What to charge for a slideshow

[seniorchap]

I've been asked to make a photo slideshow, and have no idea what to charge.

I'm an amateur, but my slideshows are pretty good, and I've got twenty-one one youtube right now.

This is what I do: I take about 100 to 150 of the very best shots that I've taken of the occasion. I make an iPhoto or iMovie slideshow out of it, then add music from itunes, add a photo to the DVD disk cover, then burn it.

So, what do you think I should charge. I would guess that the total time put into the whole thing would be about six hours including the photo shoot.

I'd appreciate any information.

Thanks,

Seniorchap

 

[seenew]

...$20?

 

[marclapierre13]

Id pay $20 for an amatuer slidershow. Maybe like $30 or $40 for a professional one. Slideshows are pretty easy to do, so no body should charge to much.

If you have to take the pictures though as well, the price should be substantially higher, especially if you need to rent a studio, or set up your own studio.

 

[SLC Flyfishing]

My brother-in-law did this sort of thing (well exactly this sort of thing) while he was out of work. He imported photos in from iPhoto to make a slideshow with transitions etc in iMovie. He used to charge up to $1000 and he'd get it.

He did this for weddings (and weddings are big business in Utah) so I think that people paid a lot more than they should have, but they still paid.

SLC

 

[marioman38]

Depends on the Event (Charge more for once-in-a-lifetime events, such as a wedding, over a b-day party etc.) and how you know them (give your friends a small break.)

 

[faustfire]

My brother-in-law did this sort of thing (well exactly this sort of thing) while he was out of work. He imported photos in from iPhoto to make a slideshow with transitions etc in iMovie. He used to charge up to $1000 and he'd get it.

He did this for weddings (and weddings are big business in Utah) so I think that people paid a lot more than they should have, but they still paid.

SLC

Flyfishing's got it right, if its for a wedding I would charge no less than 300$. (and at that price the would be paying a third of what a wedding videographer/wedding photographer would charge.)

 

[marclapierre13]

You guys are forgetting 2 things

A) He is an amateur. Nothing wrong with that but he shouldnt be charging top dollar, until he becomes a professional.

B) He is not doing the entire wedding or party. He is just collecting the photos and making a slideshow of them. Like I said, if he was actually shooting the wedding, or any photos at all, that would warrant an increase of price, but that is not the case.

 

[compuwar]

I've been asked to make a photo slideshow, and have no idea what to charge.

I'm an amateur, but my slideshows are pretty good, and I've got twenty-one one youtube right now.

This is what I do: I take about 100 to 150 of the very best shots that I've taken of the occasion. I make an iPhoto or iMovie slideshow out of it, then add music from itunes, add a photo to the DVD disk cover, then burn it.

So, what do you think I should charge. I would guess that the total time put into the whole thing would be about six hours including the photo shoot.

I'd appreciate any information.

Thanks,

Seniorchap

Make sure you have rights to the music or it could cost you six figures...

 

[Abstract]

If you're taking the photos, then $400. If not, then $10.

 

[MacAodh]

your only an amateur for as long as you don't charge. If you charge you are technically a pro... so if there as good as other professionals then charge on the lower end of the professional scale. Don't charge too much or you won't get another job.

If your planning to make a living out of this in the future charging to little will make it seam as if your not as good as others. Remember, often people will judge the quality of the final product depending on the price.

 

[compuwar]

I've been asked to make a photo slideshow, and have no idea what to charge.

I'm an amateur, but my slideshows are pretty good, and I've got twenty-one one youtube right now.

This is what I do: I take about 100 to 150 of the very best shots that I've taken of the occasion. I make an iPhoto or iMovie slideshow out of it, then add music from itunes, add a photo to the DVD disk cover, then burn it.

So, what do you think I should charge. I would guess that the total time put into the whole thing would be about six hours including the photo shoot.

I'd appreciate any information.

Thanks,

Seniorchap

((Hourly rate * 6) + (Digital photo price * 151) + (Music royalty charge) + (DVD price + DVD case price)) = base cost then (base cost) * (profit margin) + base cost = price.

Unlike the other posters here, I wouldn't sell 151 images for $20-$50 under any circumstance I can image where I didn't already get significant revenue from the same client where the above costs were covered in my original margins.

 

[fart]

$5 a photo, regardless of being scanned or digital. $30 per photo for every shot retouched in PS, $50 for every 3D photo.

 

[jlcharles]

Make sure you have rights to the music or it could cost you six figures...

x2

 

[Abstract]

((Hourly rate * 6) + (Digital photo price * 151) + (Music royalty charge) + (DVD price + DVD case price)) = base cost then (base cost) * (profit margin) + base cost = price.

