Looking at hiring a part time team photographer

mcphoto · Jul 24, 2009

I'm starting to book more team photo sessions and I'm thinking about hiring a 2nd part time photographer. My question is about pay what is the average pay for this position. I was thinking somewhere between $20 and $35 an hour. They would only be taking photos and using my equipment. Does that sound fair to high or to low?

Thanks.

misol · Jul 24, 2009

Are you also paying per hour for photo editing? Do you keep rights to the photos? Are you going to buy prints or files?

mcphoto · Jul 24, 2009

I'm supplying the equipment doing all the editing, sales as well as part of the photography. So, no they will not have rights to the photos. It will be set up like any other school or school sports team photo company where the they just take the photo and pass it along. I know of two companies one pays about $15.00 one pays $25.00.

c.cloudwalker · Jul 24, 2009

1/ I don't know your area so it makes it hard to know if it is fair pay or not. You are on an international forum so, maybe, you can give a better idea. I do know that it is not your job. Interested photogs should do their own homework but if you help them figure it out it might help you too.

2/ How part-time is this part time?

Let me put it this way: $200 an hour is nice unless you're only going to get 1/2 an hour week. You need to be a little more precise about what his person can expect.

JIP · Jul 27, 2009

I think you should put yourself in the potential employee's position and ask youself if you would consider it fair. To me, you putting it the way you did means you probably do not have an understanding of what is important in who you are trying to hire. It is one thing if you are going to hire some unexperienced drone to as you say "use your gear and take photos" but another thing entirely if you want an experienced photographer. To me you either pay someone well or let them have access to your images to use in a portfolio.

Big Mike · Jul 28, 2009

Personally, I think that's probably a good wage, considering that they would only be shooting, and with your equipment to boot.
They wouldn't have to do any editing, any marketing or incur any of the overheads that you do for running your business.

Of course, your market will likely dictate what you ca get for that wage. You might only be able to hire someone young or with little experience. That might be OK if the work isn't very demanding...but if you want someone who us fully qualified and capable of operating on their own, you might have to pay more.
Or you might get lucky and find someone who does know what they are going, and is happy to do the work without the complication of the business end of it.