Posts by: A Photo Editor

A Photo Editor

Pricing & Negotiating: Patient Portraits for Regional Hospital Campaign

A Photo Editor - July 31, 2019 - Pricing & Negotiating

Craig Oppenheimer, Wonderful Machine

Concept: Portraits of three people who received treatment from a hospital

Licensing: Unlimited regional use of up to 30 images for two years

Photographer: Portraiture specialist

Agency: Healthcare-focused

Client: Hospital

Here is the estimate:

Creative/Licensing Fees:

The agency identified three patients to feature in a regional advertising campaign to promote the hospital, and all of them would be photographed on one day at a single TBD location. We knew they hoped to license about 10 images per subject, however it was more likely that one or two images per person would be used in any significant way. Putting upward pressure on the fee was the unlimited use requested and their intent on using the images in print ads and on billboards. Downward pressure was placed on the fee due to the campaign’s geographical limitations, the likelihood they’d use just a few shots per person, and the duration of use capped at two years. One way I thought about it was per subject, basing the fee around $2,000 per person. Another approach was that perhaps the first set of images was worth $3,000, and the second and third sets were worth $1,500 each. Both approaches initially felt a bit low, however I’ve priced a handful of similar projects recently, and given all of the factors, I knew a palatable fee would be somewhere between $5,000-$7,500 plus expenses. We wanted to be competitive, thus landing at $6,000 for the fee. The agency also asked us to give them an option for perpetual use, and I quoted that at an additional $12,000 ($18,000 total creative/licensing fee), which was three times the 2-year price.

Tech/Scout Day: This covered the photographers time to walk through and see the location prior to the shoot.

Pre-Production Days: While the concept was straightforward, the photographer would still need to spend a decent amount of time lining up the production, and this accounted for that time. Often, for a shoot like this, we include a producer to do pre-production work. However, many of the tasks were within the photographer’s wheelhouse, and he had strong connections and the ability to line up the crew and coordinate logistics quickly on his own.

Assistants: We included a first assistant for both the shoot day and the tech/scout day. We also included a second assistant for the shoot day to be an extra set of hands, and these rates were appropriate for the local crew in this area.

Hair/Makeup Stylist: We included one day to help with minor touchups and make sure the patients looked presentable. I’d typically aim higher on the rate, but again, this was appropriate for the crew in this particular city.

Wardrobe/Prop Stylist: The exact scenarios were still TBD for each patient, but we knew they would each participate in some activity that required a mix of supplemental wardrobe and props. In addition to the shoot day, I included a day to prep and a day to return wardrobe/props. I based the wardrobe/prop expense on $500 per scenario/talent.

Location Fee: We were initially told that the location should be non-descript, but based on the creative brief, it seemed as if a residential property would offer a few indoor and a few outdoor locations, and would be appropriate to help stage the shoot. Typically I’d include a location scout to help find such a property, but the shoot needed to happen very quickly, and the photographer was comfortable offering up a few houses of local family/friends, and we felt this rate would be adequate to reimburse their favor.

Production Supplies: This covered a few items to help reduce the footprint within the house, and to ensure that the crew and client had a place to set up shop.

Catering: This was based on $50 per person

Equipment: This covered the photographer’s own grip/lighting gear and cameras/lenses.

First Edit for Client Review: This covered the photographers time to do an initial edit on the content captured, and provide a web gallery for the client to choose from.

Color Correction, File Cleanup, and Delivery of 30 Selects by FTP: The post-production would be pretty minimal, and we based this on $50/image.

Mileage, Parking, Misc.: While likely not needed, this included just a bit of buffer for unforeseen expenses.

Results: The photographer was awarded the project

If you have any questions, or if you need help estimating or producing a project, please give us a call at 610.260.0200 or reach out. We’re available to help with any and all pricing and negotiating needs—from small stock sales to large ad campaigns.

The Daily Promo – Trevor Paulhus

A Photo Editor - July 29, 2019 - The Daily Promo

Trevor Paulhus

Who printed it?
I had it printed at Newspaper Club (www.newspaperclub.com)

Who designed it?
My friend Robert Milam designed it for me. He runs a great design studio called ModestWorks here in Dallas. I gave him an initial wide edit of images and then together the 2 of us narrowed it down to the final selects. Once the final images were selected, he just did his thing. We were on the same page about visual aesthetic for the piece (and in general), so getting to the final design didn’t take long at all. He presented me with 3 different options, all of which I loved. We made some small tweaks to the one I liked the most… and that was it.

