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Author Topic: Charging for Travel  (Read 10094 times)

David Eichler

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Re: Charging for Travel
« Reply #20 on: February 01, 2013, 11:47:37 am »

Regarding simply quoting a lump-sum, per-photo rate, how would you address circumstances beyond your control that require you to spend more time on a project that anticipated, such as weather and travel delays? It would seem to me that you have to put a value on your time for such circumstances. I will account for these things in one way or another, or, for that matter, for anything else that requires me to spend more time on shooting than I feel I need to get the job done, such as a client wanting to spend more time on the shooting than I feel I need.
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David Eichler

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Re: Charging for Travel
« Reply #21 on: February 02, 2013, 12:19:57 am »

To answer you question with a question David: Do your clients regularly pay you for weather delays and/or travel delays ?

Over the years I have found most people are happy to pay for results, but very very few are prepared to pay for excuses or for things that are also out of their control too.

So even though there is a clause in my T&C about such things, I've never once in 30 years asked a client to pay me for such a thing. Maybe if the sort of work I did was very different, then it would be a major concern - but based on the type of work I do, it's not really an issue for me or something that I would be flagging up when quoting for an assignment.

But having said that, I would usually take such things into account - thinking it all through beforehand and leaving myself plenty of time just incase - before I'd present them with a quote, for me to produce & then provide them with such images for them to use.

So I'd allow for such things and take them into account - but I wouldn't present it as such, because I believe most clients just wouldn't want to know about it... similar to my travelling time or post-production time, etc, etc.

It is not excuses, Ashley. It is things completely beyond your control. In my view, that is the risk the client assumes, not the photographer, unless the photographer is being paid a substantial premium for accepting the risk. It is not only loss of time; it is loss of money for travel and lodging, equipment rental, and possibly lost opportunities for other business. Now, maybe you don't have to cover these things as line item expenses, but you have to cover them somehow.
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markd61

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Re: Charging for Travel
« Reply #22 on: February 10, 2013, 01:34:12 pm »

My experience in the "charging for travel time" dilemma is that my clients often do not have the experience of dealing with the protocols and conventions of ad agencies and their normal manner of business. They decide they need images of their new building halfway across the country and they call me and ask "how much?" When I have given them an itemized estimate of production costs they like to challenge things they see as unreasonable or expensive. I cannot control their world view so I control what I tell them.
In my quote, I tell them (like Ashley) that "this is the fee I will charge for this project". It is a fee that I calculate based on my production costs and licensing and incorporates clauses for excess costs and delays.

My clients are bottom line people. Yes they could (and maybe should) get  a photographer locally but they are comfortable with me and are confident in my ability to get the images they want. If the price is in their ballpark we go forward.

I have noticed that the sort of clients that Jeffrey works with are not calling me :( but the well paying clients who DIY their marketing are :). I have just adapted to this environment and am staying busy at the rates I want which is my current recipe for contentment.
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