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Ask an Agent is a regular monthly column that answers all your questions about the business of photography – a sort of photography agony aunt.

This month Ask an Agent has had a question from an assistant about insurance needed for an overseas shoot.

I’m about to go to Spain on a big 10 day production as an assistant. Do I need to get the usual travel insurance that you would get if you were going on holiday or will this be covered for me?

Suzie Smith

I had a quick chat with Tom Carson at Williamson Carson on this one and the verdict is: You wouldn’t be covered for personal belongings or medical/hospital cover and you would require a travel policy for this. But, you would be covered under the producer’s liability policy ( I’m assuming they have this, I know we certainly do as shoot producers) if you were injured due to negligence.  It does have to be negligence though, it doesn’t cover an accident or act of God. Again that would need to be under a travel policy.

Hope the shoot goes well and no one has to make any insurance claims anyway!

If you have any questions you need to ask an agent please send them to askanagent@lisapritchard.com

Ask an Agent is a regular monthly column that answers all your dilemmas about the business of photography – a sort of photography agony aunt.

This month on Ask an Agent, the ever popular subject of how much to quote for fees.

I’ve been commissioned for a cover shot and feature by a magazine. They have a specified day rate, but have also asked me what percentage I would charge them for 12 months’ full rights usage, as it might go into the company’s national advertising campaign. I only deal with editorial features usually, and I’m used to just being told what their day rate is. With no experience in dealing with advertising usage, I’m a bit stuck!

Thanks for your help!

Anonymous

It’s interesting your client has asked for additional usage costs as a percentage rather than a simple fee, and it does complicate things slightly. However I think the best way to approach it is to work out a fair figure for the usage generally and work out the percentage from there.

But first I have a few questions:

Does your client want to use your standalone images in the campaign or will they be using your image in the context of the cover- i.e might the campaign  be to advertise the magazine itself or for something separate?

- The shoot was actually associated with one of the magazines advertisers and as such more of an advertorial promotional piece, the images would be used in a separate advertising campaign for this advertiser.

What is the subject matter, did the shoot involve a model or anything in particular that we need to consider releases or permits?

- The shoot was of one model on location in their garden. The model and location were organised by the magazine, so my advise would be to make sure you have in writing on your estimate and invoice for further usage something along the lines of ‘ photographer takes no responsibility for third party clearances including additional usage fees for models and location fees’ so you are covered. It’s worth putting this somewhere clearly but also should be included as standard in your terms. You need to be so careful with extra usage when photography includes models.

What would the ‘National Advertising Campaign’ consist of. I assume , press, posters, online, direct mail? The more media, theoretically the higher the fee.

- Your client’s request is slightly ambiguous, do they want ‘full rights’ or rights to use the images for a ‘National Advertising Campaign’ for 1 year? Full rights could imply the intention is to use the images for longer than the 1 year period and perhaps overseas ( when quoting usage the 3 main areas to bear in mind are media, time and territory) I know it might seem unlikely but if you did grant a ‘full rights’ usage licence then they would be totally entitled to this. It’s so important to pin usage down so a fair fee can be quoted.

What fee did you get originally if you don’t mind me asking? I just need to know this so we have a starting point .

- The day rate turned out to be £600, however this not only included editorial usage in the magazine it also included below the line usage for the client. Below the line usage is basically anything other than press advertising and posters ( and TV but that is less relevant to stills shoots), so would include all online usage including social media, phone and tablet apps, printed direct mail and other literature, advertorial, PR and client internal communications, for the UK, for 1 year. I would say this is quite a low fee and initially should have been in excess of £800, but I appreciate it is a regional specialist magazine and magazines unlike advertising agencies seem to have set rates, anyway that wasn’t the question!

Ok, so now I have a clearer picture let’s work out a figure. Taking into consideration the fact that you have already been commissioned for a separate agreed fee , that this is additional usage and that the original usage was for a regional magazine , a very competitive day rate for an advertising campaign for 1 year, UK only, including all the aforementioned media would be around £1800-£2000. Based on your initial daily rate of £600 this would work out to 300% as a percentage if we decide to quote £1800. That’s what I meant by it being complicated, £2000 is actually more of an appropriate fee but then the percentage would be 333.333!?

The other thing you need to be careful about when quoting percentages is that everyone understands the total figure as it can be confusing. In this situation you should say the percentage increase based on the original fee of £600 should be 300%, i.e for additional usage rights for National Advertising Campaign the additional usage fees will be £1800. So in total for the editorial usage , below the line and above the line, 1 years, UK, the total figure would be £2400.

This is the easy bit, now you have to get your client to appreciate this is a fair fee, a skill in itself. But I can confidently say that this is absolutely a fair fee for the usage they are asking and I am suggesting the lower end of the scale as the shoot was originally for a regional editorial piece. There must be a media budget and consumer press advertising and billboard space does not come cheap, also it will be cheaper for the client to buy additional usage on your images than recommission a whole shoot so you should be in quite a strong position. Hope that helps, good luck!

If you have any questions you need to ask an agent please send them to askanagent@lisapritchard.com.