Tell me about the images?
The images are from a photo essay shadowing the David W. Carter High School (Dallas, TX) 2018/2019 basketball season. The photo essay was part of a much larger/in-depth personal project that is still taking shape with the Carter Cowboys. So in a way, this first installment is a bit of a “teaser” for what is to come. I am super excited to share more of it in the coming months.

How many did you make?
Because this was meant to be just a bit of a “teaser”, we did a pretty limited run. Just 200. 100 of those going to the team and the school, 30 to Robert Milam (ModestWorks) and 70 left for me to distribute. I am just now starting to send them out to a pretty select group. I may or may not consider having more printed once I see how things go with the 60’ish I have left to send.

How many times a year do you send out promos?
In the past I have struggled with being consistent about this. But I have been much better as of recently. I try to do about 4 printed pieces/year now. 2 smaller pieces with a larger mailing list (usually a postcard or something along those lines) and 2 more involved pieces.

Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
Absolutely! Outside of Instagram, a good website and face to face meetings, I believe that a well done printed marketing piece is the most valuable way to speak your creative voice to those you want to hear it. Things like source books, which can often take a big chunk of marketing budgets, sometimes end up having me feel like my work just gets lost in the shuffle of pages. I think a good printed piece with a tailored mailing list is such a better investment in ME.

The Daily Promo – Alexandra Valenti

A Photo Editor - July 15, 2019 - The Daily Promo

Alexandra Valenti

Who Printed it?
I had it printed at Capital Printing in Austin, Texas. They were extremely helpful and thorough during the proofing process. We probably printed 5 or 6 versions before we were happy with it. They were very patient with me to make sure we got the color just right.

Who Designed it?
At first, I thought I would design it myself. I have a (limited) graphic design background but I felt I was too close my own work to be able to have a compelling perspective. I decided I wanted to have fresh eyes on it. So I hired a designer, Jennifer James Wright. (jenniferjameswright.com) I met her when I was asked to photograph her in Austin last year. She’s worked for Weiden + Kennedy, and designed for Kinfolk and Broccoli Magazine. Not only is she just a lovely person to be around, she is just so talented. I didn’t think she would have time to design the promo for me, but she said yes immediately.
We had several meetings about the book before the design process started. We poured over paper options, fonts, zines, etc. She was very thoughtful and considered about how it would feel in your hands. Her attention to detail is exactly why I wanted her to design it.

I wanted to let her run with it but I did give her a few jumping-off points. The main one being I wanted the type treatments to be as important as the images themselves. I wanted it to feel like a story you’d see in the 90s Fabian Baron era of Bazaar magazine. And I wanted her to flex her aesthetic and talents. Really I feel like this promo is as much about my work as it is about Jennifer’s. A true collaboration which makes my heart sing.

Tell me about the images?
Narrowing down the images was probably the hardest part. I wanted it to feel cohesive, so I had to decide, do I show lifestyle? Do I show portraiture? Do I show fashion? Can they all live in the same book? Ultimately, the answer was no. So I leaned towards portraiture and fashion. This seemed to make the most sense given how we wanted to use the type treatments. I knew I wanted to show commissioned work but truthfully I prefer most of my personal projects over my commissioned work for the obvious reasons that you have no limitations and can feel free to play and experiment. So it’s a good mix of both.

How many did you make?
I had 100 books made. And I sent them out to very specific clients that I want to work with.

How many times a year do you send out promos?
With an agent, I probably have sent out promos every few months. But they were more paired down versions like according style promos. Which aren’t that exciting to me. So I thought about what if I were someone who gets promos regularly and what would fun to receive? What would stop them from throwing it in the trash? That’s when I decided to I wanted to start making more thoughtful versions. One that shows my love of design as much as my love of photography. And maybe, even one they would leave on their coffee table. It was so much fun to make this with Jennifer, that she and I talked about doing these 2x a year and each version will be based on a theme.

Do you think Printed Promos are effective for marketing your work?
Without a doubt. I think social media is very important too but your work can get lost in the scroll. People are perusing so fast, who knows if they are seeing your work. But with a printed book, I think it shows a level of care and commitment to your work. And nothing can really replace the tactile feeling of holding a printed book. Which is 100 times more satisfying than looking at your phone.

