RATES
These rates are for a 4 hour studio session. Most photos you’ve seen by me have been done this way.
You’ll come to my Greenpoint, Brooklyn studio and tell me what’s going on in your career. We collaborate and create content that will aid in achieving your goals.
We tier our rates according to how many hours of post-production will be required, not by how many looks you shoot or whether you need headshots for acting, promo photos for your business, comedy career, an author photo etc.
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4 Retouched Photos
4 Hour Photo Shoot
Social Media Batch (20)
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3 Retouched Photos
4 Hour Photo Shoot
Social Media Batch (15)
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2 Retouched Photos
4 Hour Photo Shoot
Social Media Batch (10)
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1 Retouched Photo
4 Hour Photo Shoot
Social Media Batch (5)
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$75 Per Photo
Turnaround on photos ordered months after your shoot time will vary.
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$20 Per Additional Batch Processed Photo
Turnaround on photos ordered months after your shoot time will vary.
SHOOT PHILOSOPHY AND RATE GUIDE
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Our rates are effectively a sliding scale . Regardless of what you’re able to afford for post-production, you’ll receive the same time, care, and attention in studio during your 4 hour shoot time.
Even if you’re not used to doing shoots, you’ll have time to get comfortable and be creative.
If you are already comfy in a photo studio, you’ll get even more options. You’ll have photos ready to be edited if career goals pop off and you need them and can now afford the post-production.
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Retouching is making structural changes to an image. This usually includes removing flyaway hairs, acne, dry skin flakes, dandruff, smeared lipstick, and general skin flaws. It can also mean carefully reducing bags under eyes, correcting make up flaws like a major difference between color on the face and neck or hands. Rarely but sometimes it means editing out bra straps, tears in clothing, stains on teeth, or glue on a wig line. It is time consuming. Most high end retouchers charge by the hour. We don’t do that because we aim for you to have no surprises in your shoot cost. Sometimes this can mean I work for hours on a photo and effectively make less than minimum wage on a specific job. That’s why we’re so strict about how many perfect edits you can have.
(Examples of before/after retouching are available if you keep scrolling down on this lil website!)
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We can color correct and tone images just enough to make it passable on Instagram. If there’s dandruff, lipstick on teeth… something structural in the image that we’d need to correct in Photoshop, batch processing won’t correct it. But there are images that don’t need all that and we want to at least give you the option of taking away more images from your shoot day.
(Examples of batch processed files are available if you keep scrolling down on this lil website!)
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Only the retouched or batch processed photos included in your package are downloadable for use.
You can request additional retouched or batch processed photos at an extra cost.
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We experimented with all kinds of shoot durations and have found that consistently, no matter background, personality, or photo needs, people get the best shoots with an allotted shoot time of 4 hours. It’s not a significant change to our workday or overhead to stay in studio for less time. An extremely significant factor in cost is time spent editing.
Giving you less time in studio really just ups the anxiety levels (for both of us) during the shoot.
There are extremely rare occasions when you really, truly only need one photo. If you are a returning client, you may contact Jin about this. Our experience has been you will still need more time in studio than you originally think.
FAQs
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This shoot will last up to 4 hours. We may not use the full 4 hours. Some people do get everything they need in less time and we wrap early. If you've never done a shoot before, we'll spend a lot of time walking you through what you need. Don't worry about it too much before your shoot. Just bring a lot of outfit options and we'll get started.
While I work to be efficient during your shoot, I have found that it's better to take the time while we are together to work through ideas and talk strategy about your career. We'll talk a lot about what is coming up for you in the year. And I'll help you plan out your photo roll out plan.
On occasion, people have come up with a concept mid-shoot and we have changed course to do that photo. It's rare, but I like to allow time for that kind of thing to happen. We'll also do some practical stuff during the 4 hours. We'll be reviewing photos while we shoot and selecting photos for your online gallery... that's a password protected private gallery that only you will have access to. You'll get all your favorite photos from your shoot delivered there.
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Most people need a combination of casting headshots + editorial type images to promote their comedy shows. Or an author photo + comedy promo, etc. Everything about the studio and how we shoot is set up to accommodate those varied needs. Don’t stress if you need several different styles in your shoot. Unless you need an incredibly complicated set, we’ll most likely get to all the things you need during your shoot.
