ELISABETH SPEAKMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

11th December 2010

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What's Your Day Rate? →

SOME ADVICE FROM PICTURE EDIOTR KELLY PREEDY:

I was lucky enough to work with Kelly on several shoots assisting photographer John Wright.

Kelly Preedy, a freelance picture editor who has worked on numerous titles, including Glamour, Grazia, Easy Living, Empire and Nuts, generally agrees with Illman’s last statement. “Although it varies depending on who you work for,” she adds. “Some magazines’ rates will be set in stone, while others are more negotiable. Generally speaking, though, in my experience most magazines pay approximately £250 for a half day, or £400 for a full day. If a magazine really wants a particular photographer they might go higher.”

The biggest sea change Preedy has experienced in the 14 or so years since she started working on picture desks is digital photography. “It provoked huge discussions on how it would change the nature of fees,” she recalls. Before digital, a commission would be made up of the half- or full-day rate, plus any expenses. Those expenses could include gear hire, parking, petrol, film, processing and an assistant.

“We would discuss expenses in advance,” she says. “If the magazine offered film and processing for £14 per roll, that’s what the photographer would charge, even if it cost them less. It was a way for the photographer to top up their fee,” she says.

Nowadays, the photographer will charge what’s known as a digital capture fee. This is intended to cover the time the photographer has to spend on downloading and post-production, and is designed to absorb some of the high costs of running the equipment required to deliver a professional job.

In many cases, this fee covers a digital operator, too. “When shooting, their pictures go straight to a computer, where the operator works on them,” reveals Preedy. “It used to be that the repro house would do any retouching, but nowadays the onus has shifted to the photographer, which is good, but onyl if you charge for it. It’s another expense. There are more costs with digital than with film.

“It’s incredibly complex, and it’s supposed to be easier, but it isn’t!” she laughs. “I’ve never worked with a photographer who has charged more than £600 per day, and yet everything else might make a shoot add up to £15,000. It’s incredible how you can break down a budget and, in fact, the fee is only a very small part of that.’

Less common, she adds, is the all-in fee, which is designed to cover absolutely all costs, and leaves the photographer in charge as to how it is spent. This kind of deal is usually suggested when the shoot is to take place in small sections, over a period of months, with a day here and half a day there.

From a picture editor’s perspective, “it’s almost like getting a discount,” Preedy explains. “You’re giving the whole job to one photographer, rather than to three or four, so it’s a really good opportunity for the photographer to maximise their time and get the most out of the shoot and the fee. It can work really well if the photographer is clever about how they allocate the money.”
In conclusion, Preedy’s advice is this: “Photographers should be confident about asking for the going fee within the confines of the editorial rate. Just make sure everything is written down in advance – even if it’s just an email. And if it looks like you’re going over budget, let the client know!’

It would appear that the idea of what makes a ‘suitable’ fee is as broad as it is long and, at the end of the day, if the photographer and client are both happy then that would seem to be the right fee. 

11th December 2010

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A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU →

Have you noticed that the January sales have been starting earlier and earlier in recent years? 

Here at Slaughterhouse Studios we will not be outdone! 

Boxing Day… Pah! 

We are starting our sale NOW and running up until Christmas Eve. 

Either of our large studios (1 & 2) booked in that period will come at a reduced price.

This is to throw a little festive cheer in the direction of our regular clients and to encourage those of you that haven’t graced our building with your presence yet a chance to try us out.

 Merry Xmas!

The Slaughterhouse Team xx

3rd December 2010

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SLAUGHTERHOUSE STUDIOS: 50X50 →

After the success of our one day sale at MMU last week (so much so that the powers that be have asked us to keep the work on the walls until the middle of December), we have decided that the remaining prints should be made available to you. Along with our friends at RJT Prints, come and grab yourselves an Xmas bargain…
www.rjtprints.com