The Daily Promo – Leslie Grow

A Photo Editor - July 8, 2019 - The Daily Promo

Leslie Grow

Who printed it?
Mixam – Catalog/Magazine/Booklet, 7×10, 28 sides, Stapled, 100lb paper Uncoated. Print and paper quality are big factors to me, so before I started this process I ordered their free sample pack. I’ve collected several different packs from other printers, and for the price point that I was going for and the option for smaller quantities, I felt like this was a perfect fit. Their customer service is awesome too. I had 2 books that were flawed and they were quick to respond with options for refund or reprinting. I opted for reprinting, it was dispatched immediately and delivered within a week.

Who designed it?
I worked closely with Creative Consultant Mara Serdans. She went through all the images on my website and I also sent her a large selection from my archive. I wanted the promo to be a snippet of what I shoot, so we decided to showcase 15-25 images from food and still life. Once we finalized the images and flow, I worked with a good friend of mine who is an amazing graphic designer & photographer, Jennifer Chong of JChongStudio, to design the layout.

Tell me about the images?
I’ve been wanting to do a more in-depth promo for a long time and to follow up with the promo I sent earlier this year. The idea behind it is to have a mini portfolio that doesn’t cost a lot to print or send and travels easily if I’m on the road. I use them as leave-behinds at meetings or send to clients that I really want to shoot for if we’ve already established a relationship. The images themselves are from all sorts of shoots ranging from personal test shoots to client work.

How many did you make?
I did 30 for the first printing – I wanted to see how my images looked on paper before doing a big order. I’ll be ordering more for sure! People have really enjoyed it so far.

How many times a year do you send out promos?
Not as much as I should! And to be honest, this one and the postcard I sent earlier this year was the result of being really slow with work. I needed to try something different with my marketing. I haven’t seen a direct correlation of getting connections or work from my promos, but work has definitely picked up! Eventually, I’d like to be sending at least 2-4 postcards and 1 larger promo per year to be getting my work consistently in front of people. Along with that, I’m working in email promos about every 3 months.

Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
I hope so! I mean it’s kind of a shot in the dark hoping that the promo actually gets delivered & opened, wondering if they even like it or if it just gets tossed. This is my first year sending printed promos, so I’m still figuring out who should be on my list. If anything, it’s made me take a close look at my work and to really think about who I want to be shooting for.

The Daily Promo – Nick Murway

A Photo Editor - July 1, 2019 - The Daily Promo

Nick Murway

Who printed it?
MagCloud. I like that you can order just one copy for a few bucks to get a feel for it and see how everything looks before ordering the rest. I’m sure other places out there do this, too, but I’ve always been happy with them. I’m thinking of using Newspaper Club for Q2, keeping the design similar but having a different sort of format/paper for each one.

Who designed it?
So my pals over at GRIP did a little brand overhaul for me about a year and a half ago. That’s where the logo, color choices, typefaces, and icons come from. I did the edit/layout/design of the piece itself.

Tell me about the images?
They’re from a couple of favorite client projects from Q1, as well as some personal projects. I mostly work in the food/beverage world, so there are some from a library of images made for a new restaurant, a project for a smaller fast-casual restaurant chain’s rebrand here in Chicago, which was a collaboration with an agency, and some fun food-related personal projects.

How many did you make?
I did 50 for this first round. I’d like to do more for the next round. I sent them to some previous/current clients, some friends, some agencies and industry people I thought might like them and sent out a little blast on Instagram for anyone who wanted a copy, just for fun. I have a handful left if anyone wants one!

How many times a year do you send out promos?
Building off of the quarterly report idea, I’m going to shoot for four this year. It’s been kind of wonderful breaking the year down into four parts, kind of checking in on what client work I’ve shot, what personal projects I’ve worked on and asking questions like, who have I connected with, have I traveled much, what would I like to include in that next “report” etc. in three month chunks. For me, it’s made thinking about the whole year seem a little more manageable.

Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
I hope so! Like everything, be it a printed piece, an email, an Instagram post, you send stuff out into the world and hope people like it, but you mostly never know, even if they do. I have had a handful of people reach out, as they are hyped on receiving something in the mail. I really do think there is something kind of wonderful about holding something tangible. In the past, I’ve frequently made little zines from trips just for myself and am now applying it to my work. You have something that sits on the shelf that you can grab and flip through, rather than just a bunch of digital photos buried in the archive.

