How Much Should I Pay a Photographer in the UK
In a sea of competition here in Newcastle Photographers are ten-a-penny! An ironic phrase to use when talking about what a professional photographer’s time is worth. So how much exactly should we expect to pay for business photography when we look up ‘a photographer near me’ or ‘best headshot photographer Newcastle’ for a photoshoot?
What is Website photography?
So many folk need a photographer for online imagery as almost all businesses whether big or small have a website. Today websites are so accessible and easy to build, not a luxury as they once were but instead a necessity and an expectation from the consumer. What comes with this is a need for imagery introducing the company, the product or services offered, the premises, maybe the office interiors for recruitment purposes and the folk making it all happen of course. Maybe even captured with a smile!
With the growing need for imagery online, businesses have to represent themselves as authentic, so real people, not using ‘stock’ imagery of strangers posing as ‘the company’ like many businesses did a decade ago! So Photographers in Newcastle are now in great demand to document events, capture team headshots, products and services in realistic, honest and attractive photography.
How much should a photographer charge per day?
Time is a Photographer’s product so most professionals charge by the hour or offer block booking packages that encompass a day or half day shooting. To look at the going rates we might need to break it down into categories as not all types of photographers charge the same rates for the same types of photography. Here are some sample costs;
Portraits & Headshots
- THE PUBLIC; Fees for individual members of the public range between £100- £500 depending on the package offering and volume of shots obtained. £100 might get you a short 20-30 minute session and a small handful of images, say 1-5.
- CORPORATE TEAMS; Fees for corporate teams of a large volume often shot in a set up studio with lights and backdrop, may be per head from £40 with a minimum number eg 10 then up to 100 people or more in a day. Corporate staff shots of high volume all shot in the same way, can mean conveyor belt approach and means a lower fee per head.
- BESPOKE EDITORIAL; Meet the Team’ profiles can also have a bespoke approach to capture characters and atmosphere of a working environment. A photographer may need to look at company’s brand guidelines and other environmental factors so this will take more time and therefore a higher fee per person. This bespoke approach however, will result in a higher end look and feel which projects a sense of pride and care and attention to detail to a company’s credentials. This approach may need a half day or full day’s shooting time depending on your team’s availability. A sample cost would be a team of 8 needing 15-30 minute slots depending on the variety required therefore taking 2-4 hours and around a £500-£1000 fee.
How much should a photographer charge per day?
Time is a Photographer’s product so most professionals charge by the hour or offer block booking packages that encompass a day or half day shooting. To look at the going rates we might need to break it down into categories as not all types of photographers charge the same rates for the same types of photography. Here are some sample costs;
Portraits & Headshots
- Fees for individual members of the public range between £100- £500 depending on the package offering and volume of shots obtained. £100 might get you a short session and a small handful of images.
- Fees for corporate teams of a large volume often shot in a set up studio with lights and backdrop, may be per head from £40 with a minimum number eg 10 then up to 100 people or more in a day. Corporate staff shots of high volume all shot in the same way, can mean conveyor belt approach and means a lower fee per head
- Meet the Team’ profiles can also have a bespoke approach to capture characters and atmosphere of a working environment, looking at a company’s branding guidelines and other environmental factors. will take more time and therefore a higher fee per person resulting in a more bespoke and higher end look and feel- projecting this to your clients. This could be a half or full day’s shooting time depending on your team’s availability. A sample cost would be a team of 8 needing 15-30 minute slots depending on the variety required therefore taking 2-4 hours and around a £500-£1000 fee.
Photography Packages – set fees all inclusive
Some photographers will include drone photography or some moving image/video filming and editing in their daily rates in addition to regular stills. So ask what is included and if they have any restrictions on usage.
How much is a photographer per hour?
Photographers often have different ways of covering a project whether images of a newly fitted interior for a design company or maybe coverage of an event for press articles or for promotion for next year’s events. Some Photographers will cover their time by shooting then charging the client per image. Others will shoot for the allotted time commissioned by the client and hand over all images that are shot in that period of time.
It’s up to you to find out what their working process is and so make sure that it is all clear and transparent. Check what their delivery deadlines are so you are not waiting around for images on their terms. Particularly if you need a speedy turnaround and bear in mind this will need to be highlighted ahead of the shoot so the photographer can schedule the edit process before the shoot begins.
Some photographers charge a minimum fee for these type of shoots so don’t be surprised if a shoot for an hour costs what would be expected of two. A photographer packs their equipment prior to the shoot and there is a good deal of work post shoot too so a call out will need to cover time that you don’t even see!
Why do photographers charge so much?
The costs a photographer is covering with their fees:
- Camera and lighting kit
- Transport
- Assistant – either at the shoot, in pre shoot prep or post shoot edit time
- Software rights and usage- editing, studio management, client galleries
- Insurance
- Studio premises
- Equipment hire or ownership
- Marketing strategy and delivery
- Accountancy and tax
- Training
- Website hosting and management
What is a good Photographer?
I’m wrinkly but I’m knowledgeable! At 53, I see the grooves on my face as my ‘Unique Selling Point’ over younger less experienced photographers! Why? Well, when you book an experienced professional they are more likely to have a fine tuned service and product ensuring no disappointment or money wasted. Choosing a photographer may feel like a gamble as no photography is cheap but you absolutely ‘get what you pay for’ and so by spending a little more per hour you often ensure it is money well spent.
