my friend is asking me to shoot a couple of layouts for their foodcourt menu boards... the logical thing to do is charge them per layout but i think he wants me to charge it to experience.. we had a talk before that he needs to pay for the lighting, stylist, and such, but he persisted that i don't need such things, all he needs is my "talent" and my gear...

if ever i agree to this, am i being unprofessional?

this is going to be my first food photography assignment and if i want to do this, i might as well do it right, d'ba?

been wracking my brain over this for days now, hehehe =b please help!

hi Tok! it depends on how close you are with your friend...if its just a friend then you could charge for the layouts. now if you agree on what he suggest then he is probably right on "charge it to experience" hence this will be your first food photography. if you charge, then he expects you good results...so its your call.

cheers,

neil

Since the output will used for business, then its only fair to charge him for your effort.

I agree with Neil, that it is all dependent on how close you are to your friend. That is the problem with professions offering services. Like us, we don't charge our friends and colleagues, although most of the time, they will give a token in return, which in most instances is even worth more than what you could have charged. My friend was given a D200 just a few days ago because he refused to charge a patient. Not bad I should say.

Tok, you'll be spending, time, energy, creativity etc. for this... Just honestly ask your friend how he proposes to replace/compensate for these resources. :)

Charge!!!!! I have a good friend who is a dentist and I didn't tell him to "charge to experience" the root canal he did on me. :Grin:

It would really depend on the level of friendship you two have and since we are having this conversation here - am assuming that its not that deep.

I for one have friends who can ask me favors and would gladly photograph (even do architectural designs) for free. I also have "friends" i would charge even if they begged. :)

So it really depends on you. If its a business deal - then charge, but if its a favor.. its up to you. :)

By the way it sounds, looks like your friend is asking you to do it for free. He would have asked you how much you'll be charging him if he has plans on paying. :D Anyway, I'm sure your friend will give you something in return, mahihiya din yun, maybe you'll get a lifetime discount sa food stall nila diba? :D

I think that you should be paid. He seems to value your "talent" so you should get paid for it. Your gear will depreciate each time you use it so you should also get paid for it.

You should also be compensated for your time and effort.

The best friend of my wife recently had her baby baptized. I couldn't make it to the baptism and asked Mike Alcid to shoot the event for me.

Mike is a very good friend. I met his brother when we were both members in Dulaang Sibol back in high school. Mike was my student in college.

I asked Mike how much does he normally charge and I paid him for it (actually, I still have to pay him for it since I forgot to give him the check).

My friend was given a D200 just a few days ago because he refused to charge a patient. Not bad I should say.

lucky guy:)

If your friend agrees to let you eat in any of their foodcourt branches for free. Don't charge. But if he even blinks... game over. He's not a friend and just being cheap.

I've had friends who were on a shoe string budget who have needed my services. They couldn't pay much but they still offered to pay what they could afford.

If it's a good friend and they offer to pay what they can afford then why not?

But of course this policy isn't in effect for certain pro bono projects. I've been shooting for the past five years for the I Can Serve Foundation. I've never charged them a single centavo.

I also did some photography last year for the Ayala Foundation. That was also gratis.

Which is why I'm grateful to clients who pay me. They allow me to shoot worthwhile pro bono projects :D

i took some photos on a bordeaux trip and my friend asked permission to use it for two full-page ads in a high end mag. since am an average enthusiast and this is not my source of income, i gave them to him free of charge. another friend asked to enlarge a picture from the same trip so that he can have it posted at different branches of santi's. still another wanted to use the pics for an article in a society mag. glad they all liked the pictures so gave it away. For me it's the satisfaction. Plus they're good friends. If you're a pro, then it would be a different story. Would gift certs or discounts be a good compromise for you?

I've been paid in gift certificates. But it was for products or services that I needed.

I once had a shoot and the client wanted an exchange deal. I told them that I wanted a portrable generator. They couldn't supply me with one since it was out of stock. I then asked them for a canoe instead. :D

The art director from the agency was surpised. She couldn't imagine what I wanted with a canoe. Two days later there was a typhoon. She couldn't get to work because all the streets were flooded. She then realized why I wanted a canoe :D

Besides, there's was a nice river near my parents' farm in Tiaong, Quezon. I was sort of hoping to explore that river on a canoe :D

Thanks for the replies! =) you've been really helpful

i was thinking on the premise that when i eat at their restaurant, i pay for their services as well...

but if i do charge them, how much would be a fair amount?

Dave: He's actually my cheap friend from college =b lol! =)

If you can't charge him the usual rates, charge him at least a minimal rate for your services..

The pictures you make will draw more customers to his store, will add "value" to his products and will therefore increase his sales, compare that to not having a menuboard shot at all or a less appealing shot..

i took some photos on a bordeaux trip and my friend asked permission to use it for two full-page ads in a high end mag. since am an average enthusiast and this is not my source of income, i gave them to him free of charge. another friend asked to enlarge a picture from the same trip so that he can have it posted at different branches of santi's. still another wanted to use the pics for an article in a society mag. glad they all liked the pictures so gave it away. For me it's the satisfaction. Plus they're good friends. If you're a pro, then it would be a different story. Would gift certs or discounts be a good compromise for you?

Robert - if a lot of people are asking for the same photo, maybe you could consider selling it as a stock photo?

How do you charge a person who can't afford the regular 1500 per layout yet insist to pay you for your services?

Robert - if a lot of people are asking for the same photo, maybe you could consider selling it as a stock photo?

haha! am sure one reason they liked the pictures is bec we all travelled together. since they run their own businesses and they had good feelings about the pics, they picked it for their projects. am sure the quality of the pictures are pretty ok but it also helps that it's free and from a friend. but in this case it's more like whatever the boss wants the boss gets even if the ad agencies or staff may disagree with the pics :) thanks for the advice though.

How do you charge a person who can't afford the regular 1500 per layout yet insist to pay you for your services?

when I'm in this kinda situation, I ask them what would their budget be. And with respect to their budget, I would give them a list of what I can produce for that said budget. Then I present it to them in such a way that it would show some discounts and freebies on a certain package.

for example, if theres a budget is P5k ( 2 layouts + 8 product shots ) assuming 1 layout is P1.5k* and a product shot is P500*, it should be priced at 7k originally but your just gonna give it to them for 5k :D

( * just crude pricing :) )
or just do what Dave posted :Grin: ok n ok na idea yun

i just assumed that a layout would cost 1500 =b pero how much is it in actual? i mean how much does a layout and a product shot cost respectively (ballpark estimate)?

I covered two of my friends' weddings. They asked me how much, I told them, nah... just pay for my lens rentals. But after the fact, when they received their soft copies, they graciously slipped me a check for an amount I wouldn't have expected. I also covered a baptism for a friend's son, I didn't charge them anything. Little did I know that they subscribed me for a year to four different photography magazines :Grin:!

If this friend is a grateful and appreciative friend, even if you don't charge him anything, he will give you something. Sabi nga sa Bible, "loving is giving without expecting anything in return." Now, if they give you something, accept it graciously.

Just my two cents.

Cheers,

Marco

Marco, you are blessed to have such generous friends! In our country's economic standing those people are hard to find.