Photography has become a vital part of each and every sector of our life now. This is not just to capture the memory, but also it became an important part of the business. Nowadays, people are keener to get high-quality photos for digital publishing.
For short-term work, the most preferable photographers are those who work as freelancers. Many have to struggle with getting the perfect freelance photographer for their work. Photographers need specific kinds of expertise for specific works.
To solve this problem, some enthusiasts came with some ways out which will help you to find the perfect photographers wherever you need them and that even at a reasonable price. We are here to give you an idea of where to hire a professional photographer and get outstanding images avoiding the hassle.
What is a Freelance Photographer?
Freelance photographers are those who work on a contract or project basis with different kinds of clients. Unlike full-time employees, Freelance photographers are self-employed. They’re usually not involved with any particular company; they work for different companies or agencies based on their own convenience.
Before, photographers used to work for news agencies or media companies. With time, that limitation exceeded, and now photographers have more flexible opportunities to work. Freelancing is one way that a large number of photographers have taken as a way of living. They work on short-term contracts and earn according to their needs.
Freelance photographers have opportunities to work for corporate companies, news agencies, media channels, personal clients, or just work on their own and sell photos.
Types of Freelance Photographer
There are so many kinds of freelance photographers who work around the world for various types of freelance photography clients. Here are some of the most common types of freelance photographers that you might need to know about –
1) Travel photographer
Travelling is one of the most appealing ways of living for many. And a large number of full-time travelers take photography as a means of earning while traveling.
They find the subject on their way and shoot wherever they are at a particular time. So, travel photographers cover a wide range of photography styles. From landscape to the event, from portrait to wildlife to architectural, or even documentary photography and videography too.
Travel photographers both sell their photos online and do contract-based work. You can hire professional photographers while traveling, either take one from your area or hire one from the place you are traveling to.
2) Real estate photographer
Architectural photography is one of the most demanding areas in photography. Real Estate photographers get quite a good amount of payment for each session. Real estate photography requires some extra equipment while shooting, and because of that, their charge might change. While hiring a real estate photographer, you’ll have to pay for the travel, lighting, setup, assistant, and post-production.
Usually, professional real estate photographers charge $150 to $350 per shoot, which also can be as high as $1500 for top-notch work. For interior photography, the price might be around $299 for a 2000 square feet home. Again, it varies largely based on your space size, location, and some other facts.
3) Family Photographer
Many families face the problem of not having all the members in one photo. That is because while taking family photos, one has to take the role of the photographer, which makes him out of the photo. But this can be solved by hiring a family photographer. The family can have some precious memories together which are worth capturing.
Family photography rate varies depending on your location and time. How many locations you want to shoot at and for how long you want to hire the photographer will determine the cost. Typically family photoshoot prices start from $145 for half an hour at one location. If you shift to two or more locations, it’ll charge more. Post-production work is usually included in this.
4) Product photographer
Product photography is a really big market nowadays. With the growth of the eCommerce business, the demand for product photography is increasing every day. Not just product photography, post-production work for products have high demand as well.
From big eCommerce businesses like Amazon, eBay, Walmart to small personal businesses, all need to shoot their products to some extent. Be it for advertising or for selling online.
Approximate product photography rates vary from $35 to $170 per image. The rate, in this case, depends on the nature of the product. If it needs more time in post-production, then it’ll cost more. For example, jewelry or glass photography. These kinds of photography require more skill and time.
5) Food photographer
Like product photography, food photography has gained enough popularity in the last several years. Photographers need to be creative while shooting food. Restaurants and food businesses want to show up their food as appetizing as possible. Color and light play an important role here.
It’ll cost from $150 to $500 for a one-hour shoot depending on the quality of the images. The cost depends on the number of images, image format, post-production, backdrop, and the time it takes to prepare the food. It’s important to think before about how you want your food shot.
6) Corporate Photographer
Corporate photography is a big term that includes quite a large number of photography styles. According to definition, corporate photography is anything that helps the company with the creation and promotion of its brand, products, and services. It includes conferences and events, conventions and trade shows, e-learning and training, marketing and branding material, corporate headshots, and many more.
You can expect the rate of corporate photography from $150 to $250 per image or $200 to $300 per hour. This price depends on the type of work you want. So you’ll have to negotiate with the photographer based on your needs. Don’t forget to talk about the licensing rights too.
