How much to charge for Automotive Photography? and how do you know when you're ready?
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- čas přidán 8. 03. 2022
- In this video I go into how to tell if your ready to start charging for Automotive photography, how much you should charge and how to discuss it with clients. Its a tough concept and people often get this wrong or just don't know where to start. I give my thoughts and tips on getting better rates from your automotive photography clients.
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/ oliver_lundy_photography - Jak na to + styl
Thank you for sharing your knowledge, Ive noticed that all of my my weekends consist me editing car photos nonstop to the point I'm loosing interest.. then I told myself no more free shoots, after doing some research I found this video and I really appreciate you kinda setting a standard on what should be charged.
Great video! People from England are so dam SMART! 💯
I'm a full time teacher and have been wanting to make the transition to part-time teacher and part-time automotive photographer, but it's a tough transition. Thanks for sharing these insights!
Well good luck with your mission, I hope some of these help you out. 👍 let me know if there is anything else I can do a video on that might help you.
If you're trying to make the transition to being able to charge for your work, it can often seem like a long, hard slog. Videos like this don't just represent awesome advice, they're also massive motivation - cheers as always Oliver!
Thanks Neil!!! Glad it was useful! It really can be hard and it's hard to know where you are at sometimes too. Hopefully many of us make it through and and can start doing great and fun work.
i currently work for a local mazda and kia car dealerships but previously i have worked for other dealerships like honda, toyota, mercedes, ford, nissa, landrover and jaguar. and the pay always varies.
currently i get paid hourly, previously i gotten paid per vehicle.
the pay is low when you work for dealerships but i enjoy it. i learn a lot about vehicles and learning more about photography since i did not know anything about it.
Yeah there is a huge range of work and relative pay put there. Especially if you are talking about relatively basic , used car photos. Dealerships for the more affordable brands run on pretty tight margins. You know what they say luxury margins are only in luxury products. But even then dealers are not going to pay loads for basic, all be it technically well done, photography. They can just hire a young person on basic pay to do that kind of thing. If you want to go up the pay levels you have to offer them something they both want or need and that others can't offer them. Social media content, creativity, high quality prints, etc and even then most won't be in a position to commission it. But that's the game, get yourself out there. Make the relationships build the trust. Trust a d reliability go along way to get consistent bussiness.
This was one of the best explanations I have seen so far! Thank you very much for that! Its been really really helpful! I had really similar thoughts about the topic myself, so this was quite a good reassurance that my way of thinking was kinda correct :))
Also good work mate! I love your photos!
Tha ks buddy really appreciate that!!!
Great video. I’m an automotive videographer and I work full time for a local porsche dealer managing their social media content.
I want to grow my business and charge more. There is an automotive videographer I watch and he has his rates posted to his site. For a 2-3 minute CZcams video with 1 car and 1-2 locations he charges $2,500 which is an amazing amount and I wish I could charge the same but there’s no way I could see myself charging that. He also leans towards filming high end cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini and porsche. I like JDM cars like GTRs and Nissan 240sx etc. but those types of clients usually would not book me at a rate even half of that.
Yeah it's hard knowing to charge and what you can charge. And you can ratchet up your pricing when you start talking about projects, multiple days of filming assistants, extra production costs etc. But I have found that working on your product and improving your offer over time will enable you to slowly ratchet up your pricing.
So much to learn from this video. Thanks Oliver.
Glad it was useful!
Amazing video oliver. Some great advice here. I'm not confident enough at the moment to charge. I have had people ask how much, most have been for free so far. 1 shoot recently he gave me a free takeaway from his Italian takeaway (only about £30) but got a shoot off the back of it from a friend of his, he was adamant to pay me, I said £30, he paid me.£40 and loved the work.
Keep on with the great advice and videos, super helpful. Any way to combat self doubt with the photography you do.
Thanks for such a great comment and welcome with your recent shoot. You will be amazing how quickly you can up your prices and get more shoots. Keep shooting keep learning and it will come.
I saw one of your work today with McGee, damn! That McLaren pictures look so so amazing! I have to look your channel to subscribe… you are so great!
Why thank yue very much!! And welcome to to the channel!
Great advice, will be using this hopefully later this year / next year when I get to that point :)
Hell yes buddy! You will be smashing it before you know it!!!
Great video, it's nice to hear someone talking about this! It's indeed a difficult topic when facing clients, especially when you're in the transition phase from 'hobby' to 'pro'. Of course there's no sample answer to this question, it always depends on the situation. But I feel like I did learn something new from your video! Much appreciated! Greetings from Luxembourg
Thanks for the comment. And hello Luxembourg! Glad you got something from the video. I feel like there is more on this subject to be said so I might do a follow up at some point with more info.
@@OliverLundy Well I just subscribed and added many of your older videos to my watch later playlist, so I‘ll see you in the comment section of another video!
@@Fe12TB great thanks!!!!
Thanks for the advice. I'm just starting to think of how to turn my passion into a job, but it is a struggle to get that first paying client :)
Yeah it really can be, but It will happen with time as yiu get more and more we'll known and you encounter more people. Keep the grind going until its bo longer a grind.
Great advice! Thank you
Glad it was useful! Hooe it helps you.
As someone who recently has been building a portfolio I really appreciate this video! I was fortunate enough to find one of those perfect clients right away who valued my work, paid, and was ecstatic with the results. It felt very rewarding.
I am curious, do you primarily shoot automotive photography or do you dabble in many different types of photography/videography?
I’m thinking about getting into real estate photography to get more consistent work/pay while building my automotive portfolio at the same time since that’s what I’m passionate about. I just can’t force myself to work another corporate job where I’m depressed and miserable so I really want to make this work
Glad it was useful, it is hard at the beginning. I do other types of photography too, and I also work a full time job. It is hard to make automotive you only gig but it can be done. Look into track work and events. The skills you have and will learn as you get better are certainly useful in other areas. And you can build up as you go. I do weddings, video work events, portraits the lot. It all helps.
