Pricing for 2 days of shooting a Medical Conference?

[matthew_karsten]

<p>I've been asked to shoot a medical conference, two full days of it. They want digital files only, and will use them on brochures/newsletters/web for future events.</p>

<p>I have no idea what to charge. Not sure what is average for this type of gig. Any suggestions from <em>people who have done this sort of thing before</em> would be appreciated.</p>

<p>(I'm looking for more than "charge what you think you're worth") ;-)</p>

[mikael_karlsson]

<p>Matthew:<br /> <br /> What is your cost of doing business? Take your yearly expenses for insurance, equipment depreciation, taxes, salary to yourself, health insurance, equipment insurance, liability insurance, camera gear purchases, rent, utilities, computer and software purchasing costs, office equipment, retirement etc and add it all up. Then divide by the number of days you work per year and that's your daily cost of doing business. Decide how much profit you want to make, add that to your cost of doing business figure and that should give you a good idea.<br /> <br /> As far as the image pricing goes, in a situation like this I'd make that part of the assignment fee. Are they looking for X amount of images or just blanket coverage of the event, any ceremonies, speakers etc?</p>

[matthew_karsten]

<p>The thing is, I'm not a full timer, and don't plan to be any time soon. I don't know how many days I shoot each year, I don't keep track. I'm sure I should, but I don't. It changes each year. It's a hobby first, source of income second at the moment.</p>

<p>They just want blanket coverage of the event, no set amount of images. I normally charge $100/hr for a few hours of nightclub photography...</p>

<p>If I did that for two days of shooting, it would be $1600. Is that too low? Too high? I just don't want to low-ball them, or ask for more than is normal. Seeing some actual examples of what other people have charged for something similar will just make me feel more confident in giving them a number. </p>

[david_brennan]

<p>I think your $100/hour is probably a pretty good number, considering this sounds like basic event/ grip-and-grin type shooting. Be sure to estimate the amount of post-production time needed afterward prepping files, etc., and add that, too.<br>

David<br>

www.brennanphotography.com</p>

[hal_b]

<p>I think $100/hr for shooting and $75/hr for post processing is expected, at the minimum. If you are only paying yourself $50/hr, your quote will look low. Some pros get paid $500-1000/hr. It really depends on what you are worth. If you don't have years of experience under your belt, you are NOT worth $500/hr, so I wouldn't be so pretentious as to ask that kind of money.</p>

<p>If they expect you to bring an assistant, or lots of lighting gear, I think they will expect to pay more money for your services. The $1600 number sounds like a bargain basement number to me. I think in the neighborhood of $2500 is closer, depending on the kind of time you are going to spend on the pictures after the event, and the kind of deliverables they need. If they need ready-formated images, it will take you some work to produce them.</p>

<p>Of course, if you are going to ask $2500 for a job, you'd better be able to deliver a no-nonsense product that anyone can look at and admit: "Hey, that was worth every penny."</p>

<p>Travel, hotel, and food expenses are extra. Add them to the quote at no markup, and be honest about expenses.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>The going rate here in Washington, D.C., for shooting this type of work is anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 a day depending on who you hire. That's a flat fee -- you shoot, edit out your bad shots and hand everything over on a CD/DVD with the expectation that the images will be used for anything from web sites to brochures to newspaper handouts. Exposure and color need to be correct but extensive post processing should not be required if you shoot properly to start with. If you expect to do much post processing, build it into your price -- customers won't expect to have to pay extra for it. I've both shot conferences myself and hired others to shoot them. The pictures are mostly grip and grins or people chit chatting at parties/receptions, people sitting around conference tables listening, people speaking at a podium, record shots of signage and banners and such. So the shooting is easy but the hours can be long -- meetings can begin with breakfast and there can be dinners in the evening sometimes followed by live entertainment that sponsors always want pictures of. One challenge can be knowing who to shoot and keeping track of who's who. It is very valuable to have someone from the organization along with you to point out who they want shot, especially at receptions where everybody is in a suit and you can't tell their CEO from the VPs.</p>

[matthew_karsten]

<p>Thanks for the responses! Just the stuff I wanted to know. :-)</p>

[alfredo orihuela]

<p>1600 to 2000 Pounds depending on how long these "all day" actually are. 350-500 Pounds for half a day so do your math. </p>