What I do 

I've spent the bulk of my time styling and photographing more than 30 diy books and cookbooks (check out my clients), but my experience extends into other areas as well. 

I've also photographed for:

  • Grocery stores and markets

  • Food manufacturers and suppliers

  • Advertising agencies

  • Food and lifestyle magazines

  • Restaurants and cafes

  • Handmade products

I shoot in my home studio, studio spaces in the Seattle area, and on-location. I've also written travel guides and articles for digital and print campaigns and stories. 

What does working on a project with me look like? 

Develop an outline and estimate

First, we'll have a conversation to define the specific requirements of your project. Clear goals and expectations help ensure a successful project. We'll talk about things like:

  • What needs to be photographed and how, and the number images you want

  • How the photos are going to be used

  • The aesthetic qualities that you'd like the photos to have

  • Who needs to be involved in the process

  • When the shoot can take place

  • Any preparation that will be required (e.g. preparing food)

This is also where we'll talk about your budget. I'll provide estimates on how much I think each part of the project will cost, and you can decide to add or remove things accordingly.

Once we've agreed on an estimate that you're comfortable with, we can schedule the shoot and begin planning.

Plan the shoot

A thorough plan helps the shoot go smoothly, especially if we're working together for the first time. First, we'll prioritize the goals of the shoot. If something takes longer than expected, we want to have gotten the most important things done first.

Next, we'll develop a logistics plan including:

  • Pre-shoot prep (ingredient/prop shopping, food prep, cooking)

  • Detailed shot list describing each image

  • Shooting schedule

Shooting

Food & Product 

  • These shoots generally take place in a studio with the client on set or available remotely through phone and e-mail. Shot either at my home studio or in a space I frequently rent in Seattle.

Location & Lifestyle

  • Lifestyle shoots generally take place at one or more locations outside of a studio

  • Shoots of businesses, travel guides and specific places take place at their respective locations

Editing and delivery

I usually need a day or two to rest after a shoot, and then I'll start moving your images toward delivery.

I can provide basic editing of the images including color correction, contrast enhancement, cropping, removing blemishes and putting the final polish on the image. If you have someone else that you would rather have edit your images, that's fine too. Final edited images are delivered to you within two weeks of the completion of your shoot. 

I like to upload images using Dropbox, but I can deliver them to any file upload service of your choice.

What does this all look like? 

Examples of a studio shoot and a location shoot

A typical day varies a lot depending on the subject we're shooting, prep, the medium it will be going into, etc. Most of the time spent on a shoot is spent in the planning stages nailing down what you as the client want and the requirements of the photos, along with post-shoot editing. Below I've drawn up an example of a day in the studio with the client on set, and a day on location to give you an idea of what typically fits into this time. In addition to these two examples, I can sometimes work from my home studio with remote communication to the client during the shoot. This is dependent upon the project and has a different studio fee than listed below. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Example of one day in the studio

For non-food products, 8-12 images can be executed in a day, dependent on lighting, styling, requirements of the products and client requests. Typically we can do between 6-8 images of prepared food items in one day if we are working with a stylist and changing out props and surfaces for each shot (depending on how long the food takes to prepare and alterations and adjustments requested by the client or art director). I arrive early along with any stylists or assistants to set up for the day and stay late to clean up. We shoot for 7 hours, including a lunch break, and clients can either come to set to oversee or be available via phone and e-mail as needed. Clients are not required to be present at the time of the shoot and many studio shoots are done remotely. 

Summary of one day shoot in studio

8-12 product images or 6-8 food images, delivered digitally

Photographer's Hourly Fee (30 hours)

(includes prep, planning, day of shoot, editing, and delivery)

Assistant’s Fee

Food Stylist's Fee (dependent on stylist)

Assistant’s Fee

Studio Rental Fee

Props TBD 

One Day on Location

For shoots on location, we are usually looking to capture a minimum of 5-12 shots to be selected for a campaign or to document an entire event or process. Location shoots can take place almost anywhere- restaurants, grocery stores, storefronts, commercial buildings, farms, dinners, homes, apartments, the great outdoors. Dates and shooting times are often dependent on weather and the amount of natural light available (earlier in summer, later in winter). Many times I'll need to visit the location beforehand to scope out things like backgrounds, lighting, power sources for equipment, and obstacles we'll need to work around. Stylists aren't usually needed but assistants are usually required to carry and handle equipment. Travel rates apply. 

Summary of one day shoot on location

Images from one full day of continuous shooting or 5-12 winning selects for campaign 

Photographer's Hourly Fee (26 hours)

(includes prep, planning, day of the shoot, editing, and delivery)

Assistant's Fee

 

Booking & Payment

I require a 25% deposit to schedule a shoot. If the shoot requires a studio rental, stylist or an assistant, their fees will need to be deposited in full in order to reserve those services.

If I need to cancel the project, I will refund all deposits. Otherwise, the deposit is non-refundable. This protects me from a total loss of work if the project is canceled for reasons on your end.

To book or if you have any additional questions, simply send me an e-mail at Shannon@ShannonDouglasPhoto.com.