#78 – How to take a cookbook shoot from start to finish with Diana Muresan – part 2

My Food Lens

Few years ago I received an enquiry from a brand for a cookbook photoshoot.

They had seen my work and wanted to know more about my process and also my rates for the project.

I shrieked. I mean who doesn’t want to shoot a cookbook. Almost every photographer dreams of it. I did too. I was excited reading that email.

But there was a minor problem.

I had never done a cookbook shoot before. I had absolutely no idea what the process looked like and how I was supposed to charge for it.

I mean it wasn’t a magazine, it was a cookbook. They’re both print media but are they really similar in process and pricing?

My head was spinning.

And so, I reached out to my dear friend in the industry, Diana muresan. Diana food photographer, stylist, blogger and educator, was also an experienced cookbook photographer & she came to my rescue.

I bombarded her with questions and she answered each one of them patiently and with complete transparency.

In this week’s podcast we continue our conversation with Diana Muresan about cookbook shoots and she shares all the tricky details.

We talk about pricing the project confidently, credits to be included in such projects, curveballs to expect and how to cater for contingencies, how to keep such projects profitable and whether cookbook photography is lucrative enough.

So, when I received that client enquiry, I had made a rough estimate of $5000 for the project but after my conversation with Diana, I realized how far off that was from what the project fee should have been. Based on the brief, it was easily a $12000 project.

But I would’ve never known had I not spoken to someone about it.

Imagine if I would’ve been hired for $5000 only to realize too late what the project fee should have actually been. Can you imagine the jolt to my confidence, passion and my desire to do a good job on the project? Leave all of that, imagine how unappreciated and unvalued it would’ve made me feel.

We never want to be in that situation.

If we run a photography business, it is always a good idea to know about the different kinds of projects in the industry, what it takes to execute them & how to quote for them so that if there is ever an opportunity, our decision to take it up or leave it is based on our interest it instead of our lack of knowledge about it.

Read more at https://myfoodlens.com

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Show notes available https://myfoodlens.com/78-how-to-take-a-cookbook-shoot-from-start-to-finish-with-diana-muresan-part-2/

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