Paying the Photographer

Photography has many different categories and business models. There are photographers for weddings, portraits, seniors, events, architecture, commercial, fashion, nature, fine art, stock, the list can be virtually endless; if you can think of a category I can probably name a photographer that specializes in it. With each specialty there seems to be a different payment method and in some cases it makes total sense.   A portrait photographer probably should be paid at the time of the photo shoot and a wedding photog should get 50% down to book the date and the balance the day of the wedding. But when these payment models are applied to other types of photography I begin to wonder.

I specialize in high-end estate and portrait photography but that is not the only work I do. I have different payment terms for each part of my business. Also how I get paid depends on who I am working with, not just the type of photography I am doing. If I am doing portraits for an individual, model or just regular family type portraits, I need to be paid at the time of the shoot. The reason is simple; I may never see that client again. They can just up and disappear.  Corporate portraits are a different story.

When I am doing corporate work, whether it is for the annual report or headshots for the company website, I don’t expect payment upfront or at the time of the shoot. I can do a Purchase Order (PO) or just a straight up billing at net30, depending on my client’s accounts payable model, not my billing model. I work with you not against you.

I understand how business is done and that does not usually mean getting paid up front. Many vendors feel that they should be paid at the time that services are rendered rather than when the final product is delivered and I understand that but that isn’t normal in the B2B world. For the longest time things like POs at net 30, 60 and occasionally 90 were the norm. Today there are corporations that are demanding net 180! Really? Net 180? Ouch!

Net180 has multiple purposes and it’s not because they don’t want to pay their bills. This is usually for very large corporations and what they are doing is trying to qualify their vendors and filter out the little guys that can’t carry a burden for 6 months. The odd thing is that many of the smaller vendors actually do this all the time; at least some photographers do. Stock photographers carry a net180 or more all the time. They shoot with no idea when, or even if, they are going to get paid. Many a stock photoshoot has sat for long periods of time waiting for those one or two clients that need that image. Stock images don’t make themselves; good stock images are made by good stock photographers who have the ability to see the future of the client’s needs and make the investment in studio time, models, makeup artists, props, etc. to make an image that is desirable next week, month or year.

Although I am not a stock photographer I also make an investment in your future as well as mine. I usually don’t ask businesses for payment up front. I want to do business with you and I want that to be as stress free as possible. What I do is I ask you how you want to handle the payment. I work within your current business model, I take the time to learn how you do business and I do everything in my power to make sure that your business with me goes as easy as possible.  After all, having to make special arrangements and having to jump through hoops to get the images you need is not what you want. In today’s business environment the idea is to make doing business easier. That is my goal when you choose me to create the images your company needs.

Let’s make it easy to push your business to the next level, together.