Portraits & Commissioned Work Pricing
Creative fee for under 4 hours total work $125.
Creative fee for over 4 hours total work $225.
Shoot and post production (photoshop) hourly rate $75.
A CD of thumbnails of all photos – FREE!
Usage fee applies to photos used for advertising, dependant on geographic region and the duration of the advertising campaign.
General Info
If a particular time has been scheduled please be on time or early, billing will start at the scheduled time.
A rush fee of $25 will be charged for print orders required within 7 days.
A deposit of $50 may be required at time of booking, refundable for cancellations over a week ahead of the scheduled time.
Payment for shooting must be received at the time of shoot.
Please specify any requirements ahead of time, the contract outlines standards used.
All expenses such as prints, film purchase and development must be received in advance.
Prints
| Print Size/Quantity | 1-9 | 10-24 | 25+ |
| 4x6 | $8 | $6 | $5 |
| 5x7 | $10 | $7 | $6 |
| 8x12 | $15 | $10 | $8 |
| 12x18 | $18 | $13 | $10 |
| 16x20 | $50 for 1st print, $35 thereafter | ||
| 20x30 | $75 for 1st print, $55 thereafter | ||
There is also a lab that specializes in Actor/Model promo prints for mailing out
to agencies; the prints are of a lower quality. The prices for 8x10s are:
| 12 prints | $8 per print |
| 25 prints | $7 per print |
| 50 prints | $6 per print |
| 100 prints | $4 per print |
| 250 prints | $3 per print |
Custom Matboards
Since I make mats for my fine art work I may as well make mats for you! I stick to
archival mat of two colors – solid white or black with a white core.
| Print Size | 4x6/5x7 | 8x12 | 12x18 | 16x20 |
| Mat Size | 8x10 | 11x14 | 16x20 | 18x24 |
| Mat Price | $10 | $15 | $20 | $25 |
Canvas Prints
Canvas prints have a textured surface and give photographs a softer look that to a certain degree resembles an oil painting. They come on a stretcher bar frame and the very edges of the image wrap around to the back. Each canvas is finished with a UV and scratch resistant coating making them durable to a variety of conditions. There are three available finishes – matte, satin and glossy. As mentioned my camera shoots at a 2:3 ratio, therefore fitting 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 and 24x36 sizes but images can be cropped to fit other sizes. Custom sizes can be quoted for.
| 16x24 | 20x30 | 24x36 |
| $250 | $300 | $370 |
Frames
| Frame Size | 8x10 | 11x14 | 16x20 | 24x36 |
| Standard Frames | $15 | $30 | $40 | |
| Deluxe Frames | $25 | $40 | $50 | $60 |
All frames are subject to availability. Standard frames are thin black metal frames. Deluxe frames are wide black wooden frames.
Glass
To better protect your print I recommend using UV glass. Non reflective glass can be useful too, but may soften the detail of the photo.
| Frame Size | UV or Non-Reflective | UV Non-Reflective |
| 8x10 | $15 | $15 |
| 11x14 | $20 | $20 |
| 10x20 | $30 | $35 |
| 16x20 | $30 | $35 |
| 18x24 | $30 | $40 |
| 12x36 | $30 | $40 |
| 24x36 | $50 | $65 |
Print Requirements
All prints are archival. Please let me know your final intended use for the print, this will affect how I print the image for you. My camera has a 2:3 photo ratio, this means the photo will fit exactly to a 4x6, 10x15 and 20x30 paper size perfectly, but not to an 8x10 or 16x20. For all prints I add black borders to maintain the original photo proportions, but this means you will need custom mats. If you intend to purchase standard frames from a store with precut mats, for example an 11x14 frame with a precut mat of 8x10 then I would need to print a cropped image at 8x10 without borders. You will lose some of the edge of the image from both printing and behind the mat when mounted. I would strongly recommend custom made mats.
Art Reproduction Pricing
$75 set-up, $75 per hour, minimum $100.
The $75 per hour rate also applies to other work such as copystand work for slides, and post production work
such as Photoshop editing.
Home Service
$125 base rate, $75 per hour, min one hour.
Travel at the current IRS rate per mileage.