Pricing & Negotiating: “Real People” Lifestyle Images for Fashion Brand

A Photo Editor - June 26, 2019 - Pricing & Negotiating

Craig Oppenheimer, Wonderful Machine

Concept: Lifestyle images of real people going about their day while wearing the brand’s apparel

Licensing: Web Collateral and Web Advertising use of up to 30 images for one year

Photographer: Lifestyle and portrait specialist

Agency: Medium in size, based in the Northeast

Client: Large clothing manufacturer

Here is the estimate:

Creative/Licensing Fees: Five models would be photographed over three shoot days in different cities, resulting in 30 total images (six images per subject). The usage was limited in duration to one year and limited in exposure to web ads and placement on the brand’s website. It was clear in our conversations that they’d likely use one hero shot of each talent for web ads, and the rest would land in a gallery on their website. For each subject, I decided the first image would be worth $1,500, the second image $750, the third $500, and the remaining ones $250. That amounted to $3,500, which I then multiplied by five to account for the number of subjects, arriving at a total of $17,500. Separately, I included a creative fee of $5,000 per shoot day. While I typically combine the creative and licensing fees, in this instance I decided to break it out. In addition to the photographer being accustomed to pricing this way, he was bringing something unique to the project, and I wanted to make sure the value of the contribution was detailed. Specifically, the photographer had recently completed a long-term personal project that resulted in a library of talent that they’d ultimately rely on for casting (more on that later).

Pre-Production Day(s): There would be a fair amount of travel coordination and crew to line up. I decided three days would be appropriate for the photographer to line everything up.

Travel Day(s): The shoot would take place consecutively over the course of a week, with a day of travel before, after, and between each shoot day.

Casting Coordination Day(s): The photographer had amassed a huge library of talent with whom he collaborated and developed relationships with while working on a personal long-term project, and he planned to rely on that network to find talent for the this production. That was, in fact, the main reason he was being considered for the project. We included two days of casting coordination for each city, allowing the photographer to reach out to talent prospects, fill them in on the project, gauge interest, present them to the agency and coordinate bookings.

Assistants: The photographer planned to travel with his first and second assistant, and I included the appropriate amount of travel and shoot days for each.

Hair/Makeup Stylist Day(s): We included one local stylist per day for each of the three cities.

Talent Fee(s): We decided $2,000 per person was appropriate to offer to models, and this fee was in line with rates we previously paid when working with “real people” talent.

Location Fee(s)/Permits: While this was a bit of an unknown, we included $300 per subject to account for location fees and/or permits. Because it was initially unclear if we’d be shooting in their workplace or out on the street, I wanted to make sure that at least a few hundred dollars would be available to cover permitting for each subject.

Equipment: I included $1,000 per shoot day for the photographer’s own camera, grip, and lighting gear.

Airfare: This was based on research for one-way flights to each of the cities and then back home for the photographer and his two assistants.

Lodging: I based this on six nights, at $350 per night, for three rooms/people.

Per Diems: I included $75 per person per day for the photographer and his assistants to cover meals while traveling.

Van Rentals: This included transportation and fuel for two days in each city.

Lunch/Craft: We were initially told by the agency we wouldn’t need to include catering but instead should budget for craft and a light lunch. I included $35/person.

Parking, Expendables, Misc.: I included $500 per shoot day to account for these items and other unexpected items.

First Edit for Client Review: This was based on $500 per shoot day. The fee covered the photographer’s time to do an initial pass of all the images and generate a web gallery for the agency to make selects from.

Retouching: This was based on $150 per image, which I anticipated would cover an hour of retouching for each subject.

Feedback: Even though the client requested a “lean and mean” shoot at first, it soon became clear that they wanted a higher level of production for the project. We added a wardrobe stylist and a producer, both of whom would travel with the team. Considering the addition of a producer, we decided to forgo the pre-pro days for the photographer and assign the logistical tasks to the producer. Additionally, a digital tech was requested, which we added as well. Instead of hiring another person to play to role of digital tech and budgeting for their travel, we decided that the first assistant would pull double duty. That meant we had to increase their rate, as well as travel expenses, accordingly. We were also asked to break out an option for two years of usage, which I priced at 50% of the one year rate for both the photographer’s licensing fees and the talent fees. Lastly, the client requested that production insurance be included, and we based this on approximately 2% of the production expenses. At this point we had a better understanding of the client’s budget (around 130k), which we kept in mind and were fortunately able to stay within as well. Here was the revised estimate:

Here was the revised estimate:

Results: The photographer was awarded the project.

