Questions to ask when making a bid.
Q: I WAS RECENTLY CALLED TO QUOTE EMPLOYEE AND LOCATION SHOTS FOR A MEDICAL OFFICE. IN THE INITIAL CALL, I ASKED EMPLOYEE COUNT? WEB USAGE? WEB AND PRINT USAGE? COUNT FOR PRINT USAGE? WHAT OTHER QUESTIONS WOULD YOU SUGGEST ASKING?
A: I think you covered the main stuff. You might want to ask about the style of photography they are looking for. Do they want a studio-looking portrait? Environmental portrait? Conservative? Do they want “different” but don’t know exactly what that means? You might also ask if they want hair and make-up. A lot of the corporate work I do has a hair and make-up artist on set.
You can also ask if they have a budget. Some say you shouldn’t ask that question and some say you should; I typically do ask about budget.
If they say, “We don’t have a budget,” then you make a bid and see where it goes from there. They may say, “$500,” and you were thinking $5,000 as a ballpark figure. At this point, the conversation has to get serious.
“Let me put a bid together for you. It’s going to be far more than $500, though. I’ll let you know that up front and I might not be the photographer for you. I’ll get the bid to you and let’s talk from there. Maybe we can find some things to compromise on.” You never know. Don’t write them off. I’ve taken those calls only to be surprised later when they realized their budget was way off and they decided to spend the money on getting the job done correctly.
Sometimes folks just don’t know what photography costs. I have no idea how much it costs to have a 60-second jingle written and recorded. If I needed one I’d think I could get one for $500 or so. It’s just a 60-second jingle; how hard could that be? I bet you anything that someone reading this who has experience in the 60-second jingle industry can tell me the ins and outs of writing jingles and how $500 isn’t going to get me very far. I don’t know. So the person calling says, “$500.” You educate them on what you do, what you offer, the value you bring, and then they decide if that’s worth it to them.
I say this to say—I see too many photographers bitch and moan about “stupid” people who don’t understand the value of what they do. Look, a lot of folks don’t know what professional photography costs. They aren’t stupid. I could bitch and moan that all these folks asking me questions about photography are stupid.
Why don’t you know all this stuff? Oh yeah, because you’re new. You’re just getting started. You don’t know because you don’t know; it’s not because you’re stupid.
Back to budget talk:
If they say $4,000 and you’re thinking $5,000 then you thank them for their call and you put a formal bid together. Maybe you stick to your guns and hope they go for $5,000. Maybe you tweak your numbers and get it to $4,200. At least you know you are in the right neighborhood.
Then there are times you’re thinking $5,000 and they come back and say they have $7,000 for the job. “Yeah, I’ll get a bid together for you. I can work in your budget.”
Now then—don’t get greedy here. Don’t just inflate all your numbers to make a money grab. If you can honestly do it for $5,000 and it’s a fair price, then bid $5,000 on it. You just made their day. You don’t look like an opportunist, either. You actually look honest. Score for you! If that extra $2,000 can actually make the job better then tell them that you can do it for $5,000, but if they have a budget of $7,000, then you can add hair and make-up and a digital tech to help move the day along better, and get the files turned around faster. You state your base price under their budget but let them know that the extra budget can add some things to make the job better.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Location photography. Sometimes you find these amazing places, with amazing details, texture, views, light, and the like. Then there’s the other 90% of the time when you just have to find something wherever you land, and make the most out it.
Take a look at this photo from a workshop I taught. Where is this location? What city? What time of day was this image shot? I really wish I had taken an overall shot of this location.
This photo was shot in West Hollywood. We were in a back alley at ten o’clock at night. Directly to the left and to the right of our model, Sasha, are some pretty filthy dumpsters filled with some pretty nasty-smelling garbage. But it’s so green and flowery and pretty! I know, right? I’m telling you—photography is a lie.
You don’t need much—just a few feet of a background, a bit of light, something to modify that light, and some good direction for your subject. “I know I have you standing in between these nasty dumpsters, and I know it smells like death, but trust me. It’ll be fine.”
There’s a location for anything just about anywhere. You just need a little bit. It has been said that composition is what you include in the photo as well as what you exclude from the photo. No one needs to know we were in a nasty back alley at night. As an editorial photographer, you learn very quickly to find useful backdrops in any location where you find yourself.
Also, need some nice pretty light for cheap that can be used anywhere? A 60″ shoot-through umbrella can be had for $30 from B&H (get their house brand, called Impact). Throw that thing up over your shoulder, fire a light through it, and call it a day. It’s simple, effective, affordable, clean, and easy like Sunday morning. Or Thursday night. In an alley. By the dumpster.
Canon 5D Mk II / 24–70mm @ 24mm / f4 @ 1/160th @ ISO 400 / Nikon SB80-DX flash in a 60″ shoot-through umbrella placed over my right shoulder.