7) Event Photographer
Event photographers typically work based on time limits. As there is no fixed subject in an event, it’s more about covering the program. So a photographer needs to understand what s/he will capture, and for that, the conversation between client and photographer is important.
Small events cost $300 to $500, even less for a two-hour event, which might be $150 to $250. For a long event, it can increase from $500 to $1000 and for a corporate event, it might be as high as $600.
How Much do Freelance Photographers Charge?
Freelance photographers rate varies. It depends on so many factors. The skill level of the photographer plays a big role. On that, the purpose of hiring, the time limit, and the place where you’re hiring the photographer from – all affect the cost.
So it’s difficult to give a straight measurement of freelance photography price. I’m trying to give you some idea of the price range depending on the photographers’ skill level and photography style.
Table: freelance photographers rates
Where to Hire a Professional Freelance Photographer?
Not sure where you can find a freelance photographer to shoot your special moment? Don’t worry! There are so many sites online that provide freelance photographers wherever and whenever you need them. We’ve listed here some of the most popular and trusted companies to hire freelance photographers from –
Fly to Grapher
Fly to Grapher has its services in Europe, USA, Canada, Mexico, Central & South America, Caribbean, Middle East & Asia, Oceania, and Africa. With more than 500 hand-picked professional photographers across 6 continents, Fly to Grapher is giving professional photoshoot experiences with the comfortability of the locals.
There are 5 easy steps to get your shoot done, and they deliver the photos within 5 days after shooting. They have different photo services, including proposal packages and headshots. Pricing starts from $285, and the most common package is one hour shoot.
Scoop Shot
Scoopshot is not just for those who need to hire a photographer; you can ask for specific photos or videos too. News providers, bloggers, brands, and companies can all use this platform to get their photos and videos from photographers. Scoopshot will take care of the transfer and monetary transactions of the right.
Snappr
Snappr is considered the world’s No.1 on-demand professional photography marketplace. Its mission is to make professional photography more accessible to customers. Their services include portrait, event, family, real estate, product, graduation, etc.
Snappr is highly selective while recruiting photographers. Photographers have to go through a photography portfolio review, an equipment review, a past professional work review, and a customer service interview. Snappr also has a Photo Analyzer tool that can estimate the efficiency of professional headshots for different websites with artificial intelligence.
Local Grapher
According to Local Grapher, they reach the highest number of destinations in the market. And they’ve solid reasons to claim that. They provide professional photographers and videographers in more than 800 destinations around the world. Since 2015, they’ve been giving the customers professional level service.
Local Grapher has quite high ratings on social media. It focuses on the quality of its delivery, and that’s the reason a lot of customers come back to them after taking service for once.
Find a Photographer
Find a Photographer is one of the most popular sites to hire freelance photographers. They promise to serve clients with professional-level experience. They have different categories of photographers to choose from, like commercial photography, portrait, wedding photography, etc.
Besides, if you’re not sure or if you want to be more specific, you can find many other categories by going for the ‘Advance Search’ option. There you’ll find diversified categories like maternity, underwater, equestrian photography. Moreover, there is the option to search by location or even by name.
Find a Photographer has another important offer, that is it provides planning tools. This doesn’t just help photographers; clients can get insights and plan their shoot based on the tips.
Pretty Instant
Pretty Instant is a large family with more than 300 photographers. Their vision is to make booking a professional photographer easy. They have events, real estate and office tours, headshots and portraits, sports, and products photography services. Their price starts from $199 per session with a 72 hours standard delivery time.
The process of hand-selecting photographers of Pretty Instant will give you a professional & unique experience. You’ll get to discuss with your photographer and plan your shoot.
They also have their photo editors who are ready to edit your photos as soon as the shoot is done. This whole team will ensure you get the best quality of photos within the required time frame.
Photo Sesh
PhotoSesh is an on-demand photography discount platform. This platform is best for those who decide things at the last moment. They have a big group of 9000+ photographers across North America.
Though it says on-demand, you can book your shoot up to 6 months in advance. Photosesh gives a 100% satisfaction guarantee and you can ask for a refund if you don’t like the photos.
