How much should I charge for a portrait shoot for a CD cover

GerryDavid · Oct 9, 2003

Someone asked me to do a photo shoot of him and his family today, for a cd cover and booklet. A single picture for the cover and a collage of pictures for the inside, and I was wondering how much everyone here would charge for that? Since im still learning, the price I gave someone else *family* was $30 for an hour of pictures, which includes transfering the pictures to the computer if I use up all my memory cards, but im not sure if that is what this guy will want, an hour's worth, but then again I need a bunch of pictures for the collage so I may go with the $30 route, but im not sure how much to charge for the graphics editing for the collage. Im thinking about charging $14 american/$20 cdn an hour, but when it comes time to deliver, cut some of the time down to charge less, like 3 hours instead of 5, as a good deal so he'll be more pleased and give more favourable word of mouth after.

Just wondering what everyone thinks of the rates I posted, to high or to low, and what they would charge themselves.

The setting he thinks he wants is some hotel, not sure where though in the hotel, and the only equipment I will have is my digital camera and the built in flash on it, hoping that will do the job. :0)

I wont charge for driving time if its in town, you can get to any spot in town within 5 minutes of driving, but Id charge enough to cover my time and gas if its out of town.

Thanks in advance.

metroshane · Oct 9, 2003

Well, there's alot of questions to be asked. If this was a shoot for say a record company's cd...then I'd probably charge a day rate (an hour isn't much time) of $600-1000. Of course they'd pay for film and processing and usage.

But this sounds like a pretty small scale gig, right? Remember he'll be making money off the pics you take, so you deserve to get paid...and you DESERVE a competitive rate. If this were a local dude and he probably wasn't going to sell a buttload of cd's I might charge a day rate of a hundred bucks and then maybe a few cents per cd. Or to make it easier, and since you probably won't be reselling these photos, I'd let him have unlimited usage for $2-300.

GerryDavid · Oct 10, 2003

metroshane said:
Well, there's alot of questions to be asked. If this was a shoot for say a record company's cd...then I'd probably charge a day rate (an hour isn't much time) of $600-1000. Of course they'd pay for film and processing and usage.

But this sounds like a pretty small scale gig, right? Remember he'll be making money off the pics you take, so you deserve to get paid...and you DESERVE a competitive rate. If this were a local dude and he probably wasn't going to sell a buttload of cd's I might charge a day rate of a hundred bucks and then maybe a few cents per cd. Or to make it easier, and since you probably won't be reselling these photos, I'd let him have unlimited usage for $2-300.

I was talking to the guy and he gave a ton of info freely, hehe, now if its all acurate and what every place charges is another question.

Appearantly the shoot will be in about 5 months or less, and it will be an all day event, like 8 hours. But only an hour all together for the shoot, about 50 pictures. he wants some interesting and unique posses, im sure I can figure some good ones out, hehe. I suggested head stands but that didnt pass. *Smirks*. He said the photo company that does the school pictures around here and what ever else they do, charges $250 cdn to show up and take the pictures for those 8 hours, for one photographer. Then there is the graphics editing, dont konw how much they charge for that, and then they charge $100 cdn for 4 prints of the cd cover *4"X8"'s, or what ever the height of a cd case is by that height * 2 since the cover will be folded in half and have additional info in that*. Then a royalty every time the cover is printed for the cd's, say they press 1000 cd's, I get a royalty for each of those 1000 times, and how many times in the future, which sounds sweet to me. Do enough of these and when you retire, steady income, somewhat, hehe.

At the very least this will be good expience and if it works, maybe I can work a deal with the local recording studio to drop my name to each client. :0). And later when Ill be living near nashville tn *smirks* who knows.