If you have any usage or fee questions that you would like our help due to popular demand LPA does also now offer a paid for consultancy service on individual enquiries from photographers without agents. Please email hello@lisapritchard.com for more details if you have a particular query in mind.

Ask an Agent is a regular monthly column that answers all your dilemmas about the business of photography – a sort of photography agony aunt.

This months Creative Review features an article by me on photography rates. (you can see the full version here) It’s been great to get such positive feedback on what is clearly a rarely written about subject. For this month’s Ask an Agent I am going to answer a question I received in response to the article, in particular to this table that gives examples of industry rates.

≤ = Less than or equal to

*I just want to reiterate that these rates are based on usage factors, the higher the fee the more usage factors are taken into account. I strongly suggest anyone reads the whole article if they haven’t already and don’t take these fees out of context. I also want to reaffirm that ‘low’ doesn’t mean ‘cheap’ and ‘high’ doesn’t mean ‘expensive’, they just indicate that the usage factors are either minimal or comprehensive. I also want to say this is just my opinion ( albeit based on 20 plus years experience and thousands of commercial shoots!) it’s not an attempt at price fixing or setting a rate card. ( disclaimer over!)

So here’s the question…

Would you mind just clarifying your Industry categories please. I understand the notion of “Direct” and “Advertising” clients etc, but I’m not too sure what you mean by “Consumer” and “Trade/specialist”. “Corporate’’ is, I’m guessing, what I’d classify as Advertising and “Charity” etc is pretty self explanatory. Where would you place, say Editorial shoots? It’s great that you bring this up. I think that it’s high time that we got a little openness in the industry, not just about fees, but also about demystifying the whole commissioning process. Thanks for a great post.

Andy Kruczek. Photographer

Thanks for the question Andy and it’s really good to hear that the article has been useful.

You’re quite right to ask for further definitions, sometimes I think we need a big glossary or dictionary to define all the terms that are used in our business. Anyway, this is how I define the ‘industry’ categories I include in the table. In hindsight the term ‘type of audience’ or ‘target market’ might have been better.

Consumer: The target market is the general public, so the product or service being advertised is something relevant to the general , me and you and everyone else type consumer- eg a mortgage lender or washing up liquid.

Trade/ Specialist: This refers to advertising by someone in a certain trade or business to others in the same trade or business- e.g a supplier of financial software advertising to accountants, healthcare /pharmaceutical advertising to the medical trade, recruitment advertising to graduates. Anything that’s not advertising to the general public basically, but different to corporate ( see below)as it is advertising to external businesses.

Corporate:This term is sometimes interpreted differently by different pockets of the industry. I have heard people refer to corporate as advertising but I don’t see it as such. Corporate to me is a very specific area and applies to the world of corporate communications- the type of commissions you are likely to get from graphic design agencies who specialise in report and accounts and internal communications. So the audience here would be employees or stakeholders, never an external business.

Generally, the more limited and niche the audience, the lower the fee is likely to be. It’s surprising that so many people think of only two areas when considering how much a photographers fee should be – advertising & editorial- when things can’t be simplified in this way. Which brings me on to your last point. ‘Where would you place editorial?’

 The categories I have cited so far are all what I term as commercial , i.e associated with a trading body or organisation, (eg a press ad for a product, a website for a business) as oppose to editorial,  ie the photography would most likely illustrate a real event or a narrative and not endorse a commercial business, e.g in a magazine or newspaper. I chose to do this as most of the LPA shoots are commercial and it seemed relevant to the Creative Review readers.  But you’re quite right to ask about editorial as it’s a significant area. If editorial were on the list it would certainly be right at the bottom as editorial photography in my experience commands the lowest fees and most of the time the magazine or newspaper has a predetermined rate, correct me if I’m wrong!

Hope that helps, keep the questions coming to askanagent@lisapritchard.com

Please Note:

We reserve the right not to enter into ongoing correspondence.

We reserve the right not to answer all questions.

Please state whether you would like to withhold your name.

This advice should be taken as a guide only. Lisa Pritchard and LPA take no responsibility for any omissions or errors. Please seek professional legal advice should you require it.

Ask an Agent is a regular monthly column that answers all your dilemmas about the business of photography –  photography’s first agony aunt. If you have anything you’d like to ask, just drop a line to askanagent@lisapritchard.com and we’ll post the answers on the blog.

Dear Ask an Agent, I have noticed quite a few imposters around pretending to be me this time of year. Where do these people come from and what do they do the rest of the year when they are not impersonating the real Santa? Maybe it will give me a few ideas!

S. Claus, Lapland.

(Warning – kids don’t read this!)

Well, thanks for getting in touch with Ask an Agent Santa, despite your busy current schedule! The people you are referring to are from acting and extras agencies such as Broadcasting, BMA, Casting Collective, Real London Casting, Sandra Reynolds, Elliot Brown and MOT. This particular chap opened Chelsea FC Grotto, appeared in Eastenders and starred in this Kensington Wholefoods Market campaign or was that you? The rest of the year his roles are diverse, he has played John Prescott, a priest and has featured in the movie Hellraiser! I’m sure if you get in touch with some of the agencies, they’ll be happy to advise you further on your modelling prospects!