This has a unique way of connecting with the photographers. They use GPS and sync calendars to find nearby photographers and reduce the travel costs of the photographers. Because of this method, they can offer the customers quite friendly rates ($30-$75/h).
There are not any other fees involved. Just the photographer’s rate multiplied by duration. It includes high-resolution images with digital delivery and usage rights.
Up Work
Up work is a really large workforce that provides various kinds of work and services. It’s not just about photography; it has many other services available. You can hire freelance professional photographer from this site as well, as you can have your photo editing, retouching works done here too.
Up work has been working as a meeting place of talents and clients for the last two decades. They work with small businesses and personal works that need to be done fast and perfectly. It is quite flexible, and it gives you tons of choices. This workforce is dedicated and efficient, and you can be sure that you won’t have to compromise with the quality.
What to Look at Before Hiring Freelance Photographer
Even if you reach the best place to hire a freelance photographer, you need to make sure of a few things before hiring one. Otherwise, you might choose the wrong person from the right place. So, check these factors that you should consider before hiring a photographer –
Portfolio
The first and foremost thing you need to look at before hiring a freelance photographer is his/her portfolio. The portfolio is a series of photos selected by the photographer that shows his/her best works. No matter what kind of photography one does, s/he will have one portfolio if s/he is working professionally.
By going through the portfolio, you will get an idea of the working style of the photographer. See if it goes with the type of work that you’re planning to have with him/her. Even if one has a very high rating but doesn’t match your requirements, it won’t be wise to pick them.
Ratings & Reviews
Secondly, you need to check what other clients tell about them. Check the experiences that they had with the photographer. It says a lot about the photographer because you’ll get to know what to expect and what not from him/her.
Also, this is kind of the report card of the photographer. The higher the rating, the better the photographer is. Not just look at the rating number, but also look at how many clients rated them. This indicates how consistent the photographer is at his/her work.
Cost
Before going for the shoot, be clear about the estimated cost of the shoot. There might be many other costs that are not included in the site. For example, the traveling expenses of the photographer, renting equipment (if necessary), payment of the assistant, etc.
Talk to the photographer personally and ask for an estimation. For that, plan your shots before the shooting day. When you and your photographer have a clear idea of the plan, it would be easier to find out the necessary costs that might come with it.
Ask questions
Apart from these, before choosing a photographer, asking him/her questions is important. One of the most important parts is talking about copyright. Be clear on what you want, how you will use the image, and if you want to pay for the ownership.
Talk about safety requirements too. Have a plan B for unexpected situations. Know the turnaround time and share if you have any deadlines. Discuss the post-production too. How do you want your images to be edited, who will do that and if there is an extra charge for that?
Before finalizing your photographer, ask as many questions as you need. It won’t be wise to be hesitant here. There are so many small details that will determine the quality of the work. So, it’s better to have clarity before than to regret later.
Important FAQs of Freelance Photographer
Who will be the owner of the photos?
According to copyright law, the owner of the photo is the one who presses the button. There is only one exception if you agree on ‘work for hire. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay the photographer based on your usage.
Will my photos be published elsewhere without permission?
It depends on the ownership and if you want it to be published. If you don’t give permission, sites usually don’t publish that. Still, it’s better to read the terms and conditions of the site or talk with the photographer about it.
Can I cancel a booking and ask for a refund?
It depends on the policy of the site from where you’re hiring a photographer. If it’s in their policy, you’ll be able to cancel a book; if it’s not, then you won’t get the chance.
In what format will I receive my photos?
You’ll receive the photos in high-quality JPEG format. Usually, sites or photographers don’t share the RAW files with the clients.
Can I choose the photos that I’ll receive?
Usually, photographers decide which photo they’ll deliver finally. But if you have any requirements, you can ask for those particular shots.
Conclusion
Professional freelance photographers work all over the world. They are everywhere and work for almost all kinds of clients. Just you need to know how to reach them. And the best way to reach them is online. Because you’ll get to reach a large number of photographers, compare their works and prices all in one place.
The freelance photographer hiring sites offer their clients impressive deals. And most of them focus on quality work because if the images are not good enough, the whole effort will go in vain. These sites undoubtedly didn’t fail there as they are maintaining consistency in gaining the trust of the clients.
