Every project is unique, which means that no client is quoted the same. Typically, our main 3 line items to determine our costs are a half-day or full-day rate, a post-processing fee, and a travel fee. Depending on the genre of photography, there may be other predetermined expenses based on the shoot. Ex. Props, Food Allowances, Location Fees, Pre-Production Fees, etc. 

Answering the following questions will provide us with the best possible foundation to build a quote. Some projects may require additional questions as photography can have many variables that cause prices to fluctuate.

• Who are we working with?

• Where are we shooting?

• What are we shooting?

• Will there be talent involved?

• If yes, will the talent be provided or need to be sourced by us?

• How many final images are required to be retouched and delivered?

• What is the purpose/usage of the images?

• Have you allocated a budget to this project?

It is extremely important to be as descriptive and honest as possible. The more details the better the experience and product will be for everyone. We can accurately estimate the project costs in advance of your commitment, this way there are no surprises.

Our process is quite simple, once we receive relevant details from our client, we develop a quote and timeline in advance of the shoot so we can clearly set the goals of what we want to capture and how this needs to be achieved. Our capture goals will decide on whether we need a half or full-day booking. We always recommend scheduling a full day for the best value out of your investment which will also often allow you to capture an entire home or multiple locations. Once we are ready to move forward, we will require a 50% deposit and our terms and conditions contract signed to reserve your date.

Prior to completing the booking process for your shoot, we highly recommend exploring our cost-sharing option. Cost-sharing is a great way to save some money and help the other contractors involved in your project.

Cost-sharing is when multiple contributing parties join forces to split the cost of hiring a photographer to capture a project. This can include any of the following: The owner, interior designers, landscapers, architects, contractors, consultants, product manufacturers, engineers, etc.

Once we have the initial quote and we identify the other contributors. We charge a licensing fee of 25% of the total for each, then divide the total fee by the number of parties involved. In the end, each party receives financial discounts and quality images for their marketing portfolio. Cost-sharing only works when organized before the project is shot. Each party will be presented with the same usage license for all images retouched.

To see this broken down into numbers – Let’s do some math! If the total project costs $3,500.00, for each additional contributor $875.00 would be added to the invoice. Let’s say the original client found another 4 contractors to participate in the shoot. The subtotal would be $7,000.00 but there are 5 parties involved so the total per party would equal $1,400.00 ($7000 / 5) instead of each person paying $3500.00 to have the project shot. That is over 60% savings while also creating mutually beneficial relationships for your preferred business partners.

Parties who don’t want to participate in cost-sharing, but want to license images after the shoot will be charged a per image licensing fee which is equal to 10% of the total shoot cost before cost-sharing is applied. Individually licensing images can add up very quickly to exceed the original total, however, we understand that some contractors may have had less involvement in the project and may require only a few of the images in which case, this option is the best fit.

Once we have completed the booking process, this is when the extremely important work begins in order to allow our shoot date to run as smoothly as possible. Based on the details we discuss about your project, we will provide you with a location preparation checklist to make sure we can achieve our best work on your behalf. If this is a residential space, we will request that you provide us with candid images of the space we will be shooting. This is a good time to finalize your ideal shot list, by capturing reference images of the space with your camera or cellphone. This will give us a sense of the environment and challenges we may encounter. It also gives us a sense of what is visually interesting about the space to you. If your project is a commercial space or hotel, we will schedule a scout day included in our estimate which will allow us to walk through the space with you, build our shot list and discuss what you will need to do in advance of our shoot date.

On our shoot date, my team will arrive at the specified location, do a quick walk-through with you, and then set up to capture the images as planned. We love our shoots to be a collaborative process. By tethering to a 16-inch laptop we can view each capture as we go, discuss the image and make styling adjustments to suit the composition of the image. It is your choice to be as involved in the process as you’d like. We do work very well independently but, we believe that your direction is also extremely valuable to ensure we capture an accurate version of your initial vision.

After we have completed our shoot, we then take the next 48 hrs to cull through our images and upload a small proofing gallery for your review and selection. This gallery will not be edited, so you are only looking at basic image composition. Once you select the images you would like to be edited, we will begin the editing process. We spend a substantial amount of time perfecting each of your images through various editing techniques including compositing, retouching, colour correction, and preparing master files for final delivery. It is expected that the Post Production work will consume as much time, if not more than the photography itself.

The first review of the retouched images will be ready within 14 business days from the date of selection and we will provide you with 1 round of editing revisions if necessary to ensure they are exactly what you want.

Please keep in mind, that during our shoot you are selecting your image composition. We only have so much time during a shoot to try out alternate angles. We are typically only shooting what we have outlined on the shoot list and are planning to deliver. That said, when possible we may include added detail shots or extras we were able to capture quickly between our scheduled list.

Once we have completed the required revisions, the images are exported, uploaded to a cloud sharing folder and uploaded to our server. We will then send you your download link(s) after receiving the final payment. Please be sure to download your files, your download link will expire in 1 year.

In the cloud folder, you will find a “Print” folder and a “Web” folder. It is important that you use the correct files for your intended use. Each folder consists of images with a specific colour profile applied for online and print usage.

At this point, our project is complete. We will store your delivered files safely for 1 year. Longer storage terms can be negotiated upon request. We highly recommend you have a couple of backups of your final images. If there are images you did not purchase but are interested in, we will only be able to guarantee those unprocessed files for 3 months from the delivery date. Please be sure to purchase anything you want before the 3 months is up or notify us if you require more time.

Welcome to the Homestead Collective family! We value long-lasting relationships with our clients and want to help you represent yourself in the best light! We love to showcase the work we do with our clients and talk a little about you through blogs and social media. If you have something exciting you want us to share, let us know and we will find the right platform to distribute. We also love to see how our clients use our work, send us links, tags, print marketing, whatever you have so we can share it together. For clients looking to book on a regular basis please reach out to discuss our retainer policies and options.