i'm stuck - what to charge?

I will likely be doing some promotional photos for a musician and i don't know what to charge him.

earlier this year i tooks some concert photos of his band and i got paid 50bucks and i probably put in 20hrs of work for it with shooting, selecting, editing and so on.

this job would be more involved, more technical -- planning, selection etc. -- but i don't want to over-charge. However, i REALLY don't want to be underpaid again. i need to eat, right?

I have a D70 with a few lenses. I'm just starting out, so i don't feel comfortable charging too much.

any advice?

thanks

I am not sure what to tell you but I wanted to say what I am doing. I am taking pictures for a wedding tomorrow...they know this is my first wedding.....I told them that I cannot guarantee anything as I have never done this before. I am charging them $100 plus all rights to the photos. That's it because I can get their pictures developed for that.......and I am primarily doing this for experience.
I know it is a different situation but just thought I would let you know what I did and why. Good Luck!

What I do is charge by the hour, flat rate $20.00/hr + any processing and materials used (if I use film, or get stuff printed). I keep track of my time and present them with a clearly laid out bill.

Since I am a registered business I also have to charge GST and PST (Canadian Taxes)

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Originally Posted by Annie

I will likely be doing some promotional photos for a musician and i don't know what to charge him.

earlier this year i tooks some concert photos of his band and i got paid 50bucks and i probably put in 20hrs of work for it with shooting, selecting, editing and so on.

this job would be more involved, more technical -- planning, selection etc. -- but i don't want to over-charge. However, i REALLY don't want to be underpaid again. i need to eat, right?

I have a D70 with a few lenses. I'm just starting out, so i don't feel comfortable charging too much.

any advice?

thanks

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This depends, are there going be a lot of print sales? Or is this going to be used for promo? If it's a promo your are going to have to figure out if your going to charge a flat rate or by the hour. Twenty hours for $50.00 is slave wages. I my self would charge a flat rate $100-$300 and about $20-$50 per 8 by 10 inch print I think that is still on the low end.

Minimum of $200 for the shoot (but more like $300-$400 to be in line), and $25 ea for 8x10

JS

What's the easiest way to get turned down for a loan? Write down "musician" as your occupation... ;)

Point is, he might not have much of a budget, even with a record deal. Do you feel comfortable asking what his budget is? Charging a few hundred might mean that he asks a friend with a camera to do something quick and simple as a favor. I agree that you would be earning a few hundred, but it might be out of the question. Relying on print sales isn't a good strategy IME...