Photographing Wood Flooring

Hello All,

Ive been asked to photograph a companys range of wood flooring as theyve seen my Hdr style and would like some portfolio shots to show of their products and if i get it right they want me togo to ireland . Ive said yes but ive never done anything like this before , im totally ok with hdr but some suggestions on lighting , composition and lens suitability would be appreciated. The location is a domestic residence in west london so i guess natural light may be hard to come by , i have a stock 18 -55 mm lens and a tamron 70-300mm lens.
They are willing to pay but i said id do a few sample shots to make sure they like my style first and then theyd like to pay expenses and for each photo they are going to use - what is a fair charge for each shot they buy?

Unless you're happy to work for expenses only, in the hope they might pay for a picture or two, OK. Otherwise clearly work out and state your rate in advance, draw up a licensing agreement/contract and have a an agreement signed in advance by you and the other party. I dont know what your client's expectations are but check out their competitors' web sites. I'm sure you'll find that most 'domestic interior' shoots are actually sets built in studios (Habitat and Ikea in the main being exceptions) - real life homes are usually too small to do the product justice. I suspect the 18-55 wont be wide enough and you really should invest in some proper lighting and, of course, learn to use it in advance. Dont let your enthusiasm allow you to be ripped off!

They could buy from Getty Images and only pay $49 (£25) per picture, although high quality images they wouldn't be unique to them. This rate doesn't seem to me enough for your efforts. Have you thought about barter? Do you need a floor?

I have a bartering arrangement with a local florist, she gets pictures for nothing - I get flowers for nothing.

Ken

Thanks very much , that gives me something to think about.