battlemaiden Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I would like to bring a friend with me to the pier when my husband's sub returns from deployment. It will be the first time he holds his baby and I want to capture the moment. I have a friend who is an excellent photographer. Before I ask her I want to know what the going rate might be. I would think it would be comparable to if a photographer went out to the beach to do photos. I will probably just use her digital prints and have them printed on my own, but I want to compensate her for her time. She is also likely to say, "oh, no. It would be my pleasure to come and do this for your family. You don't have to pay me." It would be better if I just called and said, "Hey. I'll pay you X if you'll come to the pier and take photos of our family. Can you make it that day?" Any photographers out there? Any families have this done recently? I have never ever had a professional photograph of our family. I'm clueless. Thanks for your input. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 My husband charges $300 per hour, or a flat day rate of (gosh, I don't recall the number) for six or more hours. I know for certain, however, that if a military wife asked him to do what you are requesting, he wouldn't charge a cent. He would be so honored to give that sort of gift to a family like yours, Jo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battlemaiden Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 My husband charges $300 per hour, or a flat day rate of (gosh, I don't recall the number) for six or more hours.I know for certain, however, that if a military wife asked him to do what you are requesting, he wouldn't charge a cent. He would be so honored to give that sort of gift to a family like yours, Jo. Ah gee, Crissy. You're sweet. And my friend is sweet. She is also a submariner's wife (a really, scary high ranking submariner no less...scary because he wears a lot of gold on his uniform, not because he's mean...he's really nice...he has a garden:D). Wow! $300 is more than I would have thought, but that is exactly why I wanted to ask. I want to be fair and not embarrassingly low in my offer of compensation. Is that just the photography? Or does that include prints/proofs etc? Your husband's rate is probably standard, but I haven't had photographs taken since my wedding...and my parents took the bill on that one. ;) Thank you for your kind words, and your experience in this area. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Wow! $300 is more than I would have thought, but that is exactly why I wanted to ask. I want to be fair and not embarrassingly low in my offer of compensation. Is that just the photography? Or does that include prints/proofs etc? . The fee covers his photography and a disk of all the images. He doesn't hold copyrights on his work (save for the professional sports teams-that's a different matter altogether). His position is that family photographs (or senior photos, baby pictures, etc.) belong to the subject, and his clients should be able to do anything they wish with their images. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 That's exactly what my husband charges. But when I explained your situation and asked if he'd give a discount in that scenario, he was offended by the idea of charging at all, as if I were insulting him. (Men are funny.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 That's exactly what my husband charges. But when I explained your situation and asked if he'd give a discount in that scenario, he was offended by the idea of charging at all, as if I were insulting him. (Men are funny.) Sometime I think we're married to the same man. Is your husband home on Tuesdays and Thursdays? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MgoBlue Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I don't know if there's anyone near you in Hawaii, but have you checked out operation love united? oplove.org... They are photographers who offer their services for deployed servicepeople and their families. It's worth a shot. G.L. Paula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 A friend of mine has just started her own photography business in GA. As a newbie, she charges $100 for a one-hour maternity shoot, $150 for up to 3 hours on newborn shoots, and $150 for up to 1.5 hours of "event" shoots, not including weddings. As a friend, she's insisted on waiving fees for certain things in exchange for allowing her to use the pictures in her portfolio to promote her work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 If your friend is a professional with a business I'd not offer her a set amount of money, but ask her how much she would charge to come take the photos for you - mentioning you would take over the getting prints, etc. Let her, as a professional, decide what (if anything) to charge for her time - she may already be booked, after all, or have to decline another job for your shoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I gave an aquaintance $50 to shoot our family holiday photo. She is not a professional photographer, but she has a great camera and loves taking photos. It took her about an hour to check lighting, take the photo and download the pics to our laptop. I asked about her rate when I booked the appointment, but she refused to charge us. So I put the $50 in a thank you card and handed it to her when she left. She later thanked me and told me how she spent the money so I guess it worked out OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I know a gal who is an upstart photographer. She did our newborn's photos for free in exchange for the chance to work with a newborn and permission to use his photos in her portfolio. She did our family beach photos for 100.00. She gives us a disk with all of the photos on it and will edit any photos at no additional charge. She does not hold copyright on the images. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battlemaiden Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 Thanks everyone. This friend *could* have her own business. She is excellent. I've been in her home and seen her work. She has taken photos of my kids at events and then sent them to me and I'm always so impressed. She does the type of photography I love- natural, unposed, capture the moment and expressions of children- but, no, she doesn't have a business. Her military-wife role is very demanding. I think you have all given me a better idea of what an hour or two is worth for a photographer, and that is exactly what I needed. Thanks, thanks, triple thanks. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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