How much a photographer earns?

[noze]

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I know its fun to be a photographer, whether you do it full time, freelance or part time.
Just how much do you earn?

[teeemoy]

me, zerow.

[abortretryfail]

somehow... that doesn't sound like an appropriate question to ask someone

[dnaimagery]

In the states I used to charge about P6,700 p/hour, but in cebu...I can charge P1,000 p/hour....hahaha

[peewee_toot]

how about kung per photo?

[mokiloo]

somehow... that doesn't sound like an appropriate question to ask someone

true...true

[abortretryfail]

I think the better thing to do is give an idea how to price properly

Here's one thing I wish I found when I first started out as a working photographer...
it's the answer to an age-old question I kept asking which no other photographers
would give me a straight answer to... the same photographers who would later chide me
when the rates I finally gave out were considered too low... so.. How do I price my work?

After looking around I found out how to calculate the Cost of Doing Business.

Basically, you add up the cost of your gear, bills, rental, salaries, and other overhead
costs/investments and then divide that by the estimated number of days you actually
expect to be shooting. The resulting figure is your cost of doing business (CODB) That
would give you a guide on how much you need to charge per shooting day to at least
break even.

Remember... the resulting figure is a guide of your operation costs for one shooting day.
It is not the figure you charge to your client. Experience, expertise, skill, difficulty, risks, usage
rates, and other factors like production costs (transportation, salaries of assistants, etc..
basically your other expenses for the shoot) will play on how much the final rate will be for that
project. Charging anything lower then your CODB means you shouldn't be in the business.

So for example...

45,000 = cost of camera kit
15,000 = cost of flash
5,000 = cost of basic strobist kit
10,000 = cost of cellphone (hey... you need to be in touch somehow)
75,000 = total investment

This is an important number as gear breaks down so you would need to build this up again
to cover repairs or gear replacement. From my experience a camera body will only last two
years of good use. By then it's showing a considerable amount of wear and tear with parts
refussing to function.

Now you need to divide this by the number of days you will be actually earning money.
Say you plan to work weekends and hope to book one shoot a week so that's 4 days of
shooting a month... 48 days per year (4 x 12)

75,000
÷ 48 days
1,562.50 per photography day needed to get ROI

PLUS your salary as a photographer... you got to earn something

10,000 monthly salary
÷ 4 photography days
2,500 per day


1,562.50 ROI for gear
+ 2,500 salary
4,062.50 total cost per photography day

Don't forget other expenses...

500 = assistant
500 = transportation allowance
500 = food allowance (in case the client doesn't feed you)
500 = misc. (batteries, lens wipes, etc...)
2,000 additional expenses

4,062.50 total cost per photography day
+ 2,000 additional expenses
6,062.50 daily total Cost Of Doing Business

So if you charge anything less than 6,062.50 per shoot then better stick to your day job.
Just to break even you would need earn 24,250 per month... 291,000 a year to keep your
business going. Set a photography rate of 7,500/day or so for profit margin.

Not bad for 4 days of work? Well, you need to spend the other 26 days per month looking for
clients to hire you for those 4 days... or you won't have anything to shoot.

Quite a lot just to earn 10,000 a month as a photographer

Now this is a VERY CONSERVATIVE example. This does not include your phone bill, expenses
for marketing, electricity for using your computer to edit/burn photos, and a whole lot more!!!

To help you out I've made a CODB Calculator you can download and customize...

[click here to download CODB Calculator]

how about kung per photo?

There are price guides available to photographers for usage of photos based on size of print,
duration, circulation, where it is to be published, and so on.

Check this website for example with calculators for Advertising, Editorial, and Corporate use:

Stock Photo Price Calculator

Unfortunately it's not Philippines based but it gives you an idea.

Now where does usage come into play for commissioned work?

CODB + USAGE = COST OF PHOTOGRAPHY

And for weddings and other special events

CODB + PRINTS, ALBUMS, etc... = COST OF PACKAGE

The problem with usage is not many of your clients will accept having to pay for usage so
sometimes you should add it in to your rate instead. Getting a client to pay for re-use of the
photos they paid you to do is a lot harder.

And remember THIS IS NOT FOR "WORK FOR HIRE" SITUATIONS. Work For Hire is when
the client makes you sign a contract transferring COPYRIGHTS TO THEM. If this is the case
your charge should be higher... maybe basing it on estimated potential profit you could have
earned from reselling the photos. Avoid this when possible... protect your copyrights always.

Well, just my 2¢... but I hope it helps.

[sercor::jhumzki]

In the states I used to charge about P6,700 p/hour, but in cebu...I can charge P1,000 p/hour....hahaha

sa akong nahibaw.an, 200 per photo naa man ganiy 50 \m/

[noze]

Thank you abortretryfail
That is very informative.

I really want to engage in Photography very soon..
I have been reading books and they really inspired me.


Here's a quote that fits you nick sir, its from one of the books I read..
"If you’re not failing every now and again, you’re not moving — not growing." - Nancy Rotenberg

[teeemoy]

@abortretryfail....thanks for the post. you really put things in perspective. nice work!