How should I price a long photography project that includes significant trust-building time?
Asked 1/14/2018
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2 answers
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I'm estimating a fixed fee for a photography project that will run for several weeks. A substantial part of the time will be spent building trust and relationships with the local community before any shooting can happen. Since that time isn't directly photography or post-processing, should it still be included in the project fee, and how do photographers typically account for it when bidding?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
2
In the end your client is paying for the photos. If it takes 12 weeks but only the last 4 weeks are actually shooting and processing, that's just the nature of the job. Charge based on 12 weeks of work. There is some flexibility in this: you can't do anything else in that time so you have an opportunity cost (you could have been working for other clients instead), but maybe it's a very interesting project and it will open up other career opportunities so it's worth taking a lower fee. You could itemise and bill actual fixed costs like transport.
Originally by user69019. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user69019
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—include that time in your quote. If the project ties up several weeks of your schedule, the client is effectively paying for the whole block of time needed to deliver the photos, not just the days spent shooting or editing.
A practical way to price it is to treat the project as a bid based on:
- total time committed, including relationship-building and travel
- your actual expenses, itemized separately where possible
- opportunity cost, since you may be unable to take other work
- strategic value, such as portfolio, experience, or future opportunities
In other words, if the job takes 12 weeks overall, price it as a 12-week commitment, then adjust up or down depending on costs, competition, and how much you want the project. That’s essentially how bidding works: charge enough to cover your time and costs, while staying within what the client is willing to pay.
If you give a fixed project fee, make sure your estimate includes all non-shooting time that is necessary for the assignment.
UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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