Yeah, I'd think of it like that too if he was a real pro, and photography is what he did for a living. I can't imagine charging more than $500 if he knew he wasn't the best man for the job. That's $2 x 150 for him to snap a photo of 150 people, and $50 to put a bunch of photos together in iMovie. Add royalty charge because of the song, and that's around $500.

Sure, that mean undercutting a real pro who could charge $1000 for this sort of job, but then you're admittedly offering less experience as well in terms of lighting and such.

 

[marclapierre13]

your only an amateur for as long as you don't charge. If you charge you are technically a pro... so if there as good as other professionals then charge on the lower end of the professional scale. Don't charge too much or you won't get another job.

If he has the same quality as the professionals, than THAT is what makes him a professional.
I do not know about music rights, but isnt it if you put in the credits at the end the name of the song and who its by, then you dont need to pay royalties?
And if you need to pay royalties, how do you go about that? send them a percentage of your earnings? Or what?


Anyways, I think if you are doing photo shop, and making really nice DVD cases and stuff, than charge a little more.
But if all your doing is throwing it on to iPhoto, putting a few tunes in it, and then putting a dvd label on the DVD, than that would warrant about $20-$50, depending on the amount of pictures you use.

If your taking the photos, editing them, and pay music royalties etc, and making a professional looking DVD case and label, than you can charge $500+

 

[compuwar]

I do not know about music rights, but isnt it if you put in the credits at the end the name of the song and who its by, then you dont need to pay royalties?
And if you need to pay royalties, how do you go about that? send them a percentage of your earnings? Or what?

You're selling someone else's song, just crediting them isn't going to give them the return for creating it, and copyright violations for pre-registered work in the US include statutory and actual damages, up to something like $120,000 per violation. Once you start selling things, the level of infringement changes, as does the necessity to carry insurance of some sort if you're at all going to protect yourself.

You must license the work, you generally have to pay to license it and there are several companies that make their catalogs available for licensing. Just like with pictures, it's up to them what they charge for what song.

Finally, low-balling to "get more work" is a very difficult cycle to break, as the word-of-mouth sales stuff includes price more often than not.

 

[chriscorbin]

I have been doing this for people like friends and family for a while in FCE and PS and I am currently looking a contract for a local mortuary. photo slideshows are very popular for funereals now a days and a mortican has been scanning photos and just throwing them into windows movie maker with some generic tunes. i wonder how does one buy the rights to use music?

 

[mattwe]

I have been doing this for people like friends and family for a while in FCE and PS and I am currently looking a contract for a local mortuary. photo slideshows are very popular for funereals now a days and a mortican has been scanning photos and just throwing them into windows movie maker with some generic tunes. i wonder how does one buy the rights to use music?

ASCAP and BMI collect royalties for almost every song.

 

[Keebler]

I have been doing this for people like friends and family for a while in FCE and PS and I am currently looking a contract for a local mortuary. photo slideshows are very popular for funereals now a days and a mortican has been scanning photos and just throwing them into windows movie maker with some generic tunes. i wonder how does one buy the rights to use music?

just a heads up that if you are going to do this, be prepared to drop your life at any given moment. i looked into as another line to my business, but the turnaround times can be as short as 2 days. it's great if you can drop everything, but if you can't (as I couldn't), try not committing to something you can't follow through on.

You are right though...it is big business.

Cheers,
Keebler

 

[chriscorbin]

but once again how and where do i buy the rights to the music

 

[Keebler]

whatever you do, make an estimate outlining each and every real and possible cost and send it to the client BEFORE starting work. have them sign it if possible or keep an email response indicating it's a go.

Not doing this could be a major problem.

Also,

Honour your time. don't undersell yourself just b/c you're not a professional. still value your time.

I don't charge by the hour b/c that is completely ambiguous. I charge per item which may sound silly and/or more work for the invoice, but it leaves nothing to the imagination (ie. the bride and groom can't say 'well, it took you 6 hours, but really, how long did it take?)

Someone else mentioned the breakdown per photos taken by you or adding photos from someone else. Break it all down.

good luck.
keebler

 

[Keebler]

but once again how and where do i buy the rights to the music

i thought mattew had the answer. i'm not sure in the US.

 

[marclapierre13]

He said "they collect royalties" but how do you go about actually getting the rights to the music, and also calculating how much its going to cost, paper work, process, etc? (anyone know for canada?)

 

[iowamensan]

If the client owns and provides the songs, then you didn't really sell them the song, they are just paying you for you service of compiling the photos and songs, correct? That's the way I would see it...
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, because I would honestly want to know why that isn't the case.

 

[chriscorbin]

If the client owns and provides the songs, then you didn't really sell them the song, they are just paying you for you service of compiling the photos and songs, correct? That's the way I would see it...
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, because I would honestly want to know why that isn't the case.

I think "providing the song" means the client says put this song in there because it means a lot to us, not actually writing and playing the music, therefore copyrights must be applicable at some point because you are using a bands song to make you money?