Introduction
The vast majority of photography work is made by independent photographers, but there is little clarity or transparency around the practices of payments and fee structures. This results in a profoundly unequal playing field, in which rates from the same employer sometimes vary drastically between geographic regions, and individuals, often compensating North Americans and Europeans far more than photographers from other regions. This disparity is even more striking for those who work in more dangerous and difficult conditions at home. Complicating the situation further, standards for reimbursable expenses, payment for travel days, filing fees, etc, are quite often opaque, leaving the onus on photographers to guess or ask what is covered, or to never be fairly compensated for expenses they are unaware can be reimbursed.
Through the Photographer Pay Equity Project, we endeavor to create a transparent document compiling rate and fee information across regions and clients. By creating a culture of equal pay, we will encourage publications, outlets, and wire services to standardize their pay practices irregardless of location, nationality, race, or gender, and ensure that independent laborers are paid fairly and according to basic industry standards. We hope that this document will serve as a resource for photographers everywhere, and encourage those who hire creatives to include all payment terms and compensation agreements in initial conversations and contracts. Above all, we ask that all companies who pay less to certain photographers, recognize this practice as deeply exploitative, and institute pay equity worldwide for all.
—Diversify Photo & Women Photograph
Glossary
A list of terms to help ensure understanding of the data presented, and to remind all readers of the sometimes unpaid, or underpaid, elements of labor as a photographer. Photographers should be compensated fairly for all the time they spend working, and all costs incurred in order to do so. Many industry standards vary depending on the type of client, from wire photo agencies, to newspapers, to magazines for example, and we recognize that not all employers are equipped to cover each of these types of fees, but we encourage informed conversation and the fairest compensation possible, as well as a wider recognition of the costs that go into creating photographs beyond the day rate which fall onto the shoulders of freelancers when they are not remitted.
Day Rate
Standard rate of pay for one day of photography. Many publications offer additional payment for days that extend beyond 8 or 12 hours. Some also offer half day rates, a practice which at times become problematic when travel and filing time is factored in, often a “half day” assignment realistically represents a full day of work for a freelancer, and effectively renders them unavailable for any additional work on the same day.
Travel Day
Payment for the day(s) a photographer travels to and from an assignment. The standard is half a day rate.
Filing Fee
Payment for time spent processing, captioning, toning, and sending photographs and other materials. The standard is a half day.
Hazard Pay
Higher day rate when major risks are involved in an assignment, such as working in a conflict zone or high risk for disease infection situation. Rates vary between employers but tend to be an extra 50 percent of original day rate, even double day rates in some cases.
Equipment Rental Coverage
Reimbursement for gear rented to complete a job, such as cameras, additional lenses, specialty equipment, lighting, etc.
Personal Equipment Rental
Many clients, especially magazines, compensate photographers for the use of their own equipment during an assignment. Standards vary from full standard rental house fees, to half rental house fees.
PPE
PPE, or Personal Protective Equipment, is gear specifically designed and rated to provide additional protection and safeguards in hostile environments. Some examples are: body armor and gas masks for conflict zones or civil unrest; N95 masks, gloves, sanitizer, or Tyvek suits for work in places with high risk of disease contagion or hazardous materials. All photographers assuming risks in order to complete the assignment should be provided with or compensated for the necessary protective equipment for maximum safety by their employers. Employers should understand these risks and how to best mitigate them, and make every effort to provide sufficient safety gear. When it cannot be provided, they should reimburse photographers for PPE procured at their own expense.
High Res Delivery Fee
Payment per image for final high resolution files. Many clients, especially those working on longer deadlines such as magazines, ask to see a low resolution wide edit initially, and choose a set of select images to be final-toned and captioned by the photographer. This is called a high res order. Publications often pay a fee per image for each file in the high res order.
Mileage
Payment per mile traveled to and from an assignment when a photographer travels in their own car. Current standard rate in the US is 56 cents per mile. Rates vary by year and country.
Per Diem
Some publications offer a standard rate “per day” for expenses such as food and ground transportation, (separate from things like air/train tickets, rental cars, or hotel costs.) Oftentimes these are based off of the U.S. Government determined rates.
Standard Expenses on Assignment
Although circumstances vary, those who commission photographers are generally considered responsible for all costs associated with completing the assignment. These include meals on assignment, air/train/bus tickets, gas, rental cars and taxis, parking, or mileage, hotels, and any and all associated travel costs.
Assistant Fee
Many publications have a budget for an assistant to the photographer, whose duties might include carrying bags, driving, aiding with note taking, holding or setting up lights, etc.
Work For Hire (WFH) Contracts
These contracts strip the photographer of their copyright ownership for images made while on assignment, giving the contractor perpetual rights to all use of the images. These contracts are widely considered predatory and should be compensated at a higher rate than traditional terms which leave ownership of images with their creator.
Production Fee
Compensation for time spent researching, scouting, calling, and organizing photo shoots.
Kill Fee
In the event of the cancellation of a shoot by the publication, or if the publication chooses not to publish the story due to no fault of the photographer, photographers are generally compensated in recognition of the work lost by blocking off their schedules, and any costs incurred in preparation. Standard fee if half of the total rate for the shoot, plus all expenses already paid for, including assistant fees if applicable. Last minute cancellations may also result in full payment.