Standard Wage for a Full Time Staff Product Photographer

[jbench]

I've been shooting product for 30 years or so, but after making a geographical move have decided to interview for a staff photographer position. If I'm asked what salary I'm expecting I would not have a clue what to say. does anyone know what the salary range is for a staff product photographer? Keep in mind I have a ton of experience and am not a newbie out of school. It is a fairly good sized international product company - in the midwest/northeast.......

thanks for any input

 

[orljustin]

30k ?

 

[Helen B]

With your experience (and I assume talent) about 150k, more if in NYC, but can't you base it on what you earn now? Would you be providing the equipment, and if so, what sort of equipment is required? Would you also be shooting videos - which is becoming more and more necessary?

'Product photography' seems to mean different things to different people, as does the importance of it. 150k could be too low.

 

[pgriz]

Lots of things go into determining what a position is worth. Are you replacing someone? Is this a new position? Do the people hiring you know the field, or are they looking for you to start something? Are you working under supervision or in a team or in a supervisory role? How much additional post work is involved, and who is doing it? If you are fitting into an existing system, then probably the salary is lower. If they are hiring you to be the main guy/gal on product photography, and they don't have anything organized, then certainly, the salary should be much higher. If the product photography is only occasional, then again, the salary is probably lower. If, on the other hand, the entire business is driven by well-presented product photography, then obviously your responsibility is much higher, and so should be the salary. And if, for example, they are on a deadline and the last guy basically screwed everything up, then, ahem, you can ask anything you want (providing you can convince them you can deliver).

 

[epatsellis]

Of course it's important to remember that they don't want to pay any more than they have to. You may be worth 150K+, but the likelihood of them paying that, regardless of how good your book is, is pretty slim. Part of the problem is we now have an entire generation who believes in "good enough, we'll fix it in post." For those of us who shot chromes, that wasn't an acceptable solution from a cost standpoint. That attitude works extremely well today, to a point, but overcoming the fix in post mentality is hard to do.

In this neck of the woods, I haven't seen a staff shooter position for more than 35K to start, regardless of experience. (and getting future raises would be damn hard as well...) If they have no number attached to the position, it could be that they're bringing their work in-house and have no idea what to pay, as alluded above, that would fall more towards a position of Director of Imaging Services, in corporate speak...

I faced a similar situation, with 25+ years of graphic design and product/tabletop experience, every position I applied for I was overqualified, and without a Bachelor's degree the positions I was qualified for (Creative Director and the like) employers wouldn't even consider me without the degree. After a year or two in school I realized that my true passion is teaching, and once I finish up my BFA and get my MFA, hopefully the economy won't have totally tanked and I can get a position as an associate professor somewhere.

 

[jbench]

well, if they offered me 150K I think I'd fall on the ground and start crying like a little baby:lmao:

I'm viewing the salary issue from a prospective of my opinion that the product photography world has developed a "lets fix it in post processing" attitude and very little respect seems to be given to the disciplined photographer who expects to get it right in the photo shoot. (An earlier poster mentioned this and I think is so critical to understand these days). That being said, I'm not sure that the product photographer's skills are well respected enough from executives to be paid well. This particular company seems to have some really nice photography in their printed catalogs (that takes a good eye for composition and lighting), however, some really awful photography on their website, so I'm not really sure what they are looking for. I suppose I'll just find out what the whole package is about and go from there.

My guess is I'd be lucky if they offered 45K.

Well, thank you - and any other photogs out there who have a position I would really apreciate know the number they offer...