Tiered Photography Assessment Guide
This page serves as a guide for proactively planning for photography for projects. This should help guide conversations during intake phase and schedule development to earmark the effort and spend related to photography up front, helping clients plan their budgets and helping Creative Services plan effectively for projects. Budget ranges and timing ranges are based on a sampling of representative projects. Timing ranges represent time needed from evaluating existing imagery and planning shot list photography to execution and all photography involvement completed.
Photography rates as of FY25
Freelance photography: As negotiated prior to shoot
Creative planning and management fee: 35% of freelance photographer rate
Image reuse fee: $75/image with unlimited use in perpetuity within BU collateral
Photo research and archival scanning: $90/hour
Tier 1 - Low intensity photography
Photography type: Photo shoots
Estimated budget range: $400–$1,500
Timing range (from initial request to project completion): Up to 3–4 weeks for photo shoot request
Examples include:
- Single event shoot
- Single classroom shoot
- Stock shoots
- Simple portraits for 1–3 people all on same day
Photography type: Research/archive/scanning
Estimated budget range: $85–$425
Timing range (from initial request to project completion): Up to 1–2 weeks for research/archive request
Examples include: If a client/designer has a couple images they need scanned, or a specific image they are looking for from the archives or digital assets, such as a photo of a faculty member for an obituary
Tier 2 - Medium intensity photography
Photography type: Photo shoots
Estimated budget range: $7,000–$13,500
Timing range (from initial request to project completion): Ranges widely; up to 1.5 months–11 months; realistically recommend up to 3–6 months minimum for planning purposes
Examples include:
- Sargent website photography
- Admissions website
- HUB library shoots
- CFA 2-day marketing shoot
Photography type: Research/archive/scanning
Budget range: $480–$800
Timing range (from initial request to project completion): Up to 2–3 weeks
Examples include: A concept-driven research/archive request, such as “diversity” or “iconic campus imagery”
Tier 3 - High intensity photography
Photography type: Photo shoots
Estimated budget range: $20,000–$40,000
Timing range (from initial request to project completion): Generally at least 6 months, and up to 9–12 months
High intensity photography includes projects that include photo research, archive requests, and shoots, or a combination of all three, and intense photo involvement; projects where we need to photograph a lot of subjects in a stylized way (~12–20 subjects or more), which means vetting/recruitment/intense coordination of subjects, and potential location scouting and permissions to use spaces; building a robust library of photo resources for a department; highly stylized concept requiring specific photo skill set from a photographer; coordination has multiple layers of restrictions (academic, weather, daily schedules), need for significant props and prop vetting, multiple layers of approval, including at the University level. These large-scale projects may also require coordination with vendors such as hair & makeup, stagers, studio rentals, etc.
Examples include:
- ADM Viewbook (basically building an Admissions library)
- Dining Services website
- Kilachand Center/new building collateral
- Comm Ave Banners
- Annual Report
- Wayfinding
- Grad Housing website
Photography type: Research/archive/scanning
Budget range: $1,200–$3,500
Timing range (from initial request to project completion): 6–7 months
Examples include: The Pub Wall or a client wanting to do a montage of 100 Years or a significant “Year” milestone in pictures