Is an advance to cover hard costs for production or do you pay the photographer 50% of the fee in advance of the shoot?
The amount of the advance depends on the policy of the client. Sometimes it’s 75% of the expenses or 50% of the total budget, but most often it is to cover the expenses of the shoot and not the photographer’s creative fee.
ASR: How do you see the business changing right now and where do you see it going?
Anonymous NY Art Producer: Budgets are getting smaller, and clients are becoming more savvy with building campaign landscapes. They don’t want just stills, they want content. In addition to static assets that will live in print and OOH, they’re also interested in GIFs and short form content. It’s truly the middle ground between static and broadcast production, everyone across disciplines needs to consider shooting for vertical. Clients are no longer wanting traditional assets like a commercial spot and campaign stills – they want everything.
ASR: How are photographers handling this differently now to make this happen successfully?
Anonymous NY Art Producer: Good question! I would say this is where a photographer has the leg up edge-wise. Tackling this successfully requires a smaller footprint than what’s been done before to solve creative ask. Since photographers have normally worked with a fraction of a traditional broadcast budget, they’re already accustomed to creating with smaller crews and resources. Don’t think shooting motion equates to taking on the same resources as a broadcast production; be tactical, nimble, and resourceful. There are young emerging artists who have proven to achieve more with less, that’s the way of modern production now, and that’s what’s driving client expectations.
What are the best sourcebooks and websites for a photographer to spend their marketing dollars?
Shooting tests is where you should spend your marketing budget, as that is the most direct path to getting jobs. Once your portfolio is where you want it to be, I would suggest the following US options in the commercial advertising world:
At-Edge, Found, Blvd, Wonderful Machine, Production Paradise, Workbook, Drip, LeBook, (new) Komyoon, Altpick, Lurzer Archive, PhotoServe, and Creative Hotlist.
What are your thoughts on testing for a client, at the client’s request. Should you ask for your costs to be covered?
Testing for a client is not an industry standard request. I’m reluctant to encourage you to test for a client because it will most likely mean you won’t have the proper budget to do it right, and the image quality might suffer. If the quality of your work is at risk then I would say it’s not worth it.
Do I need to consider where a brand/agency is located before pitching them? If they’re in another state I might not be able to meet in person and I’m concerned I could lose a job over it.
Communication tends to be done electronically, via online portfolio review, conference calls, video chats, etc, rarely in person. If you think the budget won’t allow for travel, you can always offer to work as a “local” once you get to the budgeting stage. Focus on the jobs you really want… that your body of work supports.
With social media on the rise and people wanting more content for a lower price, are the new budgets unrealistic?
Clients want more content in general to fill their media pipelines, and they want it fast. Adapting to the need for speed in this new world order is essential. Crews tend to be leaner and meaner these days, so it’s important to be able to adapt your shooting style to the budgetary constraints. But be careful not to over-promise on what can be done with lower budgets. You may have to do without line items such as wardrobe, hair & make-up, additional assistants, etc. for the smaller budgets. But being willing to be flexible is key.
After putting together a realistic budget, how do you respond respectfully to a client who tells you that your budget is 10 times what they have to spend?
The way to respond is to not take it personally. This is not about you and any value assigned to your talent. Keep it professional and don’t do anything to damage your reputation. If the budget is not feasible then politely explain that you wouldn’t feel comfortable promising them a level of quality that would be required for the job, and wish them well.
When a client emails and gives you a fee straight away (without asking for your rate), how much room do you think there actually is for negotiating?
When a client tells us their budget up front, most of the time they are telling the truth. If you are ready to potentially risk losing the job then you can test the waters and ask for more.
What kind of usage are you including as part of the creative fee? Is there any kind of standard usage fee?
I don’t know of a standard usage as it always depends on the duration, the location, and the type of usage. The only standard would be “Unlimited usage for an Unlimited duration,” which is more common these days. The one thing I can say as a rep is our favorite work is “reuse” so avoid that “Unlimited” as much as possible.
How often do you get an advance? All I hear, over and over again is, “it takes 30 days to get in the system and process payment,” etc, etc.
This does depend on what industry you are in, but for commercial photography, an advance prior to the start of the shoot is especially important if it is with a new client. I would not begin a shoot without an advance for 50% of the total or 75% of the expenses.