If you have any questions, or if you need help estimating or producing a project, please give us a call at 610 260 0200 or reach out. We’re available to help with any and all pricing and negotiating needs—from small stock sales to large ad campaigns.

The Daily Promo – Fredrik Clement

A Photo Editor - June 24, 2019 - The Daily Promo

Fredrik Clement

Who printed it?
After moving to Klitmøller, a small village on the northwestern coast of Denmark, I wanted to try working with a local printer. He had to dust off his old machines to make me happy, because as so many other printers he persisted in trying to convince me to do it digitally. But nothing beats the smell of real ink on paper.

Who designed it?
I collaborated with graphic designer Troels Schwarz of Superschwarz (www.superschwarz.dk), who is also a friend. We came up with a simple, almost minimal design and used the same weight of paper for the cover and pages. Folding the cover makes it thicker which makes the design work well. The visible stitching and loose stitching thread completes it. It’s basically just one kind of paper, a thread, and ink. The paper is uncoated, warm toned which I think sits especially well with the black and white images.

Tell me about the images?
They’re a mix of old and new, commercial and personal work. Curating the images was important to me. Some of the images are from personal projects in Indiana more than ten years ago, some are from cycling event Paris-Roubaix 2013 and some from recent commercial work for Adidas. The promo also has images from European refugee camps; a pro bono project collaboration with UEFA Foundation for Children. My photographic approach is documentary and I wanted to make this evident in the promo by showing a wide selection of my work, in a narrow style.

How many did you make?
350 pieces.

How many times a year do you send out promos?
Not too often. To be honest, I do it when I feel like it. Less than yearly.

Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
Yes. This time around, my agent (www.unit.nl) sent out around 50 pieces and so far I’ve sent out around 150 pieces, half for existing clients with a personal, written note, and half to art buyers, direct clients and agencies I would like to work with in the future. This is ongoing, I send out the promos regularly when I’ve identified new potential clients or people that I would like to reach out to.

The Daily Promo – Frances Tulk-Hart

A Photo Editor - June 17, 2019 - The Daily Promo

Frances Tulk-Hart

Who printed it?
Mixam.com

Who designed it?
I did, it is half the fun of it. I really love the process of seeing how all the writing, drawings and photos can make a story.

Tell me about the images?
This project started in the New Year. I initially wanted to make a zine and then it turned into a journal of sorts. Every two months the plan is to bring a new one out. The images in each zine/journal, shall we call it a zournal, are relevant to those two month. So this one is January and February. Photos I got back from the developer, doodles I did, work that was published, thoughts, all things that happened in those two months. I can cheat a little too. Like for instance there are two images in there that are from years ago but because I was teaching a class at RISD in January and was doing research for it I was allowed to use the images I was going to show my class as examples!

How many did you make?
I made 100 for now but might do another run. I’m also thinking about selling them so might need to print up a lot more.

How many times a year do you send out promos?
The plan will be to send out a new promo 6 times this year, every couple of months.

Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
This is the first time I have done a printed promo but the feed back i’m getting is that people are amazed and thankful to be actually holding and feeling something in their hand as opposed to staring at work on a screen. I’ll let you know at the end of the year how effective it was in getting me work!! Effectivness aside though, just doing them is enjoyable, I have so much fun working on them. It’s like a puzzle trying to figure out how my work all fits together. I re designed my website and made a book last year that was about 150 pages which is where I first realized how much I loved designing the book as much as doing the art that went in it. Also what is nice is that unlike instagram, which I use as a promotional platform, once I send these babies out into the world I have no idea if they will be seen and or appreciated. I let go of them, not worrying about likes or dislikes.

The Daily Promo – Danielle Atkins

A Photo Editor - June 10, 2019 - The Daily Promo

Danielle Atkins

Who printed it?
AMP in Nashville https://advocateprinting.net/

Who designed it?
HEW+Co. https://www.hewandco.com/

Tell me about the images?
The images I chose are from a whole range of my clients…editorial, cookbook & advertising.
I tried to pick images that could mix and match to give a sense of my overall style of work and be able to tailor to who I would be sending them too.

