At Tailored Media we like to say that photoshoots are like affairs:
- expensive,
- time consuming and
- absolutely worth the copious bunches of flowers it takes to keep all parties happy!
Just last week five Tailored staff, one photographer and one smoking hot model gathered at Tailored HQ for a client photoshoot featuring said smoking hot model and several cans of paint – sounds kinky right?! There she is down there – can I hear you say “Kylie Minogue lookalike”?
600 Photos & Video
Over five hours we sat on cushy couches and cracked jokes (read: supervised) while our photographer Ben and model Shannen took over 600 photos. John even took a break out of his busy schedule to film a video for the client’s homepage – another exceptional marketing tactic that works like a charm.
As we’ve banged on about previously, having great photos on your website should be an integral part of your marketing strategy. Good images will keep people on your website for longer. Bad images will make people click away faster than you can say “cheese”.
But, photoshoots do involve planning, schmoozing and a bit of a dent in the hip pocket.
$1,900+ – And Here’s Why
$1,900 is a pretty conservative figure for a half decent photo shoot.
Here’s how we did it and the costs involved:
The Brief Then The Vibe
First off we get a feel for the shoot from the client’s brief.
That’s when we start pinning pics to a Pinterest board with the general vibe we wanted to create for the shoot and then we started the model scouting (the fun part).
We found Shannen via the magic of social media (AKA we put a shoutout on Facebook and the lovely Carly recommended her). We emailed Shannen to let her know what we needed and invited her into the office for a meeting to see if we were a good match.
Taking the time to build a relationship with Shannen, making her feel comfortable and giving her a detailed brief was key. Both parties needed to know they would work well together and we needed to get the best result for our client.
Creative Photography Brief
Once we were both happy, we got down to business. We sent Shannen a creative photography brief of the shots we’d be taking (download one here) and a model release form (you can have one of those too) so we were all on the same page.
On the day we started shooting at 9am in the boardroom with our creative guy Byron (with sidekick Chilli), Brendon, Mel, John, Ben (photographer) and of course Shannen (who, as a professional makeup artist, had already done her makeup – sweet!).
Mel provided the female presence so Shannen didn’t feel like she was being gawked at by a bunch of dudes all day.
The Numbers
Here are the numbers on the shoot – I’ll give price indications which are close enough without spoiling any commercially confidential information:
Hours & Cost
- Byron – 6 hours @ $50 per hour (shoot, editing and client liaison) – $300
- Brendon – 4 hours at $50 per hour – $200
- Mel – 3 hours at $50 per hour – $150
- John – 2 hours at $50 per hour – $100
- Ben (Photographer) – 4 hours shooting – $400, 3 hours editing $300
- Jemma – Video Editing – 1 hour at $50
- Shannen – 4 hours at $80 per hour – $320
(At a pinch we could have gotten away with not having Brendon or Mel there, but I always recommend having someone oversee the shoot who hasn’t a specific role. That way they call fill any gaps or fulfil any role required.)
Other
- Coffees: $18
- Food: $9
- USB: $16
- Flowers and card to Shannen: $64
Total Cost
Total Approximate Cost: $1,927 + GST
Output
- 600 photos – edited down to about 40 for the client’s web site
- 40 second video
A photoshoot can look quick and easy, but getting just 2 or 3 great photos is often an all day shoot with a whole team behind the scenes.
Hope that helps for planning your next photo shoot.
Hit us up if you’re keen to organise a photoshoot for your business. We’ll provide the jokes, the coffee and the professional and great quality images that will make your business shine.
Cheers
