Q: I am interested in your rates and how you came up with the numbers. I am interested in becoming a night club photographer.
Nightclub photography rates can vary greatly depending on your experience and the clubs you shoot. If you're just starting out, you may have to provide your services for free at first, but it's a good way to get started and build a portfolio. The company you shoot for may even ask you to shadow one of their photographers so that you'd get an idea of what it's like to do nightclub photography. If you're a good fit, then the company would ask you to shoot a club the following week. Beginners usually start out at $50 per night.
As you get more experience and your photos start getting better, you may get assigned to a higher end club and get paid between $75 - $100 per night. Once you have enough experience and you've made some connections with club promoters and club owners, you may end up shooting exclusively at certain clubs. At this point, you can negotiate how much you would like to charge. However, keep in mind that there are many people with digital SLRs who also want to get into nightclub photography. Charge too much and the company could hire someone else who charges less. Make sure to charge enough so that you're not under valuing yourself or your photography. I think that $50 to $75 per hour is a pretty reasonable rate for mid-level nightclub photographers.