I regularly hear horror stories of Photographers who have let companies down by cancelling shoots at the last minute, not fully understanding the brief and not delivering to expectation, with some taking weeks to deliver photos. Ugh! Here is how to avoid that with the benefits to paying more. This article will give you as a client, an idea of how an experienced photographer will operate;
A Professional Photographer who is well experienced will be almost guaranteed to;
- Understand how to help staff relax in a headshot or editorial portrait
- Be great at direction and taking control (to direct and compose much like a film director would)
- Communicate effectively and thoroughly, so extracting all the information that they need from their client to deliver the images they need
- Use natural or artificial light skilfully to create images that are well lit- not too dark and grubby and not too light and ‘blown out’ or pasty
- Capture natural moments as they happen so images look genuine
- Not overly edit the images to appoint of looking ‘fake’ or overworked
- Reassure you as they shoot by sharing the images and their thought processes
- Be clear and confident on their fees quoted upfront and for their payment and delivery terms to be transparent
- Be an efficient problem solver as every shoot will have at least one challenge!
- Understand lighting, natural or artificial- the key to great photography!
- Edit carefully removing the duff images and sending a selection of only perfect usable shots
- Keep strong communication throughout the project so the client feel well looked after
How do I pick a photographer?
- Look at their imagery, are they consistent or is some imagery good and some poor quality?
- Ask to see a full set of mages supplied for a single shoot if you are not sure
- Look at how they use light- are the images clean and sharp or ‘grubby’ in appearance
- Do people look tense in the photos? Study their eyes!
- Do their photos look like they are genuine situations or stiff and staged
- Do the images look heavily edited? If so, they are not capturing images correctly in their camera and have a large need to correct after the shoot.
- Do the photos please you to the eye?
- Do the images tell a story and serve their purpose well?
- Does the photographer have social media and public profiles with imagery that is consistent across all platforms?
- Do they have reviews and are they genuine, not AI? (Look for repetition in the size of review, the rhythm of words and repeated words as these are AI tendencies)
- Can they supply you with a ‘rate card’ that means all clients get charged the same fee?
- Are their compositions interesting?
- Do they use colour well?
Here’s what you should be saying about your photography service!
“Working with Sarah and Dan was an absolute dream! We booked Sarah for some team shots and individual headshots and we were so happy with the experience and the results. All of us on the team were so comfortable with Sarah and her direction, nothing was too much and all of our suggestions were given a go!
It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and we were guided by a truly knowledgeable team in Sarah and Dan. The resulting photos have blown us all away! I highly recommend Sarah to anyone! Thank you Sarah :) ”
Yasmin Johnson – Lead Candidate
“Sarah is amazing, I have commissioned her a number of times and her work is of the highest quality, professional and creative. Would highly recommend.”
Kathryn Brennan- Health Innovation NE NC
How do I find the best photographer for my business?
- Is the imagery in their galleries a good fit for your brand? Ie fresh and modern, approachable and friendly or formal and conservative etc.
- Do they present themselves in a way that matches your own team or brand?
- Do they have pride in their work?
- Is their branding and marketing of good quality?
- Ask yourself what is most important to you eg low fees, creative eye or good communication-you may not get all three!
How to tell if a photographer is good?
- Look at their portfolio, is the work on show consistent in quality across all galleries?
- Look for pixelated dark areas and lack of clarity in an image as this suggest incorrect exposure settings and not fully understanding their camera settings and light
- Do they have a studio space of their own? Many have a ‘virtual’ address registered for their business rather than being a tenant in a building so they will hire spaces so ask where you might be situated for the shoot.
- Are they a good communicator?
Do I pay more or less for a photographer? Pros and cons
An inexperienced photographer may have lower outgoings, no premises and a lower volume of problem solving skills that accrue over years of experience. They may not have fine tuned their customer experience nor invest in project management software that allows a smooth and enjoyable client experience. So for this type of photographer you may pay £300-400 a day. Or £75-100 an hour. You essentially engage in a gamble with this option, so make sure they come highly recommended from someone who has used them before.
The inexperienced photographer may have the benefits of being more flexible as they often will work 7 days a week days and evenings to set a good momentum for their start up business as I did 14 years ago. However as their business grows and they specialise, photographers may only offer select hours that fit with their client base or their specialist photography that they are particularly skilled at. These photographers will have seniority and fine tuned skills that deserve a higher rate charging between £1000 and £10,000 per day. The higher end will likely bring a full assistance team with them and these are well established photographers with national reputations and recognisable industry awards. The lower end of senior Photographers will most likely be at very high standard and work on their own or with occasional assistance added to the bill.
How do I choose from the Photographers in Newcastle?
The biggest consideration when hiring a professional photographer is will they be a good fit for your company both in photographic style and approach to the shoot. Think about your branding objectives, are you a relaxed company who need a photographic style that reflects this- maybe you are a team of creatives, so wanting something a bit different. Or maybe you have a more formal client base who want to see a formal style of photography on your website expected for a legal team for example.
Once you understand the type of photography you need, start your research. Look at photographers who work in the field that you do, for example medicine, education, law or factory production lines. Some photographers have a formal style with a more traditional way of working which will suit a formal company with regimentation and maybe restricted timings. Others will focus more on the character in a portrait project and team and have a creative eye for more artistic imagery.
The best piece of advice I can offer as a Professional Photographer of 25 years is to go with the gut and if concerned get recommendations from friends or associates with other companies. Maybe look up photographers who have nice websites on LinkedIn and see what others say about them, then maybe treat the fee as a secondary consideration.
As a general rule of thumb, you do get what you pay for! Drop me a line if you need any advice as im always happy to chat!
