How much to charge for photoshoot?

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DoodleBopper

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Beth
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I have recieved an e-mail from somebody asking if I can do a photoshoot for him. He wants me to take a picture of him in a business suit falling into a swimming pool. How much should I charge as I have never done a photoshoot before? I am unsure whether I am going to do the shoot as I usually do nature photography and am not that confident. It would be really hard trying to get a good shot because obviosuly I would only really have one chance, he would be wet afterwards. Does anyone have any suggestions on:
1. Pricing for the shoot and
2. Ways to ensure that I get a good picture in one go!

Thanks
 
DoodleBopper said:
.......I have never done a photoshoot before? I am unsure whether I am going to do the shoot as I usually do nature photography and am not that confident........
Click to expand...

Does he know this???

Personally I don't think you should be undertaking paid assignments if you have not got the necessary experience.

If he understands your position but is still willing to pay, that is different.
 
I have told him to have a look at my website, and have told him also to contact my boyfriend as he wants to do photography at university and is a lot more confident. I think that I could do the shoot. I have my own website and I do photography at A Level. I will talk to him a bit more before I absolutely finalise doing the shoot.
 
Unless he has several changes of clothing, you had better be able to nail it first time.
 
I'm not a pro - but think about your overheads first

Travel to/from location
Hire of location/access ?

Hire of equipment (lights) etc.. (although as its a swimming pool electrcity and water don't mix I'm sure this may prove a real headache)

Insurance !! (yep you really will need this for anumber of reasons not least what might happen if he were to drown !! and someone decides it was your fault ! (the very worst case)

After considering these factors

You need to decide what you are offering and how they are going to use the image as that will depend on the value of the image you produce.

Then finally - are you really going to be able to produce the image he is looking for ? I would image that a swimming pool is one of the most problematic locations for a shoot, not least for lighting.
 
Im sure if you improvise you can find ways of having 'dry' runs.
Once you got the shot setup, you can get your client to drop a dummy into the pool and have a few test shots that way maybe.

If its indoors though, light is gonna be a serious issue, i wouldnt want lighting cables lying around near a swimming pool.

Have got any ideas about how the shoot is gonna look? Is he gonna run and jump, bomb off a diving board or just fall back into the pool?
 
Yeah I would set up a tripod and use my remote shutter. The dummy thing sounds like an excellent idea! He is also trying to get a female model to work with him and he says he wants to stand with his back to the pool, arms out and just fall backwards into the pool. Even if the lighting isnt perfect, I can always edit the image afterwards in Photoshop elements 8 and Lightroom 3 to make them look a lot better
 
Good, thats what i visualised in my head too.

It might be good to have the camera relativity high up, that way when he is at 45 degrees to the pool he would be square on to the camera, could give an interesting perspective, plus it will give you more chance of getting all the subject in focus.

You can edit the image afterwards, but if you take all the time you need beforehand you shouldnt have to do too much. Plus if he's OOF then you are screwed anyway.

The light is gonna be the real major factor i this though. If the light is low and you cant use flash, then you are gonna need to be wide open (< 2.8), which means focusing is gonna have to be critical.

To add to the dummy idea, maybe the guy could do practice shots in some swimming shorts first, he could be the dummy?

Once you've got the exposure and focus set, it would just be a case of going for it and firing off continuous shots, then picking the right shot afterwards.

I hope you show us when its done :)
 
As you don't have the experience, I would suggest covering your costs plus a beer or two afterwards.

You could practice beforehand with someone falling onto a mattress, will give you some idea of the problems (movement, focus, etc) that you may face on the day.

As a side note; you've misspelt professional on your website. (And you're missing an apostrophe from photographers'). :thumbs:
 
Yeah I will think about lighting. I think that the 45 degree thing is a good idea. I will maybe take someone along to the shoot and do some test shots before hand with them falling into the pool. I hope that the pics go well I think they will do. Thanks for all the advice so far guys!!
 
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