Niteclub photography - What to charge

[wheaty78]

Hi all, Ive been approached to do some photography for a local niteclub, for 2 hours per night on an ongoing basis.. Just random pics of people in the club, no editing involved. Any suggestions on what I should charge?

[wheaty78]

I was thinking of an doing it as an hourly rate. Thoughts?

[junqbox]

FYI- There's been a few similar discussions on this topic previously. a little search might bring up some gems. ;-)

[wheaty78]

Thanks Jungbox, I had a bit of a search but I couldn't find anything quite relevant.

[ricktas]

How much do you want to make? I think that is the question, we need to ask you. Once you know how much you want to make, work out what it costs you to do the gigs. Petrol, time, editing etc. Once you know your costs, add on the amount you want to make, and there you have it..what to charge!

[wheaty78]

Thanks Rick, I'm a little torn. This is something Im definately interested in doing, so that is a draw. At the same time, I know that the manager is also reviewing other options, so I dont want to price myself out. But I dont want to do it for pittance either. The place is fairly close, so petrol isnt a huge factor. They just want basic images, with no editing, so the only PP required would be Raw conversion.

[ricktas]

You say it is 2 hours on an ongoing basis. Is this one night a week, two nights, etc?

How much do you think you are worth.. $75 a night..$200 a night. Is the nightclub really popular and packed..thus he would be making a heap frrom the bar, or is it a more relaxed environment? We need to know all this to give you any idea what the owner might think is reasonable, and what you think is reasonable.

We need as much information as possible. I could tell you I want to build a retaining wall, and you supply blocks, and I ask how much. You cannot give me any idea until you know if I just want cement blocks, or fancy ones, and which type, cause each block could be $1.50 or $15.00.

[Wayne]

Hmm, these gigs are never money spinners. bar owners are often like the media, want you to bring the gear, do the work and pay peanuts while they have the audacity to charge $8-10+ for a beer!!

Consider yourself, your gear and any implications of a public liability working around people often very drunk...The insurance you should have (unless you can be paid as an employee and therefore be covered under the venue policy) would probably cost more than the gig pays. Think about insurance for your gear too, DSLR + liquid ingress is a poor mix.

[mini696]

What do they want to do with the shots? Are they for club promotion, or to sell to the patrons at a later date?

[Cyza]

I think a good idea might be to get in contact with some other night club photographers in the area, here in suburban Melbourne just about every night club has a regular photographer, and all their work is published via the clubs FB page, more often than not there is a link to the photographers page or any email or some form of contact. You probably won't find out what they are getting paid, but should be able to find out other valuable information such as whether they've ever had there gear damaged, how long do the raw conversions take, do they have insurance etc.

Good luck with this, would be curious as to how much you are offered as this is something I'd be potentially considering in the future :)

[reaction]

In the end if they don't want to pay they'll find a freebie somewhere. So just charge what you'd like, don't bother trying to quote to their intention.

The moment you hear a client mention 'no editing required' implies they think your DSLR is a glorified P&S and that you should be happy for the exposure and experience. They're expecting to pay peanuts.

[Danielle10]

Agree with what's been said above.
I've do e some music gigs, they want to pay u bugger all and use the line "it will get your name out there" Yada Yada
Tell them what u think your worth, if they want to pay u they will.