Commercial & Editorial Pricing

Every project is different, and I encourage you to call or email me for an estimate.

Prices vary by job type, licensing needs and market sectors. For more detailed pricing information, or to request a formal estimate, please call +1 520 979 1353 (GMT -7), or send an email to will {a t} willseberger.com.

Information below is not inclusive of assistant/stylist fees, delivery, reasonable expenses, travel, and scouting fees. Those needs vary by job, but are always discussed up-front.

"Photographer's Selects," that is, a collection of photographs deemed to be the best from the session are delivered unless other arrangements have been made.

In all cases, a 10% administrative charge is assessed for all invoices left unpaid for more than 30 days from delivery.

Public Relations Portraits

PR portraits are any portrait that is intended to be a media hand-out for unpaid publication.

The price reflects unrestricted use of the photograph as such. Please note, this is not a “head shot.”

Same-day delivery is available.

  • Prices from $275 for one portrait, plus a $125 post-production charge.

A good PR portrait is a lot more than plopping the subject on a stool in front of a passport-blue backdrop and hitting the button. While portraits can be done in any way the client chooses, the best portraits are done in an environment befitting the subject. That could include his office, her production facility, on the roof of the new building overlooking a city skyline, or another location indicative of the subject’s position and profession.

Public Relations Event

Companies and organizations often have events that they'd like to have documented and available for media hand-out. The event might be a product launch, groundbreaking for a new building, an award reception, a shareholder meeting or something along those lines.

The price reflects unrestricted use as a media hand-out for unpaid publication as well as internal use in newsletters and on the client's corporate intranet.

Same-day delivery is available (partial delivery same-day for events ending after 2 p.m.).

  • $450 for a 1-3 hour event, plus a $1-per-image-submitted production charge.
  • $800 for a 3-6 hour event, plus a $1 per-image-submitted production charge.
  • $1200 for a 6-10 hour event, plus a $1 per-image-submitted production charge.

These projects are treated with the same thoroughness as a newspaper/magazine assignment, but with an eye to making the client, product and location look its best. Multi-day engagements may qualify for a discount.

Editorial

Editorial photography includes assignments for any periodical intended for market. This would include newspapers, magazines, newsletters, blogs/Web sites and the like.

The fees below are creative fees not including final usage; on a per-day rate with discounts available for multi-day and long-term assignments.

Just as publications charge advertisers by ad size and placement, I assess usage fees by photo size and placement. The assignment cost is what it takes to get the pictures, and the usage fees cover the license to use them. Web usage is not included for print publications unless otherwise indicated. Expenses are not included. These are guidelines.

In light of changes in the media landscape, I will discuss co-productions and multi-party deals for some clients and projects.

Guidelines for one-time, North-American, one-language, no reprint use with a Web option:

  • $600 for a national-market/large trade publication.
  • $450 for a regional/small-trade publication.
  • $250 for a local/state publication (Arizona).

Guidelines for national usage fees:

  • $200 quarter-page/spot.
  • $300 half-page.
  • $400 three-quarter page.
  • $500 full-page, $750 double-truck.
  • $900 cover (magazine).
  • $250 Web use less than 600px on the long axis.
  • $500 Web use greater than 600px on the long axis.

I do not generally accept editorial assignments requiring permanent transfer of copyright, nor do I accept assignments on a "work-made-for-hire" basis.

Commercial Head Shots

Commercial heashots are used by executives in directories both in print and on the Web, by actors, models and other people in performance. They might appear on a real estate agent's business card, and on professional networking pages.

In the global business place, first impressions are made more frequenly by pictures on the Web than by handshakes in the elevator. It's important to have a quality headshot to use in your own self-promotion. Are you still using the 'big-hair' picture from the 1990's? Did you shave off the beard? It's probably time for a new head shot.

Just like commercial portraits, there's a lot more to it than a backdrop and hitting the button.

Headshots can be done on-location to meet your convenience, and they generally don't take very long for each individual. These differ from commercial portraits in style and use: these are generally head-and-shoulders only with a visually neutral background. They're also not for media hand-out.

  • Prices start at $200 for individuals, and generally go down for groups.

Marketing & Corporate

These are photographs used in marketing campaigns, on packaging, in annual reports, business Web sites, brochures and promotional materials; to name a few.

This is probably the most difficult segment to give good baseline numbers. Of course, prices are based on the size of distribution involved. IBM prints a much higher-volume and widely distributed brochure than Bob's Deli.

Creative fees will be in line with other creative fees seen here, and reproduction fees are in line with national reproduction rates seen above.

Album art and dust jacket art are generally in the $2,000 range for the life of the album or the duration of the first hard- and soft-cover editions of a book.

Non-Shooting Days and Cancellations

Travel and prep days are billed at 50% of the creative fee.

Weather and other "hold" days on location and beyond my control are billed at 60% of the creative fee.

Cancellations 72 or more hours in advance are billed at 50% of the creative fee.

Cancellations 24-71 hours in advance are billed at 65% of the creative fee.

Cancellations less than 23 hours in advance are billed at 75% of the creative fee.

In the event of a cancellation or rescheduling, any expenses I have incurred up to that point are also billed back to the client.