Introduction

With the emergence of digital imaging over the last ten years photographers have had to face the biggest challenge of their lives. The only technological advance that was possibly as confusing and awkward was the arrival of colour reversal emulsions in the mid 1950’s.

Digital imaging posed a very steep learning curve for most, and many still remain lost in the foothills. With the gradual acceptance of digital capture came a new and heavy responsibility for the photographers - namely the extension of their control over the final image quality which extended towards, and often far into, the specialist field of the repro house and print shop. Many photographers relished the challenge though and soon mastered the demanding crafts of colour management and conversion to the CMYK printing colour space for use on the printed page.

Photographers and studios now faced unprecedented costs with the need to re-equip with extremely expensive digital cameras, computers and proofing printers. A complete camera outfit could cost more than £30,000 with the hidden disadvantage that the technological advance never stopped for a moment. Digital cameras and their associated hardware need replacing or upgrading on a 2 or 3 year cycle at a time when fees and budgets are in free fall.

In the commercial and advertising world photographers faced powerful vested interests in the Agencies, Magazine Groups and Repro houses who were fighting the move to digital not least because they saw their own control and mark-ups sliding away to photographers. It should be added that many of them at the time imagined a spurious benefit believing that, without film and processing, the whole affair was going to prove much cheaper. What the technology actually delivered (in the right hands) was a better and much more accurate result within a shorter time frame. But certainly this was not cheaper for the photographer to produce and the client benefits were manifold. Speed, greater accuracy, free scans, and intelligent retouching if they chose.

Early in 2007 a questionnaire was sent to the professional photographic community to establish how photographers were working in the digital field; how much their clients understood and how they were charging for the digital process. A seminar was then held and a number of the questions discussed – a paper from the seminar can be downloaded from the AOP Digital Downloads area.

Not all of the benefits nor all of the drawbacks apply equally across all types of photography and some of the questionnaire analysis has been broken down into roughly four classes of work, taken from the UPDIG guidelines http://www.updig.org/guidelines/workflow.php :

• High Volume Quick Turn round: Examples: Most photojournalism, sports for newspapers and magazines, events, and most public relations.
• High Volume Moderate Turn round: Examples: Monthly magazines, institutional brochures, annual reports, web sites, theater and dance performances, and some types of advertising
• High Volume, High Quality: Examples: Product and catalog photography.
• Low Volume, High Quality: Examples: High-end advertising, photo-illustration, portraits, high-end editorial, architecture.

• Respondents by client sector
• Digital formats used
• File formats used
• Industry knowledge statements
• Percentage shooting digitally
• Percentage using digital cameras
• Sensor sizes used
• Shooting film and converting to digital

• Client knowledge
• Elements to agree with client
• Clients need for retouching
• Submitting work to clients
• What clients need

• How clients are charged
• Average fees charged
• Methods of charging shoot fees
  
  • by element
  • by flat fee
  • by day rate
  • by client budget
  • Other
  • by image use rate
    

• Average Charge by element
• Time spent per element
• Specific Elements charged for
• Detailed retouching as a separate job
• Method of charging
• Average charge