Pro photographer in NYC, this week
August 12, 2013 11:55 AM Subscribe
I need to hire a photographer to take some photos of my organization's founder, which will be used in various publications. Ideally, I'd need these photos taken this week. I'm not sure where to begin looking for a photographer, or how much (ballpark) this will cost us.
We would like to print a brochure, with this photo on the cover, by August 25th or so. So, we need these things yesterday. (The photo we were originally using has been deemed too grainy and unprofessional-looking.)
I'm not sure, but I figure there may also be some weirdness with terms of use, which wouldn't come up for, say, a wedding photographer or headshot photographer. We'd be publishing this thing.
It would also be nice to get a photographer who is skilled at coaxing professional/dignified expressions out of people.
How is this done? Where/how do we find a competent person to do this? No one here has any experience with hiring professional photographers, and I'm worried we'll choose someone who's either terrible at quick turnaround or just a bad photographer in general. If we had more time to weigh options, I'd be less stressed...
We would like to print a brochure, with this photo on the cover, by August 25th or so. So, we need these things yesterday. (The photo we were originally using has been deemed too grainy and unprofessional-looking.)
I'm not sure, but I figure there may also be some weirdness with terms of use, which wouldn't come up for, say, a wedding photographer or headshot photographer. We'd be publishing this thing.
It would also be nice to get a photographer who is skilled at coaxing professional/dignified expressions out of people.
How is this done? Where/how do we find a competent person to do this? No one here has any experience with hiring professional photographers, and I'm worried we'll choose someone who's either terrible at quick turnaround or just a bad photographer in general. If we had more time to weigh options, I'd be less stressed...
Best answer: I think the term you want to look for is "executive portraits" or "corporate portraits". Lots of photographers specialize in this.
It's not necessarily weirdness in terms of use, you'd be buying the usage rights to publish the photo. A photographer who does this work will be familiar with it. Also expect to pay a rush fee, if you need the photos ASAP.
posted by inertia at 12:40 PM on August 12, 2013
It's not necessarily weirdness in terms of use, you'd be buying the usage rights to publish the photo. A photographer who does this work will be familiar with it. Also expect to pay a rush fee, if you need the photos ASAP.
posted by inertia at 12:40 PM on August 12, 2013
Hit post too soon! If you just search for "portrait photographers" you're going to find the thousands of NYC photographers who take portraits of babies and families and dogs and what have you, which is obviously not what you need.
In order to get a price quote, you need to know what kind of usage rights you are looking for, so it's unlikely that anyone here will be able to give you a ballpark estimate without knowing those things.
posted by inertia at 12:44 PM on August 12, 2013
In order to get a price quote, you need to know what kind of usage rights you are looking for, so it's unlikely that anyone here will be able to give you a ballpark estimate without knowing those things.
posted by inertia at 12:44 PM on August 12, 2013
https://nppa.org/find_journalist
you could try the national press photographers association. there are tons of really awesome freelance shooters who would probably be happy to get booked for the day/know how to shoot lit, professional portraits.
posted by iahtl at 4:24 PM on August 12, 2013
you could try the national press photographers association. there are tons of really awesome freelance shooters who would probably be happy to get booked for the day/know how to shoot lit, professional portraits.
posted by iahtl at 4:24 PM on August 12, 2013
I can personally recommend Matt Furman. He can be found at http://furmanfoto.com/
posted by waterisfinite at 5:20 PM on August 12, 2013
posted by waterisfinite at 5:20 PM on August 12, 2013
My suggestion would be to go through an agency. There are handfuls of them in New York, and most of them will be well versed in quick turnaround jobs, especially if they do lots of editorial work. They can sort someone out for you, as well as make sure you have the proper license etc - The Agent List might be a good place to start, or go through a magazine and read the gutter or story credits to find out who shot it. I would say 90% of editorial photographers are repped, and a quick search should reveal the agency and relevant folio.
In terms of fees, you'll pay for the photographers day rate (or half day, depending on how long the shoot takes) plus any additional crew or gear (Assistant, lighting etc) and then any licensing fees.
It sounds complicated, and it might be a bit more expensive than you expect, but thats the benefit of working with an agent/production company. A good one will sort it out in a day (or less than that, if you find a good editorial agency).
Good luck!
posted by LongDrive at 5:26 AM on August 13, 2013
In terms of fees, you'll pay for the photographers day rate (or half day, depending on how long the shoot takes) plus any additional crew or gear (Assistant, lighting etc) and then any licensing fees.
It sounds complicated, and it might be a bit more expensive than you expect, but thats the benefit of working with an agent/production company. A good one will sort it out in a day (or less than that, if you find a good editorial agency).
Good luck!
posted by LongDrive at 5:26 AM on August 13, 2013
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Make a check list and and ask if they can do the type of organizational/corporate photography that you want, at your price, with acceptable terms of use, ASAP, etc. Maybe check if they do location and/or studio.
If they say yes, and they are suitable, ask them to email some sample shots and references. Review the portfolios and references, then pick who you want.
posted by carter at 12:13 PM on August 12, 2013