Any incurred expense, such as parking.
A non-refundable deposit of $50 may be required to book the rental of lighting equipment.
Requirements – a low light room at location of minimum 15ft by 15ft. The darker the room the more accurate the color reproduction will be.
Quality
I use a digitally calibrated system for accurate results. My camera, monitor, prints and slides are all calibrated. I use a unique calibration system developed by a colleague in the photography industry that is not yet available on the market. The system gives results far more accurate than shooting directly with slide film.
The studio now has a high end 12.4 megapixel digital SLR camera that is capable of reproducing prints at 20x30 at the highest quality. Please request this camera if you are needing prints at this size. For larger prints I can now have your work scanned for $75 per piece, also using a calibrated system.
Slides
Slide film is $30 per 36 exposure roll (includes development) plus time to shoot.
Time for copystand work varies depending on the number of slides required per piece of artwork. 5 or more takes 15 mins,
3 or 4 takes 20 mins, 1 or 2 takes 30 mins.
Mailing 2 rolls of slides is $5.
Please note that the 1st and last image on a 36 roll can sometimes be an incomplete image, therefore please calculate the number of rolls based on 34 slides and consider anything else a bonus. From researching various labs I have chosen the most consistent and reliable, but please note that lab development is out of my immediate control.
Giclee Canvas Prints
All canvas prints come on stretcher bars and have a UV scratch resistant coating. Standard finish has white sides and is stapled on the sides. Gallery wrap attaches to the rear and includes colored sides such as black, add 2” per side to wrap around. Other giclee fabrics are available on request.
$0.14 per square inch plus $2 per total length
Example: a 16x20 standard finish. (16x20 x0.14) + (16+20) x2 = $116.80
Archival Photo Prints
| Print Size/Quantity | 1-9 | 10-24 | 25+ |
| 4x6/5x7 | $8 | $6 | $5 |
| 8x12 | $15 | $10 | $8 |
| 12x18 | $18 | $13 | $10 |
All prints are made on archival low reflective photosensitive luster paper estimated to last over 75 years without noticeable fading. This is the paper I use for all of my Fine Art photography work. Larger sizes are available on request. Please remember that the dimensional ratio of your art work is unlikely to fit exactly to a print paper size, therefore please inform me of your needs. My standard is to add black borders around the art work.
Custom Matboards
Since I make mats for my fine art work I may as well make mats for you! I stick to archival mat of two colors – solid white or black with a white core.
| Print Size | 4x6/5x7 | 8x12 | 12x18 | 16x20 |
| Mat Size | 8x10 | 11x14 | 16x20 | 18x24 |
| Mat Price | $10 | $15 | $20 | $25 |
Frames available on request.
General Info
1st CD of images free, $10 thereafter.
A rush fee of $25 will be charged for prints and slides required within 7 days.
Prices do not include sales tax. Slides and prints are subject to 9% sales tax. Prints for resale do not need to be taxed if a business tax number is provided.
If a particular time has been scheduled please be on time or early, billing may start at the scheduled time and finish time may be limited if I have other appointments.
Payment for shooting must be received at the time of shoot.
All expenses such as prints, film purchase and development must be received in advance.
Please specify any requirements ahead of time.
Details
What I need to know:
- How many pieces do you wish to photograph?
- What is the approximate size of the pieces?
- Are the pieces flat? Thick oils or collage pieces may result in shadows and need a different studio set-up. Curling paper may pose issues too.
- What medium do you work with? Is it highly reflective? I also need to be aware of silver and gold surfaces.
- What is the final intended purpose of the shoot? Prints, slides, website, portfolio…
How can you help?
To help keep costs down by speeding things up and to achieve better results there are a number of things you can do:
- If you add a final coating to your work (such as a varnish, UV or scratch resistant coating) that increases reflectivity wait to add this layer until after photographing the piece if possible.
- If you need to remove paintings from frames do so before coming to the studio. I can shoot them in frames, but a frame can cast a small shadow around the edges of the painting.
- Glass is not a big issue, but without glass is better, especially with large pieces. Glass may reduce sharpness of details.
