Working With an Assignment Photographer
Sarno Photography & Graphic Design™ has compiled this guide to help you better understand what is involved with hiring a professional commercial photographer, what your company is investing in, and how to make the best of your photo shoot. Just because you are a small business doesn't mean you don't deserve a professional photographer who follows professional practices with your best interests in mind. I give all my clients the best professional services and courtesy regardless of their size. You are best served if your photographer fully understands what it is that you want him to photograph and how to best portray your message to the public.
Before You Call the Photographer
Before you call the photographer ensure you or your art director fully understands what your marketing message is for this photo shoot. Be certain you have clear ideas of what you want to do and write them down. If you don't know exactly how you want to approach the photo shoot don't worry. Just have a clear understanding of what it is you want the final image to accomplish and how the photo is going to be used and I will take care of all the creative details. Please have all of your ideas in writing before you approach me. The following list will help:
- What do you want photographed?
- Who is your target audience?
- What is the message and "feeling" you wish to portray?
- What ideas do you have of what you want the final photographs to look like?
- How do you wish to use the final photographs and for how long?
- When would you like to start the photo shoot?
- When do you need an estimate by?
- What is your current budget for this photo shoot?
Professional Models or Props
Next, you need to decide whether or not you want to hire professional models and makeup artists through SP&GD or if you need props. I strive to be as creative and professional as possible. However, I understand that many small businesses wish to keep costs down by using friends as amateur models. please keep in mind that this can cost you in the long run. Many times amateur models are difficult to work with and are less likely to do what is necessary for a successful shoot. This can lead to longer shoot times or worse yet, not getting your message across successfully. If you still decide to use amateur models make sure that they are fully aware that they will be in the photo shoot, what they are posing for, how the photos will be used, and that they need to sign a model release. It will be helpful if they read my Tips for Better Portraits.
The use of props may add to your photo shoot by better portraying the message you wish to provide to your audience. This is an investment well worth the extra expense. Many times the prop will tell the whole story. I will do my best to purchase the best quality pops needed at the lowest price. You may even already have the necessary props at hand.
The Day of the Photo Shoot
You will need to make sure all invoices are paid for in full before the shoot. Make sure everyone involved in the shoot is on time and fully prepared. You or a representative of your company will also need to be present incase I need access to rooms or you need to approve the setup. If the photo shoot is done with film, I will contact you in about two weeks to inform you that you can review the photos on my website. If the shoot was taken digitally you may be able to choose on the spot which photos you would like to use or you can review them on my website and choose later. I can also set up an appointment for you to choose the photos for your project in my studio.
How the Estimate is Calculated
It is also helpful to understand how the estimate of the photo shoot is calculated. While time is a factor the most important factor is my creativity and the value of the photograph. The more you would like to use the photograph the greater the value is of the photograph.
I calculate how much creative time I will need to successfully complete your photo shoot, what production and post production fees there will be, the usage rights you need, and when to start the project. I will do my best to stay within your budget. I will then present you with a professional estimate of how much you are investing in your professional image. The value of the photo shoot is calculated as follows:
Creative Fee
+ Pre and Post Production Charges (props, models, assistants, food, makeup artists, film, digital fees, etc)
+ The Image Usage Value
Your Total Image Investment
How The Image Usage Value is Calculated
To make things easier for my clients I have created simple usage rights packages for typical usage. The value of the image usage is calculated by:
- Whether the photo will be used locally, regionally or nationally. It has more value for national distribution.
- The type of media use, such as newspaper or book cover. Permanent media such as CD covers and books are of greater value because they are never discarded or changed such as a newspaper.
- Image size which determines how prominent the image is going to be in the end product. The larger the image, the more impact it has on the design, the greater the value it has.
- Placement. Photos on covers grab attention and sell more products therefore they have a greater value than photos that are inside of a publication.
- Total insertions will determine how many times the photo will be used or printed. The more times you use the image the greater the value it has.
- The circulation or quantity of the media that will be produced. The more viewers the image reaches the greater the value.
- Duration or time span that you need to use the photo. The longer you have the photo, the longer it is delivering results for you and therefore the greater the value of the image.
Image Usage
You might ask, “Who owns the photograph?” The answer is; by copyright law Daniel Sarno / SP&GD has sole copyrights to every photograph I create. You don't often use all of the photos that are taken at the shoot. Usually only a few are chosen. You will only need to use the photos for a short period of time and for limited usage. If you used the photos for too long your audience would get bored quickly and lose interest. Things also change and you will need new photographs. Therefore, if you were to buy the copyrights to the photos you would be spending a lot of money for a photo that you would eventually no longer need to use. This and other benefits are why you license limited use of the photographs from me. You only pay for the time and usage that you need and no more. This allows you to change the photos that you use and save money using them.
After you choose how you wish to use the photo we will send you the terms and conditions agreement for you to sign and return to us. You are required to give Daniel Sarno credit and to send me three copies of the final product that the photo is to be used for. When the agreed upon time period is up you can re-license the images for further use. If you do not wish to continue to license the images you are required to destroy any and all hard/digital copies of the original photo on your computer and discs.
For more information American Society of Media Photographers - ASMP put together this great handbook for “Working with an Architectural Photographer” or “Working with an Assignment Photographer.”