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Payment is due at the end of the photo shoot. If you do not know how many retouched photos you will be selecting, you can pay the lowest shoot rate, $575, on day of shoot and pay the remainder upon turning in your selects for retouching.
Payment Options:
* Cash
* Check to “Mindy Tucker”
* Venmo: @WithReservation
* Zelle: 917-273-2325 -
We know it's 2024 and Covid protocols have become looser. But I rapid test early in the morning before a shoot. We aren't requiring clients to rapid test before a shoot, but if you want to, that is welcome, too.
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We’ll send you an info packet after you’ve confirmed booking. It has guidance and some MUA recommendations if that’s something you’d like to do!
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Once you book, you’ll get a comprehensive guide with advice on outfits, concepts, shoot prep and ordinary stuff like the studio address.
To pat ourselves on the back a lil bit here… we’ve been told (often!) that the packet answers every question the person had and eased a lot of pre-shoot anxiety!
If you have a specific concern not covered in the packet, though, write us about it!!
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We totally get efforts to economize in this era of uncertainty and contraction. We have experimented over the years with shoots of shorter duration, group shoots, split shoots, and so on. Over and over again, we have seen that while a few people may have good results in those conditions, overall, an overwhelming majority of people get the best outcome in a shoot with a larger chunk of time and a narrow focus. We understand this may not work for everyone's budget.
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It helps us set aside edit time in the calendar for you if you let us know in advance how many edits you will be getting.
WHAT IS RETOUCHING?
Everything from here on down is about retouching and batch processing. You will receive an info packet all about every other aspect of your shoot when you book.
The most time consuming thing included in your rate is painstaking retouching work you won’t witness in person.
For most shoots, retouched photos clock in somewhere between 2-3 hours PER PHOTO. So not only am I with you for 4 hours on your shoot day, I spend hours getting you set up with press ready images that will look good no matter where you use them, whether that’s small screen on Instagram, large like a billboard in Times Square, or in between, like a flyer at a comedy club.
The easiest way to explain retouching would be to show you before and afters of entire photos. We’re in such a bind on this, though, because I would never show an entire before and after of someone who has trusted me with their image and branding.
So we did a lil shoot of me to illustrate a batch processed vs. retouched photo. And then unidentifiable close ups of some before and after retouches.
You can see a few of these samples by scrolling down.
BATCH PROCESSING VS RETOUCHING
BATCH PROCESSED
RETOUCHED
WHAT IS BATCH PROCESSING?
Batch processing is sometimes called “color correcting”, lightly editing, or a filter. It means a photographer is using a software to write a recipe for the color, brightness, and contrast of one photo, and then copying / applying it to other like photos in the set. The software for this has come a loooong way in just the last couple of years and you can even out skin tone or colorize a look in a creative way! BUT not always…
Batch processing will NOT fix: dandruff, smeared lipstick, acne, under eye bags, and most notably, whew boy, flyaway hair.
We have held off on offering this option because… how usable is a photo if there’s flyaway hair in every single shot? Or stains on a shirt? You can gussy that up with filters all you want but that stain is still there.
Batching only works for some photos. It’s an imperfect option we’re offering because we know you’re under increasing pressure to have constant content for social media. It’s also nice to just have a lot of photos from your shoot day! The usefulness of this option will vary wildly from person to person. Unfairly, people who are youngest, with clearest skin and fullest hair will have fewer differences between their retouched vs. batch processed photos.
BEFORE & AFTER RETOUCHING
BEFORE & AFTER RETOUCHING
BEFORE & AFTER RETOUCHING
BATCH PROCESSED
BATCH PROCESSED
MY ADVICE ON RETOUCHING VS BATCH PROCESSING
If you’re planning to print or display the images over the size of about 8x10 inches - Retouch
If it’s a fun outtake - Batch Process
If it’s a headshot, but not the one you’re going to use for everything, more like it conveys a specific character that is not your main priority and it will only be sent via email to a casting director for a very specific role. (And there are no visible stains on clothing etc.) - Batch Process
If it’s an author photo to be printed on the back of a book jacket - Retouch
If you even think you’ll use the image for a tour poster - Retouch
If you want to use 3 - 5 photos in a lil series of the same set up bc they tell a cute lil story for an IG carousel - Batch Process
If you need high res press images so that when an outlet writes a story about you they can download the image from your site and use it in the article - Retouch