The money conversation

For experts, a branding session is a strategic investment in your business - not just your time, but also your money.

Ensuring clear expectations with your photographer about the ALL-IN cost is paramount to making sure that there are no financial surprises after the photos are delivered, which, quite frankly, would suck.

As a result, during your inquiry call, address these topics:

Photo Quantity

Aside from the types of images you need, be sure to get a specific number of assets that you will receive from the session, and assess whether or not this will be enough to support your marketing efforts. Make sure the portfolio delivered to you will have both low (small enough to post on social) and high resolution (for designers to work with) versions of the same images.

Retouching

For most photographers, they include basic photo color correction in their price, but for additional retouching (removing blemishes, distracting elements in the background etc.) that’s an additional cost per image. Ask them what their policy is in case you do want some extra cleanup work on a photo or two.

Location Fee

If you plan to shoot outside your home or office, there, oftentimes, involves a location fee that’s generally not part of the photographer’s price and it falls on you to cover. Before you fall in love with their location suggestion, inquire about the cost for the amount of time you need to be on site and make sure it’s a fit.

Hair + Makeup

If you prefer to work with someone you know or do it yourself, ask the photographer how that affects the overall cost of the session. You might end up saving some money.

Rights and Licensing

Confirm you have perpetual rights to use all of the images they delivered to you both online and offline. This avoids hidden licensing costs, ensuring you can utilize your photos fully without restriction or fear of them knocking on your door for more money in the future.

Additional Photographer Costs

Is your photographer traveling to you? Does it involve gas, tolls or an airplane ticket? Do they need to spend the night somewhere? Be sure to inquire about what your financial responsibility is with regard to covering those additional expenses.

Having these conversations up front streamlines the logistics related to your branding session, providing peace of mind, which helps you to focus less on the specifics and more on presenting yourself in a genuine way in front of the camera.

And that, ultimately, is the point anyway.