Birthday Party- What to charge?

[dancingolive]

A friend I work with wants me to take photos of his little girl's princess party, they want a
5X7 print of each little girl with the princess they are going to hire. I have never charged anything because I am still learning and "getting my footing" with photograpy.
I am assuming the event will last 2 hours and there will be around 10-15 little girls. I will obviously charge for the cost of prints, but does anyone have any advice on how much I should charge for my time?

Any advice is appreciated!
Thanks,
Carissa

[BCampbell]

First thing you need to do is make sure they've cleared this with the agency they're hiring this "princess" from. It's very likely that they also provide a photo service, and your freind opted not to do that and hire you instead, cheaper. At the least, you'll need to have the pricess sign a model release as this would be "commerical" work.

[Jim Poor]

I am assuming . . .

Don't do that. Find out for sure.

As for "commercial," that's not really the case here. "Commercial" work requiring a model release really doesn't apply to prints of birthday party children with a "character" like a princess.

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by Jim Poor

As for "commercial," that's not really the case here. "Commercial" work requiring a model release really doesn't apply to prints of birthday party children with a "character" like a princess.

It's definitely not editorial. It might be retail, I suppose. But commercial or retail, he's going to want his bases covered; model release at the least, and I would talk to the agency that's providing the "princess".

[Brian Mullins]

Originally Posted by BCampbell

It's definitely not editorial. It might be retail, I suppose. But commercial or retail, he's going to want his bases covered; model release at the least, and I would talk to the agency that's providing the "princess".

You only need a model release if you are using her likeness for commercial gain.. In other words, if you wanted to sell the princess shot for a billboard, yes, a model release is required. Taking shots at a birthday party, which you have no expectation of privacy, does not require a model release from her. If that was the case, I would need a model release from every single person at a wedding.

Here's the fun part - if you want to put these on a website to promote yourself, then yes, you need a model release (just the same as a billboard, legally speaking).

There are two keys here...

One - no expectation of privacy.. its a birthday party.
Two - The "release" is giving you permission to use their "likeness" to sell a product (including your services). Selling a print is not using her likeness to sell a product unless you are selling prints to the general public (like a Farrah Fawcett poster).

For pricing - if its your first gig then ask what their budget is. Set a time, say 2 hours @ $30 an hour. This is a very low #, just FYI. Remember all the processing work you will have afterwards so make sure you aren't loosing money because you had to edit for 6 hours on top of the 2 hours shooting.

Two other things you need to consider if you charge:

Liability insurance.. get it. It's fairly cheap and will cover your butt should you accidentally knock a kid over and hurt them (just saying).

Gear insurance - using your camera equipment for profit negates your homeowners coverage on it.

Hope this helps clarify.

[GadgetRick]

Honestly, I live my life believing it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission. Unless you're planning on marketing the pics with the character in it, I wouldn't worry about it. If you were to get a cease and desist letter, just cease and desist.

But, then again, I'm funny that way...

[dancingolive]

Thanks guys for your suggestions and tips. I have found that the hired princess is just a friend of the family so I don't have to work about the "commerical" aspect and about getting a release to take pictures. I have also found out there are going to be 12 girls. I am thinking that $60 for my time (which will be about an hour) and 12 prints is fair since this is my first gig that I am actually charging for.
Thanks again for the replies!

[dblightsey]

Hey, if you are thinking about 60 bucks for one hr. that sounds good but if you are giving up 12 5x7s you may want to think on a per child basis.

at10 bucks a person it would be 120 bucks if you could even trim it to 7 bucks a person then you would be getting $84. Now that sounds more like it. At 5 bucks youd make your 60 BUT how much are you paying to get your 5x7s ? even at 6 bucks your up to $72.

I know 120 or 72 etc. sounds like a lot for a little party but tell them you would rather do it as per child as it would be more affordable for each parent. Every parent will probably want a nice picture of their princess so I think you are looking at 12 pictures for sure.

If the host is paying for all the pics(probably so) then just tell her, you would love to provide a nice 5x7 photo of princess' and you can do it for only 7 dollars per child ! What a deal

If you can get the 5x7s for really dirt cheap you are gonna make even more. It just matters how much your time and money are worth. If you do a great job for cheap youwill get abused eventually

[dancingolive]

Thanks again for the advice, I think I will charge on a per child basis, that way it makes it fair for me and my time...and the lady hosting the party will feel like I am being fair with her since I am charging for each picture I take instead of $60 for 12 kids with the possibly of only have 10 kids to take pics of.