Re: gardenwriters Digest, Vol 109, Issue 14

**S* H* <s*@saxonholt.com>**

On Feb 27, 2012, at 9:00 AM, gardenwriters-request@lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

> 
> Can anyone advice me on reasonable/appropriate fees to charge landscape designers who would like their projects photographed?  Do you bill hourly (if so, do you bill for downloading, processing, and burning disk time?), by the project, or how?  I've worked with magazines and book publisher, but not on assignment in that sort of capacity.  Many thanks for help/advice.
> Catriona

Every photographer will have to have their own fee but in figuring what that should be remember first you are providing a professional service that your customer is unable to do themselves.  Don't grab a camera, do a friend a favor, and expect to be paid as a professional.  I would never try to do a professional job in less than a half day billing fee.  If it is a garden I don't know, I expect a full day.

Of COURSE you bill for all the tedious post production work, downloading, processing, delivery.  It should be a separate charge from your shoot fee and I charge hourly for post production, as it is a variable you don't know until you start working with the images.  When I quote a job I expect  one hour of post production for every 2 hours of shooting.  But I tell clients sometimes the post production will take just as much time. I have had jobs that post production exceeds the shooting when I do  lots of photoshop chores or tedious naming and numbering protocols or for clients' database systems.

Be clear what sort of rights usage your client wants and adjust your fee accordingly.  Most design professionals will want unlimited use to the photos you license to them.  Do not slip into the phrase  "sellling" them images, or giving them to the client in exchange for a fee.  Unless you are actually a W-9 employee you own the photos no matter how the usage rights are defined.  Do define those licensing rights before you start.  You can amend later but be sure you have a mutual understanding of who will be using the photos.

Your client will likely want rights to publish the photos in perpetuity.  Factor that into your fee.  The client may not want you to publish or the property owner may not give you that right.  Do not assume you will get lots of photos yourself.

American Society of Media Photographers ASMP has a great website with professional info and their business practices books are available for non-membes.

Saxon

Saxon Holt
Saxon Holt Photography
415-898-8880
ASMP, ASPP, GWA
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Great Garden Speakers
PhotoBotanic Library

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