Hello Everyone,

How much are our professional services worth?

I am currently restructuring my business plan as now I am able to offer video for most of my clients.
I have always sold aerial still imagery as I used a 21' helium airship with a NikonD300s attached to a gimbal. Great still photography but obviously no mobility for video.
As the regulations have changed in Canada, I decided to purchase the Inspire 1.  The weather is not quite good enough to shoot sell-able footage but I do have 3 major clients committed to shoots in the next month.  1 is a Real Estate property; 2 is a large mansion with infinity pool, barn, lots of acreage and lakefront, and 3 is a golf course.  These are clients that I have previously done stills for but have revisited them now that I can offer video.

My question is:  How much do you charge?  
I understand that there are lots of factors to consider, but as a starting point, do any of you have any input?
*Do I ask clients how long of a video do they want?
(I anticipate most shoots to be around the 90 second mark for say #1; 120-180 seconds for #2 and about 300- 420 seconds for #3 (5 seconds per hole, straight full course vertical, clubhouse etc).  This is just approximate timing.)
*How much do I charge for editing?  I am assuming that most clients will want a complete video put together for them.  Would this be a total package price?

I am not even sure how to format a pricing package.  Bronze, silver, gold.  Per second, per project, include editing, just supply raw footage etc etc.

What if someone saw your drone and asked you how much it cost to come take a picture and some video of their house, mansion or golf course.
What would you say?  
This is intended for the professionals rather than the hobbyists as I am sure the hobbyists would do it for next to nothing

Thanks in advance,

Peter

Nothing. It's illegal to charge "cough cough". No but really it depends on your skill level, production requirements, difficulty of shots, whether editing is required, coloring, etc etc. It's not a one size fits all approach. For starters, Let me see your reel and I'll assess how much you can charge.

I assume you have commercial authority in Canada?...I would charge according to my competition hopefully, you don't have much competition!

Peter,
   Here in the U.S, I have talked to an established company's aerial photographer when flying a demo Inspire. His company was established prior to drones being developed and was doing professional work for over ten years with discovery channel and many other big names. He said he was charging $600 for half a day of videography services, I am unsure if that included editing or not. As far as real estate photography, I have seen various companies starting around $185-$199 for an average size home, video would be twice as much at least minus editing. I think that rates can vary depending on many factors, time, technical difficulty, client's budget, etc.  Like scooter lam touched on, quality of work is also an important factor as well.

I do look forward to hearing others opinion on this topic and am glad you have raised this question.
Those who are interested in business, we want to be competitive as to grow interest and demand but also not provide to low of rates, thus rendering this an unprofitable endeavor. Like any service industry, for example home remodeling, various companies quotes can vary widely. I do believe some consensus however is good for all of us!

It's like asking how long a piece of string is.   I use a lot of camera professionals in my business.   Some I pay $300/day and others I pay $2,500/day even if they have the same camera.

All based on skill level and the results they can bring me.

Even more important if you are offering full editing as part of the service.  If you can't tell a story through the cuts then there is no value.

Watch Scooter's showreel and compare it to someone with little experience.  No way they would be charging the same, it would make no sense.

For me I've never been interested in what my competition charge, only what I think my service is worth.  
Make a kick-ass reel that gets them so excited they will drive a dump truck full of money to your house.   When done right these shots replace a $5k of helicopter rental along with a film crew.   When done wrong they look like crap.  

jimhare Posted at 2015-4-10 04:54
It's like asking how long a piece of string is.   I use a lot of camera professionals in my business ...

Great thoughts Jim! Where can I find scooters showreel? Definitely have a lot to learn from you both. .