How to charge as a news photographer

charliehall · Jun 28, 2015

A recent news website has started up in my town. It's just about a year old. Most of their posts feature about 5-10 pictures, and it looks like they were taken by the reporter with either a point and shoot or their iPhone.

Even though they don't have a "photographer" job listing, I would like to reach out to them with a photography proposal for covering events this summer. I don't have a great deal of experience, but I have worked with sports camps in the past and have a basic portfolio set up. I just want to know how I should price this. I feel I should charge by event, maybe 15 or 20 dollars. Should it by by picture- something around 2 dollars?

Once again, this is a small news service and I mainly want to gain experience and make a little bit of cash on the side.

Thanks!
Charlie

jsecordphoto · Jun 28, 2015

$2 per photo...seriously? I shot for a local paper for a few months, who offered me $20 per photo and a guarantee of 3 photos per event they sent me to. Typically the events they sent me to were within a 10-15 minute drive and I'd make $60-75 for an hour or so of work. It was still a total pain in the ass and they wanted me to act as photographer and reporter, plus the majority of events were SO boring (2nd grade spelling bee...). When I first got the offer I thought it'd be exciting and fun, but it rarely was, and the money honestly wasn't great.

If you feel like your time is worth so little, I guess go for it. Wasn't for me though

pixmedic · Jun 28, 2015

charliehall · Jun 28, 2015

jsecordphoto said:
$2 per photo...seriously? I shot for a local paper for a few months, who offered me $20 per photo and a guarantee of 3 photos per event they sent me to. Typically the events they sent me to were within a 10-15 minute drive and I'd make $60-75 for an hour or so of work. It was still a total pain in the ass and they wanted me to act as photographer and reporter, plus the majority of events were SO boring (2nd grade spelling bee...). When I first got the offer I thought it'd be exciting and fun, but it rarely was, and the money honestly wasn't great.

If you feel like your time is worth so little, I guess go for it. Wasn't for me though

Like I said, my main focus is experience. Although, thanks for the reference numbers. So, did you get paid per picture as well as per hour?

jsecordphoto · Jun 28, 2015

...because I'd average about an hour at each location, and they would run 3-4 photos.

Designer · Jun 28, 2015

charliehall said:
I just want to know how I should price this.

Perhaps you should ask them what they have been accustomed to paying. I doubt if they will be overjoyed to pay more that that.

tirediron · Jun 28, 2015

Designer said:
charliehall said:

I just want to know how I should price this.

Click to expand...

Perhaps you should ask them what they have been accustomed to paying. I doubt if they will be overjoyed to pay more that that.

I doubt if they'll be happy to pay anything... the reason that the existing images look like they were shot on a cell 'phone is because they were. Photojournalism is an almost extinct industry, and even big papers don't pay much if anything!

vintagesnaps · Jun 28, 2015

What kind of 'news' website is this?? Look it up on your state's official gov't website and see if it's a registered business.

A legit news outlet should have a publisher, editors, etc. If this site is using cell phone photos etc. I'd be surprised if they want paid freelance staff and it may not even be a legit news outlet.

They should be licensing usage and contracting for assignments if you're working freelance. Look at American Society of Media Photographers for info. on typical work procedures for media photographers.

Newspapers used to use 'stringers' who periodically covered local news events but I don't think those opportunities are out there currently. Many newspapers have been struggling to stay in business.

Derrel · Jun 28, 2015

Most small weekly newspapers have VERY limited budgets these days, as in a flat payment of $30 per event that you show up to, no matter if any images are run, and $12 per image published, for each and every use, meaning print AND web use would be $24 total; future use or use on a front page or sectional teaser, also $12. The news website--it it part of a larger, chain of news outlets? If so, they might have money to pay the above rates, maybe even more...but I doubt it...

Make SURE you get payed the majority of the fee for SHOWING UP....not for images that are run, for obvious reasons.

dennybeall · Jun 29, 2015

I've been out of the game for quite some time so can only talk about the local daily paper here. They had 2 full-time and one part-time photographer on staff a couple years ago. Today the lead photographer is a news editor, the other two are gone and the reporters each were given a little point-n-shoot digital camera. 70 to 90% of the photos they publish are free shots from the iPhones of the parents.
My little retirement part-time job is now just shooting real estate lots for sale. Nice walk in the sun.

imagemaker46 · Jul 29, 2015

Just ask them what they may pay, but don't be surprised if you get nothing, or not interested. You just never know. Local paper here used to pay $8.50/hour for a shift, that might include 1 shoot or 10, they didn't have trouble finding people with cameras, but they did have trouble finding people that knew how to use them.