Setting Your Rate on ShootWith.Me: A Guide to Getting Hired
Once your ShootWith.Me talent profile is complete, it’s time to fine-tune your settings by establishing your availability, working radius, and rates. These details ensure you receive job offers that align with your preferences while making you an attractive option for hiring studios.
Here’s how to set your rate in just a few simple steps:
How to Set Your Rate on ShootWith.Me
- Login to your ShootWith.Me profile.
- Click “Update Your Profile.”
- Navigate to the “Availability” section (bottom right of your profile screen).
- Click “Edit Default Rates.”
- In the pop-up window, fill out the required info, including your rate, availability, roles, and any other relevant details.
- Click “Save.”
Once saved, your profile will reflect your preferences, ensuring you only receive job offers that align with your rates and availability.
How to Choose the Right Rate to Maximize Your Chances of Getting Hired
1. Deliver Value That Matches Your Rate
Your rate should reflect the value you provide. If you’re new to ShootWith.Me or have limited professional experience, setting a premium rate without reviews or a desirable profile setup (including solid portfolio, bio, etc.) to back it up might deter studios from hiring you.
Pro Tip: If you’re serious about gaining traction quickly, consider starting with a $0/hour rate for assisting or second shooting. This bold move can help you earn your first reviews, build relationships, and gain valuable experience. Once you’ve established credibility, you can raise your rates to reflect your skills.
2. Stay Local
ShootWith.Me is designed to prioritize local talent. Your working radius is capped to ensure hiring studios can find nearby photographers without additional travel or compensation requests. Set a radius where you’re comfortable accepting jobs without needing extra pay for travel—even if the job is at the farthest edge of your range.
Hiring studios often deprioritize talent that is far from the job location, so setting a reasonable radius increases your chances of being hired.
3. Manage Your Availability
The availability calendar on your profile showcases the dates you’re generally free, but it’s essential to cross-reference with your personal calendar before accepting a job.
- Respond Promptly: Accept or decline job offers promptly. Allowing offers to expire can hurt your profile’s visibility in future searches.
- Be Reliable: Studios value professionals who respond quickly and manage their schedules efficiently.
Suggested Rates Based on Experience and Role
If you’re unsure how to price yourself, start with industry averages. Rates vary by location and experience, so adjust accordingly.
- Assistants: Beginners with no reviews should start around $15/hour. For faster traction, consider offering $0/hour for initial jobs to stand out.
- Second Shooters:
- Average for experienced photographers: $50–$75/hour in most metro areas.
- Beginners breaking into the industry should start lower to reduce the risk for hiring studios.
- Lead Shooters:
- Average rates range from $75–$150/hour depending on experience and quality.
- Experienced pros new to ShootWith.Me may want to lower their rates temporarily until they’ve built reviews on the platform.
The Key to Higher Rates: Reliability and Quality
Studios are looking for photographers and videographers who:
- Are reliable and professional.
- Deliver consistent, high-quality work.
- Provide value that exceeds their rate.
As you gain experience, earn reviews, and prove your reliability, you’ll be in a stronger position to command higher rates and secure more job offers.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Your rate is a reflection of your current skill level and experience. Keep your ShootWith.Me profile updated to ensure your rates align with your expertise and market conditions. By setting your rate strategically and delivering exceptional value, you’ll stand out as a top choice for hiring studios.
Ready to set your rate? Log in to ShootWith.Me and update your profile today!
How to Choose the Right Rate to Maximize Your Chances of Getting Hired
1. Deliver Value That Matches Your Rate
Your rate should reflect the value you provide. If you’re new to ShootWith.Me or have limited professional experience, setting a premium rate without reviews or a desirable profile setup (including solid portfolio, bio, etc.) to back it up might deter studios from hiring you.
Pro Tip: If you’re serious about gaining traction quickly, consider starting with a $0/hour rate for assisting or second shooting. This bold move can help you earn your first reviews, build relationships, and gain valuable experience. Once you’ve established credibility, you can raise your rates to reflect your skills.
2. Stay Local
ShootWith.Me is designed to prioritize local talent. Your working radius is capped to ensure hiring studios can find nearby photographers without additional travel or compensation requests. Set a radius where you’re comfortable accepting jobs without needing extra pay for travel—even if the job is at the farthest edge of your range.
Hiring studios often deprioritize talent that is far from the job location, so setting a reasonable radius increases your chances of being hired.
3. Manage Your Availability
The availability calendar on your profile showcases the dates you’re generally free, but it’s essential to cross-reference with your personal calendar before accepting a job.
- Respond Promptly: Accept or decline job offers promptly. Allowing offers to expire can hurt your profile’s visibility in future searches.
- Be Reliable: Studios value professionals who respond quickly and manage their schedules efficiently.
Suggested Rates Based on Experience and Role
If you’re unsure how to price yourself, start with industry averages. Keep in mind, there is no true "standard" since there is no unifying body that gets together and sets rates for photographers. In fact, that's part of what makes things great at times - as contracted workers, every photographer can set their own rate (whether that's below, at, or above the average in your area).
Take special note that rates may also vary by location and experience, so adjust accordingly.
- Assistants: Beginners with no reviews should start around $15/hour. For faster traction, consider offering $0/hour for initial jobs to stand out.
- Second Shooters:
- Average for experienced photographers: $50–$75/hour in most metro areas.
- Beginners breaking into the industry should start lower to reduce the risk for hiring studios.
- Lead Shooters:
- Average rates range from $75–$150/hour depending on experience and quality.
- Experienced pros new to ShootWith.Me may want to lower their rates temporarily until they’ve built reviews on the platform.
The Key to Higher Rates: Reliability and Quality
Studios are looking for photographers and videographers who:
- Are reliable and professional.
- Deliver consistent, high-quality work.
- Provide value that exceeds their rate.
As you gain experience, earn reviews, and prove your reliability, you’ll be in a stronger position to command higher rates and secure more job offers.
With ShootWith.Me, we've made it easier than ever for studios to find those reliable assistants and shooters!
Set Yourself Up for Success
Your rate is a reflection of your current skill level and experience. In practice, you can set your rate to anything you want, but keep the things mentioned throughout this post in mind to land on a figure that will lead to getting more opportunities in your inbox.
Users who are not getting consistent offers (or offers at all) often are higher priced than average...and don't have the supporting experience, portfolio, equipment, bios, etc. to justify the higher cost. So with that in mind, it's important to keep your ShootWith.Me profile updated to ensure your rates align with your expertise and market conditions.
By setting your rate strategically and delivering exceptional value, you’ll stand out as a top choice for hiring studios.
Ready to set your rate? Log in to ShootWith.Me and update your profile today!