The Cocktail is from a bar in called Pearl Diver and was a part of a cover story for Nashville Lifestyles.
The slices of cake are from the cookbook Everyday Little Cakes.
The first portrait is of the sommelier & executive chef of Henrietta Red. I have been working with them since before the opened the restaurant and I really wanted to include women who are doing amazing in the restaurant industry.
The knife is from a cutlery company, Hammer Stahl, that is based out of Tennessee.
The next portrait is one of my absolute favorite images. It is from a shoot I did for The Local Palette on a group doing traditional Cajun boucherie. It was a great experience and seeing the entire animal being used was amazing.
The ribs were from a recipe shoot for Parade magazine.

How many did you make?
50 of each image and I send them out in sets of 3.

How many times a year do you send out promos?
This was the first time I have sent out promos in a while but I will do this twice a year.

Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
Yes! I think having something tangible can make all the difference in the world. I was able to get hired by a publication that was on the top of my wish list for new clients because of these promos. We are so used to looking at things on screens these days that being able to hold something physical is still special. I always notice when doing portfolio reviews or handing a promo to someone their reaction to it is much greater than just looking at the same image on a screen.

Pricing and Negotiating: Multi-City Portraits for Tech Company

A Photo Editor - June 5, 2019 - Pricing & Negotiating

Craig Oppenheimer, Wonderful Machine

Concept: Environmental portraits of employees in six cities

Licensing: Unlimited regional use of up to nine images for one year from first use.

Photographer: Portraiture specialist

Agency: Medium in size, based in the South

Client: Technology company

Here is the estimate:

Creative/Licensing Fees: The goal was to capture environmental portraits of nine employees in front of various landmarks within six different cities. Three of the cities would focus on just one employee, and the photographer would capture two employees in each of the other three cities. All of the locations were within driving distance of one another. Upward pressure was placed on the fee due to the unlimited use requested; however, we were able to limit the licensing to regional placement for just one year. The geographic reach was even more limited, with each image being advertised only within the city where the photo shoot took place. Considering this, I priced the first six images at $2,000 each, and the three photos of employees in the same location at $1,000 each. I then added $1,250/day as a creative fee for each of the six shoot days, which brought me to $22,500. It conveniently broke down to $2,500/image. I often increase the creative fee closer to $2,500-$5,000/day, but the nature of the project and my inclination to a tight budget made me err on the side of caution.

Pre-Production: I included five pre-pro days for the photographer to line up the project or for a producer to help with pre-pro work. It included three days to work with scouts in each location and two additional days to line up crew and make travel arrangements.

Assistants: I anticipated that the photographer would bring a first assistant (who would double as a tech) and a second assistant for the entirety of the trip/shoot.

Hair/Makeup Stylist: While the talent would be asked to arrive camera ready, we included a stylist for each of the six shoot days to help with touchups and manage light wardrobe adjustments as well.

Equipment: I included $500/day for a basic grip/lighting package that the photographer would bring, rather than renting.

Mileage, Parking, Misc: I included $100/day in mileage and $50/day in miscellaneous expenses for each day, then rounded down a bit.

Meals for Crew, Per Diems: This included $50/day for the photographer, first assistant, and second assistant — covering each of their travel/shoot days. I added $30/day for lunch to cover the hair/makeup stylist. We anticipated half-day shoots at most, which is why we didn’t initially include catering.

Lodging: I anticipated $250/night for two rooms, for six nights.

Location Scouting, Location Expenses, Permits: I included two and a half days per city for each of six cities. It was a challenge to estimate, and I initially anticipated at least three different scouts would be involved — each of which could cover multiple locations, but we could have potentially needed a scout in each of the six cities depending on availabilities and the demands of the areas. They would have to make recommendations from their files, scout the location in person, pull permits, negotiate location fees if necessary, and potentially be on-set if needed. I felt 15 days total would cover the task collectively. I included $250 per city for miscellaneous expenses like mileage and meals that the scouts would likely incur. I included $500/city for permits and marked additional location fees as TBD because we wouldn’t know of any additional costs until specific locations were dialed in. Some public spaces might only require a permit, but other “recognizable” landmarks may need a location fee or a necessary payment to acquire a release. Other locations might not demand any permit depending on the local film office guidelines but could require a space for staging. I felt that the expenses we included were a good start based on the initial project description; however, we anticipated that we’d have to re-address this as the scope of the project solidified.

First Edit for Client Review: I included $1,000 to account for the photographers time to go through the assets each day and compile web galleries for the agency to review.

