Do you think the purpose of the Creative Call is to give a verbal and preliminary treatment to clients before the actual treatment?
Yes, the creative call is when we introduce our verbal treatment, noticing the back-and-forth reactions sparked by the hot topics clients want to discuss. We use this call to monitor how the 2-way conversation flows, giving us a more concise roadmap to our treatment.
I always put the usage terms “excluding outdoor and broadcast” on my estimates and invoices. Are those still the best two types to call out?
I like to spell out licensing usage terms in this type of format: USAGE (granted upon full payment): 2 years Worldwide Website, Marketing Emails, Social Media Paid and Owned, excluding Digital, OOH, Broadcast, and Streaming. AI rights or AI research rights are not included. *Free Usage Glossary – https://artistmanagementassociation.org/usage-glossary
How do I know what to charge for interior shoots? The scale of projects is all over the place.
Our industry doesn’t have a set rate structure, so pricing can feel like a guessing game. Rates are generally based on usage licensing terms, the size of the company hiring us, and our experience in the various types of photography.
Each photographer has to come up with their midline rates based on previous jobs, the word from others, and where they are in their career and go from there. It will always fluctuate, but the one solid component of negotiation skills is asking for a higher rate than you expect, which can work in your favor.
Do photographers need to be repped anymore?
Photographers, directors, CGI, AI, etc, do not NEED to be repped the way they used to. Years ago, we were the primary means of reaching clients, whereas now clients have a direct path to you. The decision-making question now is: what will serve you the best to secure the most jobs, maximize potential fees, have overall support and marketing outreach on your own or with an agent partner? You can now weigh the odds and see where you stand in your situation.
What steps should you take if you failed to fully deliver on a client project, and how do you bounce back?
I assume an issue arose, and communication had not relayed the proper message. What caused this? How could you have handled this differently? The real fix to this situation is understanding and learning from the experience. React to this client in the manner you wish you had done initially, address this with expertise and professional know-how. Any time we mess up, it can work in your favor by shedding light on an area of our business that needs our attention.
What are the most important things to include in a bid?
Some MUST ADDS to every bid:
1. Specifics of what the bid is based on (image count, variations, amount, and schedule of days, the deliverables, etc.)
2. Usage licensing terms and copyright rights
3. Gear charges even when you own your equipment
4. Timelines and deadlines to clear up how many hours per day are included (pre-overtime), and when and how they will receive the final images
5. Anything you are expecting them to cover or supply
6. Advance invoice amount and date requirements
What is the importance of a “one-sheet” attachment promo in an email sent to a potential client? How many images? And should this promo include any descriptive text about the images, background/bio, pitch, etc., or should all of the text be in the body of the email?
When saying hello in an email, it can be good to have a fast visual sampling that looks like it belongs in that email. The key to a one-sheet promo is that it’s a quick, relatable read of a small number of images only, and does not need that extra step of being clicked to open.
When sending cold emails, is it better to include attached imagery, only links, or both?
I suspect (and have no actual proof), but my inclination is usually to send a link rather than images via email. I may be one of the few agents in the business to say this. Still, I suspect emailing our larger corporate clients’ image attachments will attract more firewall-stopping activity, preventing them from receiving our emails. What is your experience with this?
Are email promos worth the financial investment these days?
Yes, I still think we should be sending mass emails because it’s one marketing effort we can control. It’s worth the price.
How often should you update your site with new work? Quarterly, monthly, or every time you have a shoot that’s portfolio worthy?
A big reveal could attract some buzz, but in general, I don’t see the purpose of waiting, as it’s hard to say how many potential views/jobs we miss out on when we don’t post our work immediately.
