u/SharpDressedBeard

I am a hobby photographer and my thing has always been events. Kind of odd in the hobby but it's what it is. I have been shooting a lot more recently, events, concerts, etc. and I always just do it for free. I like doing it and getting to help friends is part of the fun.

That said, I am starting to get to the point with my work where people are approaching me wanting to shoot for them. Parties, concerts, events, some food stuff. I have shot some down but something came across my way that is just too cool to pass up, and apart from not wanting to do it for free, the guy asking me didn't reach out for free either he wants to pay me.

Now the questions is....what the fuck do I charge? I don't really need the money from a side hustle, but if I am going to do this professionally I am going to treat it that way.

I'd be a solo shooter, shooting the opening of a business with live music. They also want some indoor architectural stuff which I let them know isn't my forte but I can probably deliver acceptable results. It's a 3 hour event, so figure 4-5 hours onsite, travel is not really an issue it's a few stops on a subway. Then figure another 4ish hours doing post to deliver 15-20 photos per hour give or take. Knowing me probably end up with more than that but want to set expectations.

I am not going to get a lawyer involved here but I will write out a basic contract to set expectations and timing for deliverables.

I feel like a starting point for this is in the $100/hr total work ballpark but that would put this around $800. I am trying to find a mix of 'being taken seriously' and 'not being greedy'. FWIW I am shooting on a D850 and D5 with pro lenses and strobes.

Thoughts?