Merry Christmas everyone, Ask an Agent will return in the New Year!

© Nigel Genis from BMA models

Ask an Agent is a regular monthly column that answers all your dilemmas about the business of photography – a sort of photography agony aunt. If you have anything you’d like to ask, just drop a line to askanagent@lisapritchard.com.

I often get asked for advice by photographers on their websites and portfolios, unfortunately I often don’t have time to respond to individual enquiries (although see below for an exciting announcement!) However, I did help out Othello recently after I met him at my recent Live Ask an Agent session at Somerset House and he has kindly given me permission to share the results.

I am in the process of redoing my website and would appreciate your advice. My main work is people, working on gallery commissions and some commercial work. I also do my own projects.

Othello De’Souza – Hartley. Photographer and Visual  Artist. London

I believe the singular most important factor to the success of your business is your website. You may think it’s your photography or how professional and likeable you are, but if you think about it, you won’t be given a chance to prove any of these things if your website is not looking its best.

So, what do you need to consider to make sure your website is working effectively?

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Ask an Agent is a regular monthly column that answers all your dilemmas about the business of photography – a sort of photography agony aunt.

My question is simply this, why bother commissioning photography when there are billions of stock images available?!

Design Director, Bristol. Name withheld.

Thanks for your question, and I must say I am looking forward to answering this one! But lets take just take a couple of steps back and put into perspective what we are talking about here.

Photography brings thing alive, it’s a very powerful tool. You can get your message across more quickly with good photography and engage with an audience immediately. A poster campaign, a company website or the cover of a brochure, the imagery used can really be the difference between a successful marketing campaign or an ineffective one.

You now have two options, you can get some stock photography from a photo library or you can commission your own tailor made, original photography from the photographer of your choice. Of course, there might be the occasional situation where you really have no choice and need to use stock ( a 2 hour deadline or an £80 budget for example) but, and I think most would agree, commissioning photography has got to be the preferred choice.

And so, back to the task in hand, I have come up with not 1, but 10 answers to your question ! I present to you ‘10 Good Reasons to Commission Photography’.

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Ask an Agent is a regular monthly column that answers all your dilemmas about the business of photography – a sort of photography agony aunt.

This month, one I’ve not come across before.

I work for a design agency and we recently commissioned some photography for a care home client of real residents in care. I had a question, can we still use the images if any of the ‘models’ die?

(name withheld)

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Ask an Agent is a regular monthly column that answers all your dilemmas about the business of photography – a sort of photography agony aunt.

If you have any questions you’d like to ask a photographers agent please send them to askanagent@lisapritchard.com.

This month Ask an Agent helps an editorial photographer flummoxed by ‘advertorial’.

I shoot regularly for a magazine and one of their advertising clients have asked me to do an ‘advertorial’ shoot. What is advertorial? Should I charge advertising rates? I am only used to my editorial clients telling me how much they will pay me, so am at a bit of a loss.

Gregory Mackenzie, editorial photographer.

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The usual monthly Ask An Agent resumes this week and the question I’m going to answer is one I get asked regularly :

‘Is there a business guide available for photographers?’

Yes indeed there is! Having worked with photographers for more than 20 years I was aware there wasn’t really a user friendly guide available on photography business basics in the UK- so I decided to write my own- ‘Setting Up a Successful Photography Business’  (published by A&C Black Jan 2012)

My book is a no-nonsense, step-by-step guide to setting up and running a photography business. It’s aimed at anyone who wants to be a professional photographer – whether you are studying to become one, thinking of a change of career or want to know how to improve your existing photography business.

The book covers things like getting started, marketing, how to cost and organise a shoot, what legal obligations you need to be aware of , what insurance you need plus plenty of top tips to survive- all the crucial stuff. It also includes some very handy checklists, charts and business templates. Aside from me giving my honest opinion as an agent on why some photographers are successful and others aren’t, the book is also packed full of words of wisdom ( and images) from photographers and commissioners working in the industry today.

I’m very proud to say ‘Setting Up a Successful Photography Business’ is actually the best selling book on this subject in the UK and has had some amazing reviews! Here’s just a few snippets:

‘Absolutely necessary reading!’ Lisa Pritchard has produced a masterpiece!’- DM Breakwell

‘Just buy it. It’s a small investment that you can’t do without.’ – Marc Jacobs

‘Superb book – full of gems! Buy it now!’- Matt Pickett

Available from Amazon and all good bookshops!

Don’t forget to send in any questions you have on the business of photography to askanagent@lisapritchard.com and I’ll answer as many as I can on the blog next month.

Here’s another question from Lisa’s recent Live Ask an Agent at Somerset House, London as part of World Photo London.

Inspired by Ask an Agent, a monthly feature on the LPA blog and photography’s first agony aunt, the live Q&A session answered 6 preselected questions about the photography business. The penultimate question comes from Brian Rolfe, a beauty, fashion and portrait photographer.

‘My question is about agents and getting represented… I hear with many agents that without a good client base then your chances of being represented are not good, I’m sure this is not the case with all agents but that seems the general consensus, so is this generally true and how does a photographer best approach an agent with a view to representation?’

© Brian Rolfe

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