What’s a standard shooter day rate when they provide a camera

[Noah Kadner]

Depends on- shooter’s reputation, package contents, client type, length of shoot, market, etc etc. If you have to ask, I’d say around $800-$1400 for the day.

Noah

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[Ernie Santella]

I live in CO, but travel for about 75% of my work. I charge $2,000/day with my HDX900 package and I am booked through the middle of January. Or $1,300/day without. (I obviously don’t like to do that, but if the client has to shoot another format, I will)

[John Sharaf]

I’ve been shooting for thirty years with network news clients, have shot Academy Award winning docs and wish I could command such rates.

At the nets our labor price is determined by union contract and at ABC it’s about $40/hour with an eight hour minimum typical (although technically they can book us for a four hour call). At CBS, it’s closer to $50/hour, and at both places overtime peaks out at 1.5x. In the freelance world I’m able to get as much as $600-700/ 10 hours, so the equipment rental is very important and represents a significant amount of my income.

Obviously, commercials and some industrial clients are going to may more, in the range of $1500/day for labor. But these are clients who expect such rates.

I find that the best approach with a new client is to ask them what they’d like to pay and go from there. Sometimes you’ll be surprised by how high they offer, or if they low-ball you, you learn right away that you don’t want to work for them.

Also, I always fully state the terms, such as portal-to-portal and rates of overtime, missed meals etc. in a timely communication so that I don’t have to revisit these negotiations after the fact.

Suffice it to say that there is no such thing as a “standard” rate!

JS

[Danny]

Thanks to both of you!