Author Topic: Bidding for photography job (Read 7425 times)

davey_rocket · « **on:** January 13, 2009, 17:37 »

Hello,
I've been invited to bid on a project and I was curious if anyone has any experience with bidding jobs. The basis of the project would involve the following: an hour driving each way to and from the project site and ten pictures total. No post-processing, organization or printing is requested. I figure the job would take me a maximum of three hours including travel time. I was thinking of charging $25/hour with $0.55 per mile driven. Please, anybody with experience weigh in on this, I really appreciate it.

Dave

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #1 on:** January 13, 2009, 18:03 »

I've never bid on a job, but from what I've read, I would charge $75 an hour, and something like $250 to release the rights to the images.

m@m · « **Reply #2 on:** January 13, 2009, 18:35 »

Davey, your fee depends on what kind of copyrights your client expects with the photographs, for example I've done a few assignments for magazines and when they are going to use the photos for a one time publication (One Time First Magazine Publication Rights) my fee is $400.00 for half a day or $800.00 for a full day + expenses which is a fair price, but in that case I hold the rights to the photos, if they're asking for Exclusive First Publication Rights or Exclusive Magazine Rights which pretty much they hold the copyright to the photos to do and use them as they please I charge a little more, since I would not be able to sell those photos again myself. This is just an example since I don't know what your client will be using the pictures for. I hope this helps.
Also, if you do get the job make sure to have a simple contract where you and the client agree on price, rights, amount of picture expected by the client in the agreed amount of time.

davey_rocket · « **Reply #3 on:** January 13, 2009, 19:55 »

Thanks for the information so far. Let me clarify a little more. The job is for a company that sells grave sites nationwide. There is a cemetery near me that they wish to have pictures of for their website. They have requested one picture of the entrance with sign, one picture of the plot arrangements (presumably on a sign somewhere) and 8 photos from a central location that they can stich together to make a 360 degree flash file. They will be using the pictures as advertising but they will not be published... not sure if that matters.

m@m · « **Reply #4 on:** January 13, 2009, 20:57 »

In my personal opinion, an assignment is an assignment, and advertising still what it is, whether the pictures are published or not, so the fee for specific photos for a business advertisement regartless on how they might be use still the same, wether for their website, billboards or a magazine for that matter...but really you need to take into consideration, how much is your time worth, or your equipment or your experience as a photographer, and based on that come up with a fair fee for you and for the client (that obviously you don't want him to give the job to someone else).

Best regards.

PS. Personally taking into consideration that there's only 10 photos to take + a few different angles of the same shot, and the place so close to where I live and also the fact that the photos I'll be taking could not be sold anywhere else I would do the job for $350/$500 + gas money (and maybe lunch)...lol

gostwyck · « **Reply #5 on:** January 14, 2009, 09:48 »

I'd assume, because of the question you're asking, that you're not a professional commercial photographer and therefore also do not have the high overheads that go with running such a business. If you had premises and employed staff, etc then it is a very different matter.

In that case you should not be quoting anything like some of the rates being talked about here and IMHO the rates you suggest yourself are far closer to reality.

I don't see that there's an issue in 'releasing the images' here either as they are commissioning the shoot and specifying the shots they want. The images are unlikely to have any commercial value other than to the client anyway so you are not losing anything.

Personally I always quote an 'all in' figure to the client __ and explain that that includes your time, travel, equipment, software, batteries, etc. It makes it easier for the client to compare the quote against others and the easier you make it for them the more they will like you. At the moment they have a problem and they want someone to provide a quick, simple, cost-effective solution.

If I were you I'd quote either $195 or $245 as it sounds like your first job. You'll almost certainly get the job but if someone else undercuts you then it's a job you don't want anyway.

Don't forget that clients can be very demanding, late payers, etc and there's many other things that could go wrong with the shoot too (wrong weather, camera settings, etc, etc). You need to build in a bit of a safety margin into your quote to at least cover your costs if you end up having to do a re-shoot at your own expense for whatever the reason.

davey_rocket · « **Reply #6 on:** January 14, 2009, 20:06 »

Thanks for the advice everyone. I bid $250 and was awarded the job. As a newbie at this it's frustrating because I don't know how much higher I could have bid and still got the job. Either way it's $250 for about three hours work, I can't complain about that at all

m@m · « **Reply #7 on:** January 14, 2009, 22:37 »

Congratulations Davey...hey the important part is that you got the job, well done.

Best regards.

microstockinsider · « **Reply #8 on:** January 15, 2009, 01:03 »

You should be thinking about charging a day rate, and being reluctant to split work into half a day. Even if you only spend 3 hours on the job, there is travel, post processing, delivery/email/ftp etc and all the work involved in quoting and invoicing to account for. (ignoring the long term expenses likes cameras and computers)

I'm so glad you didn't take it for $25 an hour! if they argue for it that cheap then stick your ground or offer to do it for free and charge as a sample, then charge full rate next time. If you are good they will be back with more work.

Randy McKown · « **Reply #9 on:** January 25, 2009, 22:05 »

You know it also depends on who is footing the bill .. I always consider who the client is and what their budget might be. I have made $70 an hour and I have been paid $2500 an hour .. Bigger client = Bigger Budget

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Author Topic: Bidding for photography job (Read 7425 times)

davey_rocket

Sean Locke Photography

m@m

davey_rocket

m@m

gostwyck

davey_rocket

m@m

microstockinsider

Randy McKown

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