Accepting your first assignment from a publication is exciting but before you walk out the door and head to the assignment location there are things you must confirm first. The number one thing is payment and price! When I first started out taking assignments (at the age of 18) I would jump on any assignment, at any time WITHOUT discussing prices. Big mistake, but don’t worry I made those mistakes already so you won’t have to. This is one of the reasons why I stress making contact with publications in advance and discuss day rates and assignment fees ahead of time. Assignments can come in at anytime and if the publication knows your rates already it usually not be a problem when it comes to payment.
So what happens if you get a call from a newspaper in Utah (and you live in Miami) and they want you to cover the arrival of the Utah governor who got stung by a jellyfish while scuba diving? Well you get all of the information regarding the location, type of photos they want, and deadline. Then you talk payment, tell them your assignment fee, requirements for payment and licensing information.
Some situations leave room for negotiation depending on time of day, (late night assignments cost more) location from your home, urgency of the story and who the person is that is making news. For the example about the Governor of Utah (hopefully he never gets stung by a jellyfish!) This is something of great interest to Utah press so the fact that they are reaching out to a freelance photographer instead of using a wire service like AP or Getty shows the urgency of the story. I would charge $300 for an assignment like this if they want me to hang out all day and night in front of the hospital then it would obviously be more. A rate at about $100 an hour is reasonable for news assignments in my opinion but never lower than $200. Your market and your skill will also effect the amount of money you can charge so keep that in mind when negotiating.
Never EVER send photos or accept an assignment without agreeing on payment terms in writing. At first a publication may try to pull a fast one on you and not even discuss prices but once you insist on receiving a email confirmation of payment terms then they know they are not dealing with some punk photog! You are running a business and they should understand it, and most do so it shouldn’t be a problem for most. Receiving an email agreeing to your terms is something that can help you in the event that they decide to not pay you or syndicate your photos.
So what should be in a photo agreement you ask? [private_pro] These are some of the things you should include depending on the assignment.
Rates. I recommend anywhere from $200-500 depending on the story, or about $100 an hour no lower than $200.
Usage: Make sure you make it clear that you are a freelancer and make money off of sales so you do not wish to be added to any wire service syndication. This is very important because if they buy the photo from you for $250 and AP pics up the photo and distributes it all over the country you do not get a penny! Be very clear that you do not wish to have your photos syndicated in any wire services. Also specify that the photo will be used for their publication only.
Expenses: Find out if they pay for expenses like mileage, hotel, food etc. Most publication will pay for mileage only but others will reimburse you for hotels and meals if needed. Ask to find out what the mileage rate is so you can include that in your invoice later.
Ok, so lets say that the assignment you are called to cover is not a spot news story. It is for a feature for a New York newspaper that is of a NY bank executive that has retired in Florida and living the good life boating with his wife on their yacht. After you have agreed on your terms and prices then comes the fun part, the shoot!
Call the subject the day before if possible or at least a few hours before the shoot to make sure everything is ok. Once you agree on a time and location ARRIVE EARLY and look professional. On the way to the shoot I usually turn off the music and visualize what I want the photo to look like, any problems that can arise and backup plans just in case your orignial plan doesn’t work! I can’t even count the times I have been told I would be able to shoot something, and when I get there everything has changed, or an outdoor shoot gets rained out! No doubt that is frustrating but it will happen, so have a plan B and plan C..or even a plan D because you never know what can happen.
Most shoots can be done with your camera, 2 speedlites 2 umbrellas or softboxes, 2 light stands, and some radio triggers. Now I am not going to get into detail on how to make portraits but I would suggest reading magazines such as Wired, Entrepreneur, Forbes and even Maxim magazine have really cool portraits of important people. For lighting tips, techniques and a really awesome community check out www.strobist.com . Ok, back to the shoot!
If the person you are photographing is used to being photographed it can actually be easier to make the person feel comfortable in front of the camera. However if the person is just a regular person who has never been interviewed before but need a portrait then you have to make the person feel really comfortable. When you first make contact with the subject introduce yourself and thank them for their time, then get into a conversation about something.. anything! I usually talk about something other than their story especially if they are involved in a sad or tragic story. They already know what happened, and if you are there I am sure many reporters have already contacted them many times before. By talking to them about something other than their tragic story it helps put them at ease and makes for a more natural photo.
While shooting the assignment bring the specific shots the editor requested and make sure you have exactly what they want first, then you can try other poses. Lets go back to our NY bank CEO and his yacht, here are some examples of photos to shoot.
Wide shot of the yacht, posed shots of the CEO with his wife in front and inside the boat as well as solo shots of the CEO.
Photos of the couple relaxing inside and on the decks of the yacht.
Does the couple have Jet Ski’s or other personal watercraft that they use? Shoot that if you can, unless they have already pre arranged that shot you probably won’t get it though! [/private_pro]