Necessary and Overlooked prices for photo + video production
As a full service photo + video production, we cover everything including: art direction, photography + styling, budget negotiation, talent sourcing/hiring. Each piece is important in order to produce a quality product + bring brands’ vision to life.
Sometimes brands underestimate how much it costs to produce a shoot and often times wonder how did we get to $20,000? Contrary to popular belief, a photographer does not see the entire $20,000. In fact, a photographer’s take away is often 30 - 40% of the total budget. You can’t have a peanut butter + jelly sandwich without jelly.
Creative Directors do their best to meet clients’ budget guidelines without jeopardizing the shoot. On the flip side, brands must understand the cost associated with producing a great shoot. The more a brand pick’s away at the budget, the more likely you’re going to get an unsatisfactory result.
Here are 5 categories that often get overlooked
Models
Models provide a more polished + professional look to your images + guarantees you’ll get the shots you need. Models take direction well + in most instances know how to conduct themselves on sets. A model’s rate includes their hourly rate + likeness usage. There is no running away from usage, even with models. It’s a price that can creep up and significantly increase the budget. Project Estimate: One model can cost $2,000 [Full Day + Usage] at minimum.
Craft aka Food
Folks gotta eat! I’ve sometimes eaten the cost of food for my team while on set and later reimbursed for; however, it should be a separate line item in the budget. I think it’s self explanatory, but no food = no fuel. I’ve assisted on sets where craft was a whole buffet spread for breakfast, lunch and dinner; however, it’s okay to cover breakfast and lunch. Project Estimate: $500 - $750
Manicurist
I have a soft spot for make up artists, hair stylists and manicurists. They are the unsung heroes in this industry and deserve all the credit. Manicurists simply elevate the look of the images, especially if models are photographed with product in hand and very close up images. Trusting the models to come on set with manicured and freshly polished nails is a mix bag and can cause more issues for post production [retouching]. When in doubt, hire a manicurist. Project Estimate: $200 - $1000
Professional Retouching [Color Correction/Skin Retouching]
Professional retouching is a non-negotiable. Full Stop. It’s exploded as an industry the past few years with good reason. Photographers lack the bandwidth and time to hit a deadline because of the volume of work. Seasoned photographers usually have a group of 2-3 retouchers they trust who can replicate their style; however, it’ll cost ya. Optional: A photographer can decide to roll up the retouching price into their rate. Project Estimate: $15 - $150/image [$150/image x 40 images = COINS!]
Prop Stylist
Gone are the days where photographers are also doing the styling for big production sets. Photography + Styling are 2 different functions that require different skill sets. It’s great to be able to do both, but it can become a capacity issue and lead to burnout. The key here is a prop stylist’s job begins BEFORE shoot day. They have to prep and also purchase props/wardrobe. Their compensation includes: Prep Day + Number of Shoots Days + Prop Expenses [Optional Post Wrap Day depending on the complexity of the project] Project Estimate: $2,400 - $5,000
Which line item surprised you? Let me know in the comments!