I have an opportunity coming up that I need some input on. I'm doing a wedding for an old friend, and quoted her my prices and she agreed. Thing is, she originally planned on the wedding to be in Little Rock Arkansas, about a 2 1/2 hour drive, but recently contacted me and it's going to be in Florida on the beach.
She said she would cover traveling expenses, and would get with me about it soon (dates, fees, etc). i'm leaving the quoted shoot fee the same, but i was wondering what you all would advise me for traveling fees (mileage, hotel, etc). do you require the traveling fees / hotel up front with the deposit (i usually do 25% deposit as a "retainer fee" for the date of the wedding)?
throw some ideas at me, i really appreciate it! this is the first of hopefully quite a few of these type jobs...i'm pretty excited, things seem to be picking up on the wedding end. getting out of the red on my equipment purchases ;)
Like spazmo99 says, the rates are set by the IRS. These rates are based on car costs, insurance, fuel costs, etc. Driving a car costs more than just the fuel to fill it...
Originally posted by jerowe:
wow, that's expensive...sheesh:D gotta love the industry. maybe she'll fly me :P
Something to consider with those rates.. The .48/mile is usually the rate in which you use when doing deductions on your taxes. Most companies who give an expense check say weekly will pay less of a rate because they are giving you immediate reimbursement.
For example, I sold insurance and did all my mileage at the end of the year with taxes. Its not a .48/mile reimbursement check, I lower my taxable income by .48*miles driven.
My current company gives us .33/mile up front.
I would have them fly me. 22 hours of driving is a lot. Mileage is a nice way to guage reimbursement, but it doesn't account for your time and energy. I wouldn't want to have an 11 hour drive home from teh wedding knowing I have a ton of editing time in front of me as well. Flying would probably be cheaper anyway and they would know for sure you are going to make it on time.
Something to consider with those rates.. The .48/mile is usually the rate in which you use when doing deductions on your taxes. Most companies who give an expense check say weekly will pay less of a rate because they are giving you immediate reimbursement.
Every company I have ever worked for has reimbursed me for personal vehicle mileage at the IRS rate. At a certain point tho, it's cheaper to rent a car and pay gas.
Flying would probably be cheaper anyway and they would know for sure you are going to make it on time.
You haven't flown much lately have you?
Last time I tried to fly to Atlanta, delays caused the crew to go over their time limit so they taxied back to the gate and kicked everyone off the plane. The next available flight was 3 days later.
But yes, flying and renting a car when you're there will probably be cheaper and, unless things go poorly, much faster.
i'll give her the options. when i find out the date for the wedding and the exact location, i will give her a quote for mileage and hotel fees.
i will also give her a quote for hotel fees and the option of flying me down there. in all of your experience with this...should this include a rental car if flown? sorry if i am a n00b on this, but this is most definitely going to be my first wedding which involves extensive traveling, so i really appreciate any input you all might have.
i'll give her the options. when i find out the date for the wedding and the exact location, i will give her a quote for mileage and hotel fees.
i will also give her a quote for hotel fees and the option of flying me down there. in all of your experience with this...should this include a rental car if flown? sorry if i am a n00b on this, but this is most definitely going to be my first wedding which involves extensive traveling, so i really appreciate any input you all might have.
again, thanks so much.
Honestly, I'd not even consider driving, just tell her the price of airfare.
And, yes, you should include the cost of a rental car in the deal. The only reason you wouldn't is if the wedding, reception and everything else is being held at the same place you're staying.
If you drive, it's not just mileage; you need to charge for travel time. We charged travel time on long trips at 75% of our day rate, minimum 1 day each way. Plus meals.
Flying can be problematic if you have a lot of fragile gear; especially, lights. You need to have protective cases, and you may get charged extra for excess luggage.
lots of great information here, i really appreciate it. i'll take all this into account. again, thanks...anything else anyone wants to add go for it...it's much appreciated.
Do you have a job, and will you miss any work? Your fee/expenses should be enough to also account for any losses of income that you would incur if you travel out of state.
I would say base it on client and on your skill level. I traveled almost 3hrs each way and stayed in hotel overnight. I was a second photographer for the wedding. After all expenses, I barely made anything but it was fun anyway. Good way to get experience.