Color Correction, File Cleanup, and Delivery: I included $100/image for basic post-production.

Results: The photographer was awarded the project.

Hindsight: Initially, we discussed a relatively lean production level with the art buyer, assuming each day would likely be a half day and the client/agency contacts on site would be minimal. We ultimately received a lengthy list of attendees, and it became clear that they needed a higher level of production on-site. The photographer, therefore, brought on production assistants in each city to be dedicated to client services.

If you have any questions, or if you need help estimating or producing a project, please give us a call at 610 260 0200 or reach out. We’re available to help with any pricing and negotiating needs—from small stock sales to large ad campaigns.

Art Producers Tell All

A Photo Editor - May 29, 2019 - Working

AP 1: I never look at mailers.
AP 2: I look at every single mailer.
AP 3: I got a bottle of tequila!

All joking aside, Heather Elder has an awesome podcast you should be checking out called “Dear Art Producer” where she’s asking the questions all professional photographers and reps want to hear the answer to. If you’ve been in this business long enough most of it is pretty reassuring stuff that we already know: some read every email, some look at every promo, some don’t. There is no magic bullet and you keep all channels open and active to reach them. There are a few surprises too like a mixed bag on use of instagram and that motion is not coming out of the broadcast department as much as in the past and they are looking for photographers who can do it all fast and loose (cheap).

Give it a listen and drop a comment if you find anything surprising. Looking forward to more of these.

The Daily Promo – Sarah Rice

A Photo Editor - May 13, 2019 - The Daily Promo

Sarah Rice

Who printed it?
Modern Postcard.

Who designed it?
HAM, out of Portsmouth, NH (haighandmartino.com). I’ve designed promos myself before and I hope I never do again, it makes all the difference in the world to put your work in the hands of really talented designers. I got new-everything with this promo – they designed a new business card, and redid my website so it matches what they came up with for my name.

Tell me about the images?
This image is pulled from a personal project of mine focused on 72 acres of land in Virginia, where people have been living communally for over 25 years. I’ve been making trips since 2011. I’ve never sent out a promo from that body of work though. I often make longer promos from commissioned work but this time around I wanted to send something that gets to the core of what my work is about in just one image – I like the challenge of distilling that down.

This specific frame came about after I decided to switch up my process. I had been shooting this project on one camera with one lens, no cropping. I started that way to give myself specific parameters to work within. But after years of that, one day I decided to use a much different lens and immediately made this image as a result. Rules are only helpful until they’re not I guess.

How many did you make?
This run was 250.

How many times a year do you send out promos?
In my work dreams I get them out 3-4 times a year, but in reality I would say definitely twice. Hopefully more.

Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
I do. I know people in the photo world are inundated with images, so it’s nice to have a way to remind them about your work, or introduce them to your work if you haven’t met yet. The promo process is fun because it’s so direct – this neat little package that I can create to represent me accurately and exactly shows up right at your desk. I also really appreciate the opportunity to create something new, especially this time around from a project I’ve spent so much time on. Promos, zines, prints, I find they all help me look at my work in a different way.

Pricing and Negotiating: Lifestyle shoot for Telecommunications Company

A Photo Editor - May 8, 2019 - Pricing & Negotiating

Craig Oppenheimer, Wonderful Machine

Concept: Lifestyle images of families interacting in a residential property

Licensing: Print Collateral use, Web Collateral use and Web Advertising use of up to 35 images for two years from file delivery.

Photographer: Portraiture specialist

Agency: Medium in size, based in the Northeast

Client: Telecommunications company

Here is the estimate:

Creative/Licensing Fees: There were approximately seven scenarios the agency hoped to capture, each focusing on different talent interacting in various setups around a house. They primarily planned to use the images for collateral and web advertising purposes, and in addition to excluding print advertising use, we were able to limit the usage to two years. I felt the first image was worth $3,000, the second and third worth $2,000 each, the fourth and fifth $1,000 each, and the sixth and seventh worth $500 each. That totaled $10,000, and I added a creative fee of $2,500 on top of that to reach $12,500. While they anticipated licensing 35 total images, it was clear that they’d be variations on a theme, with them likely walking away with one hero shot per setup, which is why I priced this by the scenario/setup and not by the image.

Tech/Scout and Pre-Pro Day: We included one tech/scout day for a walkthrough of the location before the shoot, and one pre-pro day for the photographer to line up his crew and prepare for his responsibilities detailed in the expenses.

