about booking. I started from the beginning taking retainers as I value my time and hate being stood up.

Thanks, that does make the whole thing sound much better.

I don't even charge them a lot of money - but I think even just $20 up front would be enough.

For those of us home shooter without studios and credit card machines - how to you receive this? Have them mail you a check? Paypal gift payments?

pcj wrote in post #9827928
Thanks, that does make the whole thing sound much better.

I don't even charge them a lot of money - but I think even just $20 up front would be enough.

For those of us home shooter without studios and credit card machines - how to you receive this? Have them mail you a check? Paypal gift payments?

Its cash or check with me. No CC machine cause I don't want the fees. But I dont have a home studio either. Whatever the amount, make it enough that if they do cancel, you dont mind. Oh and I would add... Make it say "non-refundable retainer". Thats sounds even better.

cory1848 wrote in post #9827975
Its cash or check with me. No CC machine cause I don't want the fees. But I dont have a home studio either. Whatever the amount, make it enough that if they do cancel, you dont mind. Oh and I would add... Make it say "non-refundable retainer". Thats sounds even better.

That does sound much better - thanks.

I'll look into taking Paypal gift payments for it too. That may be more flexible for some.

This is somewhat different since its for commercial work, and dealing with businesses rather than personal or retail clients, but might be of use for those thinking of shooting commercially.

For any project, I require 33% upfront, or 100% of expenses, whichever is greater.

For cancellations, they are responsible for any expenses already paid in preparation for the project, plus a kill fee of 25% is canceled within 72hrs, 50% for 48hrs notice, and 100% for 24hrs or less. This is pretty typical on commercial jobs.

All billing is done with Purchase Orders and company checks on a 2%/net 30 basis. No credit cards or paypal.

Most of my work is a few weeks out besides the annual things I shoot so I get a PO # and just invoice. I do not require a deposit because most of the time the paper work would take to long and as long as I have a PO from purchasing dept I'll get paid. Payment is usually 30-45 days though I have some clients it can take close to 90 days. I very rarely get cancellations. Sometimes things get rescheduled. Most of my clients have been clients for years. For new clients I always require a PO# before i shoot but some of my older more trust clients they call I shoot it and then I invoice. I rarely have to bid and when I do its usually not a client but a tire kicker that has to get 3 bids. Its all invoices for me. No CC or paypal.

I'd say 50% isn't unreasonable, it will make sure they show up =)

themadman wrote in post #9838785
I'd say 50% isn't unreasonable, it will make sure they show up =)

Depends if your working for corporations or individuals. Most wedding guys I know get everything up front by the wedding day (individuals).

The corporations I work for just wouldn't do deposits because of added paper work and time to put a check request or apply for a PO# for the deposit and then do another check request or PO# for the balance. It can take 30 days and more for the paper work to get through the system A lot of my work can be a week or two out and as long as you have a PO# I will get paid. If it becomes to ig of a problem I am just not available the next time they call or I add a PITA charge.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #9840973
The corporations I work for just wouldn't do deposits because of added paper work and time to put a check request....

I find with advertising agencies, its the norm to get expenses up front. Most photographers demand this because carrying the production costs of a large project can really tax their cash flow, especially when you have multiple projects you are juggling. Ie, a $25K shoot could be almost half in expenses, and not many photographers want to put out $10K for their clients, and then wait 30-90days for reimbursement. So they are very efficient in making it happen. Usually, they only issue one purchase order, and I submit multiple invoices against that as long as they don't exceed the P.O. total.

With corporate clients its not as easy as they aren't used to it, but I've never had it become an issue either. I'll just accept a PO if the expenses are low, but anything over say $2-3K in expenses I hold fast for an advance. For my regular corporate clients, I'll waiver on that point as well if they have a good history of prompt payments. I also find most corporate clients pay in 30-45 days, while a good portion of my agencies stretch it out to 60 or 90days.

Most of my clients have in house creative departments but when I work with agencies its usually the client that hires me directly. I have also been dealing with almost all of my clients for several years so theres a huge trust factor. I hardly ever bid on jobs. They call if I'm available I have them get a PO#, I shoot and then I invoice. Sometimes theres a call on friday and a shoot on Monday I shoot and then wait for the PO# to send an invoice. Of course I would never do that with a new client or one that I haven't got a great working relationship with. Most of my clients I have very strong relationships with.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #9843228
Most of my clients have in house creative departments but when I work with agencies its usually the client that hires me directly.

That's unusual. While clients usually make the selection along with the ad agency, typically the agency handles the actual hiring and payment with the photographer. I see pass thru more with smaller agencies and graphic design firms, and obviously client direct.

Although we're probably getting off topic since I don't think the OP had commercial in mind

sfaust wrote in post #9843990
That's unusual. While clients usually make the selection along with the ad agency, typically the agency handles the actual hiring and payment with the photographer. I see pass thru more with smaller agencies and graphic design firms, and obviously client direct.

Although we're probably getting off topic since I don't think the OP had commercial in mind

Yeah sorry. Most of my clients have in house designers and one even has two full time photographers. They hire me to shoot when they are too busy or just need the help. I shot some stuff for an annual report that we all three worked on last year.

So sorry OP now back to topic.