For photographers who shoot on location –outside of the studio- location scouting is one of the most important, yet most time consuming and difficult part of a shoot.

Many people have different ways of finding locations, from location scouting websites, to Google Earth and Bing Map’s Birds Eye View. All those methods are fine, however I prefer to do a bit of walking. Because I do my shoots in somewhat urban settings I’ll visit a new subway station, and just explore around the half a mile or so of heavily developed areas. I usually come away with two or three great locations this way.

However sometimes I don’t have the time this method takes. So I use Bing Maps and go the Birds Eye View mode. This can often times reveal interesting details about a park or other location you’ve never visited. I’ve done this a couple of times, and have to admit I’ve never been let down. Google Street View is also another option for scouting locations, though I feel the system is somewhat cumbersome for just exploring around a neighborhood.

When a model fails to show up or cancels with just a few hours notice this is called flaking. There are several strategies to help reduce flakes. When combined these steps can reduce a lot of flakes, but no method is foolproof.

The first is to check references. People will rarely give out bad references, but if a model is consistently late a reference might acknowledge this. Also don’t just check the references the model gave, if you find photos of the model by other photographers not given as references check with them too.

Another tip is to call the model the night before the shoot just to make sure no grandparents have died, no injurious accidents have occurred, or any of the other common excuses. There’s also something about talking to a person that seems to make for more of a commitment than just emailing back and fourth.

There are also signs of flaking up front. Those who seem hesitant in regards to the location tend to not show up. Also when frequent schedule changes are requested this is another sign the person might flake.

Lastly you can require a deposit. The thought of loosing thirty dollars is enough to discourage many from not showing up because its “cloudy outside” or they have an earache (both excuses I have heard).

Publilius Syrus said in 100 BC that “Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it.” This is true for your photography too. When you’re starting out you’ll mostly be giving away your work for free. The first reason is people won’t want to pay you, the second is people have higher expectations for their product when they hand over their hard earned money.

When you should start charging money is when you no longer have time to fit in all the (time for, or trade) requests you’ve been given. Politely let the person know what your rates are and that they are negotiable.

You probably want some hard numbers. Many photographers I know in the DC area (which has a relatively high cost of living) charge about $75 for a location shoot with about 5-10 finished photos. The photographers charge substantially more for studio shoots, going for around $150 for about 5-10 finished photos.

However if you feel overwhelmed with TF requests you could certainly try sending your rates to those who don’t have the looks or quality you’re looking for. What rate to charge is up to you, but if you’re new to the game $25 an hour is probably a good place to start out. You could also try charging for extra services such as giving models all the proofs.

Some other photographers I know have a sitting fee of around $50 and then charge about $25 for each finished image the client wants.