Very good advices !
Thanks, glad it was useful for you.
Great video, Is it £250 per car? I didn’t understand when you said per session? Do you cover multiple cars in one session, if yes how many minimum and maximum cars. Also does this charge include photography and videography both ?
Very well done. Information direct and relevant. Setting can
"conversation" made me feel like we were finishing drinks after an excellent meal. And yes a lot of rude a**** will want it all for free. But start high and offer special discounts for friends or the nice people at the cars and coffee that you have pestered for the last 3 years. And yes I am talking about me.
Just found your channel and putting it on the list next to LastXWitness ;)
Hey thanks for the great feedback! Glad you liked it. Will have some more stuff soon I hope.
@@OliverLundy I’ve upgraded from D3400 to D850. Shooting cars and motorcycles mostly at meet ups. Struggling between using Nikon 70-300 at around 80-100 5.6 to 8 . But images look like shot on toy camera.
Focus always soft. DOF small.
Trying a Nikkor 50.
Are you till hot on the 80 1.8
Do you find issues with distortion when doing motorcycles?
@jeffreykeeney5363 many factors go into focus, but lens quality is one of them. I love the 85mm 1.2 I have. Its my go to for almost everything. Partly because it has no distortion. That usually only comes from 35mm and wider.
Great video 👍
I have a little problem that people normally think it's not worth it to pay even though if they pay for less talented photographers afterwards which confuses me a lot but I always thought it's the way I introduce myself or maybe I wasn't confident enough
Alot depends on how to tell them your prices and what questions you ask them. A little time invested in basic sales methods might really help. Confidence is a bit part of it filer sure. Using phrases like my usual rates, etc instill the idea that you do this all the time.
@@OliverLundy thanks for the advice, gonna use that
From a professional photographer, my advice is , depending on the product, I do Architectural mainly, you can make for free if its an amazing product. I m still doing some for free, or I just contact and explain: I like your product, its amazing, do you mind that I shoot it? And usually it gives you imense exposure. If you have to shoot a car dealer, offer to shoot one car for free, ask for the best or a beast car , and in this way, you train yourself with a super car, if it goes well you get imense exposure, and it can open doors for more shoots.
This is great advice. Doing anything to build relationships a d get in front of people and show them your work is massive.
This was awesome video I am a photographer I do portraits and family but what to go in to car photographing as to help me gain some extra funds and o will do as u have said start off with free one at first then start of small amount of change one question how many phots should I get in one session in average to make it worth it
Thats a good question. My forst reaction is at least 1 really good one. But i usually aim to deliver 10 to 20 final images with the detail images included. But it all depends on how long a session you have etc.
Thank you
Hey, glad ot was helpful.
Great to hear
Glad to help.
@@OliverLundy do you accept sponsors?
@@clippingpathcreativeltd depends on the sponcer.
How much to charge per car for photo and video in USA?
Great video, how much would you charge for licensing individual images for commercial work, online and print usage, also buyouts and how about retouching costs?
Hi Alan, thanks for the question. Unfortunately it all depends, on the client, the use, exclusive or not, your area, etc etc. A good tactic is to ask the client what they usually pay or what there budget is. Then gage your responce from there.
Thanks for the answer. I assume that’s where the moneys at with licensing etc. the day rate is just your time to capture the shots. Do you charge extra for your retouching work as I can imagine that can sometimes take longer than the shoot itself, if so, is it the same charge as your day rate?
@@leeb0y I tend to charge for my time, per project, that can include the editing and retouching. I have yet to manage to licence a photo to someone as brands want to be part of the creative process rather than licence an existing photo.
@@leeb0y retouching is part of the process unless you're working with a company that wants to use their own retouchers. An unretouched photo is worth a fraction of the price so you should build that into your cost/time. It should never be optional to put out a final product of mediocre, unretouched photos that just hurts your brand image
Some nice pix but why only an Insta link ? Don't you have a website ?
Not at the moment, that is in the pipeline. But thanks!
@@OliverLundy Good. Think about Flickr too...
So recently I was asked what I charge for car photo shoot and I said $100 after asking a buncha people I know. I totally should've gone with my gut and initial thought and said I charge $50 or less. Got left on read after replying 😔 I've done a handful of car photo shoots. Kinda sad rn. Feels like I'm never gonna be contacted again or reached out to for shoots. It's just my anxiety but I'm stressin and depressed Ong.
Don't let it get you down. There will be alot of people who wouldn't pay for a shoot with the world's best simply becuasr they don't value photography in general. Try not to take it personally their perception of value doesnt have to dictate how you feel about your own work. Automotive photographery can be hard to break into. And I still get way more work from companies rather than individuals. Keep going, amd don't let people who want you to do hours of work for almost no money get you down. They will never be good clients. And having good clients is worth the wait.
You don't want that client anyway, he'll go with whoever is lowest priced then complain the whole time and badmouth you afterwards. You didn't have the $50 anyway so you didn't lose anything except a lot of headache
how about motorcycle
Hi, basically everything applies, with the added bonus that you can take a motorcyle almost anywhere.
Just tell people you have a waiting list even when you don’t. They think you’re greater than what you are and wait. Get a deposit too
These tactics can work but can sometimes backfire. Be careful with it. But a deposit is a good idea if you can.
2000 for a "top" commercial photographer shooting for car brands is a joke. Need to add a zero
I had no idea the top commercial giys could charge that much. That's amazing.
@@OliverLundy actually add 1 or sometimes 2 zeros!
@@ThePhotographyRebuttal that's crazy town money. 😆😆