Been asked to photograph bar

Bobdobalina

Hi there - I'm an amateur photographer and recently a guy I know asked me to photograph his nightclub for promotional photos. I will get paid for it, but to be honest I don't know what I should charge for it. Does anyone have any tips on what guidelines I should use? Or even what type of figure I should be thinking of? I know him through his girlfriend, so I want to do a good deal for him without charging so little that I look like a complete tool!
Thanks for the help.

magicbastarder

does he want you to photograph it during business hours, or will you have the place to yourself? has he given a guideline of what sort of shots he wants?

Bobdobalina

magicbastarder wrote: »

does he want you to photograph it during business hours, or will you have the place to yourself? has he given a guideline of what sort of shots he wants?

Ideally he wants it done in the morning so I'll have the place to myself. He hasn't really given any guidelines.

swingking

look at the amount of time you're gonna spend working including setup and post-processing on the project. Work out your hourly rate and charge accordingly.

Make sure you know what type of shots your gonna need and the most important thing is lighting.

PCPhoto

agree a price BEFORE you shoot and get a deposit from him (50% before, 50% if he's happy with images)

Bring a tripod, shoot wide pics - keeping the aperture open f11, f8 or even f22.....dont be afraid to shoot long exposure times.

play with off camera flash....use available lighting.

get pics of everything from the taps at the bar to the chairs....even a stack of beers/kegs.

get a pic of a really cold beer on the bar .... pic of beer/cocktail with bar in background.

pic of the dance floor, exterior of the bar, pics of TV's or screens/DJ box etc .

think about what the bar sells and what customers use in the bar .... toilet doors, pic of someone on a laptop sitting down with a pint (if the bar has free wi-fi)..... pics of cocktails (if they do cocktails) .... pic of someone making cocktails.

so much to photo, lots of work involved.

before you do anything agree a price with the boss and show him a list of what pics you will be doing, explain it will take you time to set up/create the images.

Did I mention to agree a price (and get a deposit) before you do ANYTHING

Bobdobalina

This is really fantastic advice. Thanks a million to all of you for your help. Much appreciated

Tactical

Is the nightclub themed?

What age group is it aimed at?

Is a specific type of client desired or targeted?

Has the owner any ideas on how he'd like his business venture presented?

Definately practice some low light techniques before undertaking the work as time will fly while you're on-site. Find out how long you actually have for shooting and if you will have the venue exclusively for the shoot or will the usual daytime activities of such a venue continue as normal.

Ideally you'd like the venue to yourself with either staff or professional models present for shots as required to act as both staff (don't forget uniforms etc...) and clients if this type of presentation is required. Professional models will work to direction and be disciplined which can help you to work efficiently A changing area should be made available.

In other words, make sure the venue is "booked" for the shoot so there are no distractions or hicups on the day. The owner will understand about this as after all its to promote his business.

Smoke machine, lighting rig etc, etc... Make sure someone present who will operate it for you. My be a good idea to see if they can do a static light set up for you as well as a dynamic one.

May be an idea to sit down with the client and visit the venue first. Then "storyboard" your ideas, run them by the client and make changes as necessary. That way you don't waste a huge amount of time at the venue and in PP afterwards.

By all means deviate from the "storyboard" once you have the "money" shots and present them afterwards.

Don't forget model release forms for all persons identifiable in the shots. The end result will be used to promote a business so these forms are required.

Photography to promote a business in a professional manner comes at a cost both financial to you and the business and also in terms of time. Value your time accordingly and remember that you're promoting the business so the owner should be aware of this when you're charging.

If you'll be using extension leads then take some gaffer tape and some insulating tape and cable ties. You can never have enough of this in your kit. You'll find it useful for taping leads to any floor surface (using the gaffer tape) and the insulating tape has almost as many uses as cable ties

Definately take a deposit up front. Call it a booking fee or what ever. Don't forget that you may need to hire some items too so any upfront money can go towards any of these expenses.

Did I mention insulating tape?

Don't forget to let us know how you get on and what you think about the experience Best of luck.

P.S. Don't forget the insulating tape

stcstc

be very careful with pub owners too, they are the wort for paying

i have dealt with a few and they always make you wait and wait for your money

smelltheglove

PCphoto and stcstc both give great advice.

So I think PC has covered it all in his post re advice on what to do.

In reference to stcstc's post, yes there can be issues with pub owners at times, I know this through my husband working in music. My advice, write a contract, obviously he wants promotional use of the images so you will want to include what licensing is appropriate. You will also want to include that a NON REFUNDABLE deposit is required and that the final images will not be handed over until final payment is made. Even ask for cash if possible. Now in years of my husband dealing with pubs I can only think of 3 occasions off the top of my head where pub owners or managers have been difficult but thats enough to be wary.

Bobdobalina

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I will keep you posted on how it goes. You've given me a lot to think about!

PCPhoto

any update ?

Thecageyone

I think you've gotten all the necessary advice above, but I think Free drinks should be included in payment