- Unload your paintings prior to the shoot or as I am photographing other pieces- bring a dolly if needed.
- Have each piece ready to photograph one after the other.
- Be clear from the start what you need, repeating work unnecessarily adds time.
Work Standards:
The following are standards I work to, if you require something different you must let me know. Samples of slides and prints are available on request.
- An “Art Reproduction Consent Form” must be signed prior to shooting to establish that you hold the rights to copy the artwork.
- Plastic mounts for slides without text such as the date.
- Artwork on slides will appear with a black surround. The black will not show on projection and is tidier than masking areas with tape. This ensures that the artwork can be seen in its entirety.
- Prints also have a black surround. This also ensures that the artwork can be seen in its entirety and adds a border needed for mounting to mat board.
- I will shoot with the intention of cropping just the artwork, if you wish to include the frame or mat I will need to know before photographing the piece.
- I will provide you with a CD of the work, please download them and check them when you get home. I cannot guarantee that I will keep copies of your work.
Cost Estimates:
I simply charge for time, it depends on what degree of accuracy you want as to what it will cost. Here are some rough guides to help, estimates include shooting and editing times:
- Basic Package – Straight forward shooting of your work followed by a quick preset color calibrated conversion of the RAW files into Jpeg or Tiff and cropping. Estimation of 20 pieces of art work per hour.
- Quality Package – as above plus a visual check of each piece to the monitor to touch up colors and tones to precisely match the original. Estimation of 10 pieces of art work per hour.
Cost Example:
A client wants 1 Archival Photo Print of 10 watercolor paintings of precise color reproduction. She brings a friend to help unload the paintings from her car.
We photograph and correct all 10 pieces in 60 minutes, $50 set-up and $75 for time. I produce 10 prints of each at 8x12 size for $10 each: 10 x 10 + 125 = $225 total, or $22.50 per print.
She later decides she wants 20 slides each of 5 pieces to enter Art Fairs next year. We already have the photos and she has taken this cost into account for the prints. 3 rolls of film at $30 plus 9% sales tax = $65.40. 45 minutes work = $56.25, total $121.65 which is approximately $1.20 per slide.
Q&A
- Who am I?
I am a Fine Art photographer involved in the Art Fair and Gallery circuits. I am therefore familiar with the high standards needed for both. Since my entries need to work for me I can make your entries work for you too! - Why do I do it?
Initially I had a number of artists inquire if I could provide them with Art Reproduction services and it has grown from there. It seems that alot of artists have lost their photographers since some have ceased to offer this service, maybe due to the switch from film to high quality specialized work of Digital Photography. - What can you do for me?
Artists have many different needs. One that I highly recommend is to keep a portfolio of work to show clients – I currently have 8 different portfolios! Don’t forget that if a masterpiece sells you should still have something to show for all your hard work and skill. So you can have a CD of your images, resized images for web and e-mail, images for zapplications (the new online art fair submission process), slides and of course prints. Let me know if I missed something! - Where are you?
My current studio is located in Glen Ellyn, IL 60137. The suburbs offer easy access from Chicago and out-of-towners can avoid the Chicago traffic. I currently live in the West Loop of Chicago 60607 so if you are near me I can take your pieces to the studio with me. - Do you do home service?
I do, but the costs are higher. The different shooting conditions may also mean that the accuracy of the reproduction may not be as perfect as a studio shoot would be. Unless you have a large quantity, large sizes or fragile work it is in your interest to come to the studio. - Why so cheap?
I have access to a free studio, so I can pass on the savings to you. It is not a reflection on the high quality of my work. I have even been paid more by clients because they were that impressed with the speed and quality of my work. - Why should I come to you?
Quality, pricing and experience. Take a look at my sample portfolio and the work I have done on my website, maybe you even know of some of the artists I have worked with. I have been working in Art Reproduction since early 2005 after thoroughly researching techniques and have worked with a wide range of mediums since. I know that there is always a risk in coming to someone new, so I offer a quality guarantee. For your first shoot you can bring in a few pieces to shoot. If you are not happy there is no charge. If you are happy then you get to leave with a CD upon payment. Nothing to lose!
Commissioned Work
coming soon ...