Determining initial deposit

[Mike McCarty]

Here's a question - It's not uncommon for an artist to get the first one third or so initial down payment at the time of a photo session. This pretty much sets the serious wheels in motion. The question is - a third of what?

Many times the composition is established after the photo shoot from many different poses which may or not include hands, backgrounds etc. There may be h&s to 3/4 poses explored at that time. All these differences can suggest much variance in what that third may be in terms of dollars. How do you, before the composition is set, determine the down payment?

One way to come to grips with this is by asking: where will the portrait hang? This should give some indication as to what kind of pose is in order. If the space suggests a 40x30 it's probably not going to be a head and shoulder. Even so, there may be several possible hanging locations which gets you back to the question.

What I have done in the past, with the intent of getting something of a commitment going, without an all out negotiation, is make an estimate on the low side. Anything to get them committed to the deal. I then, after the pose is established, create an invoice showing full amount and the initial down payment. If the initial down payment is anywhere close to my third I will just load the difference onto the back end.

This issue, and the conservative estimate, can be gone over at the time you ask for the deposit without having to go through a bunch of difficult calculus which spoils the mood, and at a time when you're trying to muster all your creative thoughts for the composition.

Any one have a better idea?

[Richard Bingham]

I've never run into this. The scope of the project has been determined (i.e., head, head & shoulders, full figure, etc.) along with the "target size" before signing a contract and collecting the deposit. prior to the first sitting.

A possible approach would be to apply a set fee you're comfortable with for engaging a project with these open variables (it would be too kewl - having that latitude!) and let the subsequent two installments reflect the final price.

[Marcus Lim]

Originally Posted by Mike McCarty

What I have done in the past, with the intent of getting something of a commitment going, without an all out negotiation, is make an estimate on the low side. Anything to get them committed to the deal. I then, after the pose is established, create an invoice showing full amount and the initial down payment. If the initial down payment is anywhere close to my third I will just load the difference onto the back end.

Hi Mike,
I somewhat feel that this method works, but may backfire. In a way, i believe that "dangling a low-price carrot' at first parts of the work may leave a bad after-taste on the customer's mind. Because we weren't transparent in the beginning, they may feel cheated when they realized they have to pay some more later on. After all, with so many money scams running around the world these days, customers may feel that way about our work too. On my part, i certainly won't want to feel that way myself if i were a customer.

I usually would give customers a rough price according to standard prices i have for 3 sizes i use - 24" x 30", 30" x 40" and 50" x 60". Because it's an estimate, it's usually higher priced. So when we finish the work and they come back to us for the invoice, they may be surprised by a lower price than quoted - usually because of smaller actual size.

On our part, we can give it to them they have been deserving customers for a lower price, because they have committed and cooperated so well throughout the process. I think doing this sends a positive message to our clients. Don't you think so?

[Mike McCarty]

Richard:

The set fee wouldn't be a terrible idea. I've always had this percentage thing set in my mind and it always came down to the question of "a percentage of what." I do feel strongly that you have to have them prepared to give up some money before the photos are taken. Once I do a couple of hours of photography and then as much as 5-6 more hours of editing I'm not in the mood to have someone change their mind. I've always tried to keep the client open to the creative possibilities which often come up during the photo shoot. It does create an open endedness, which is what creates the question.

Marcus:

It's more transparent that I may have indicated. I do explain the possibilities to them up front, and they know what the prices are and are involved in picking the composition ultimately. It's just that I haven't been able to create a precise percentage when I want them to write the check. Maybe a fixed fee to cover the hours necessary to get to the pose selection may be best. Then you could deduct that amount from the total and then get your third, or half down when you've settled on the composition.

Then I can get busy and save for that new boat ...