Assistants and Digital Tech: The first assistant would attend both the shoot day and the tech/scout day, while the second assistant and the digital tech would attend the shoot.

Hair/Makeup Styling: We included a stylist and an assistant for the shoot day. We’d be working with real people, rather than professional talent, and the hair/makeup would likely be rather minimal.

Wardrobe Styling: The talent would be bringing their primary wardrobe, however, we included a wardrobe stylist to shop for supplemental clothing pieces before the shoot, and anticipated that they’d have an assistant attend the shoot and then help return any unused items. We also included $1,000 to cover the actual costs of the supplemental wardrobe.

Prop Styling: It’s always a bit of a challenge estimating prop styling for a shoot in a residential property without first seeing scouting photos or knowing the full scope of prop needs. Sometimes it’s just about adding minor items into the scene or tweaking what’s already there, and other times major pieces of furniture need to be acquired and brought to set. In this case, we included four days for a prop stylist and an assistant, anticipating they’d need at least a day or two to shop, a day to be on set, and perhaps a day to accompany the team to the tech/scout to assess the location, in addition to making returns if needed. We marked these line items TBD, as well as the $2,500 prop budget we estimated.

Styling Expenses: This covered miscellaneous expenses primarily for the wardrobe and prop stylists related to the acquisition and transportation of their provisions.

Van Rental: The photographer would likely rent a van to help transport his equipment and his immediate crew to set.

Equipment: This covered a mix of the photographer’s gear, as well as supplemental lighting/grip he would likely need to rent.

Mileage, Parking, Additional Meals, Misc.: This covered miscellaneous expenses for both the tech/scout day and shoot day, and also provided a bit of a safety net for unanticipated costs.

Delivery of Content on Hard Drive: All of the content would be provided to the client on a hard drive upon completion of the shoot.

Client Provisions: Detailed at the top of the estimate were all of the items that the client would provide, that would be necessary for such a production. These items/tasks included casting, talent, releases, location, permits, production coordination, catering/craft, production RV and all post processing/retouching.

Results: The photographer was awarded the project with only some negotiation regarding the shoot date.

If you have any questions, or if you need help estimating or producing a project, please give us a call at 610.260.0200 or reach out. We’re available to help with any pricing and negotiating needs—from small stock sales to large ad campaigns.

The Daily Promo – Andrew Kemmis

A Photo Editor - May 6, 2019 - The Daily Promo

Andrew Kemmis

Who printed it?
It was printed by Newspaper Club.

Who designed it?
I did the design work myself. I have a pretty solid background in publication design so looked at this promo as a fun personal challenge. And I was eager to give the newspaper format a shot. I really like it.

Tell me about the images?
For the past four years I have been the lead photographer and photo team manager for VidCon US, a rather large and massively popular convention that takes place in Anaheim, CA each summer. Last year I think there were about 30,000 people in attendance. Each year the photo goal is a bit different, but usually it boils down to visually capturing the spirit of the convention. Seeing as how the audience tends to be mostly tweens and teens, there is never any lack of energy or excitement or pure, unbridled fun happening. It’s probably an exaggeration, but when I am there I constantly feel like I’m witnessing the front row of a Beatles concert. The days are long, but throughout the multi-day event I photograph everything from panel discussions to keynote speeches to spontaneous dance parties to arena concerts. There’s even a mock prom at the end that is outta’ this world. I absolutely love the energy, the variety and the access I have to it all.

Last year (VidCon 2018) the creative team at VidCon had a different idea for the images they wanted. Rather than repeat the same strategy of several photographers simply covering the event, we sent one shooter out to cover specific activations and general hype, and decided to have me set up a portrait studio in the back of house area, where all of the big name YouTube creators would be entering the building. VidCon’s COO, Colin Hickey had the brilliant idea of having a variety of animals on hand to entice the creators over to me … and it worked like crazy. So I found myself in the back corner of a huge convention center with some of YouTube’s biggest names … and puppies, goats, pigs, and bunnies. Absolutely surreal. I am completely in love with the experience and the images I created. Here is a link to a gallery of some of them: http://www.andrewkemmis.com/vidcon-portraits

How many did you make?
I made 50 of these.

How many times a year do you send out promos?
I send out promos about 1-2 times per year.

Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
I do think printed promos are effective. In my eyes, marketing always takes a multi-pronged approach, and print is a very strong and important part of the equation.

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