I should have known that I would have a ton of questions about blogger contracts as the new year is quickly approaching! I am so, so excited to work with my current bloggers as well as some new bloggers in 2019! The future is SO DANG BRIGHT, friends! It’s been an amazing ride and I’m so, so grateful that this life is the life I’ve been blessed with! I want to answer as many questions as possible, so if I miss something, shoot me an email at hello@sadie-banks.com or send me a DM on instagram (@sadie__banks) and we’ll chat & get all of your questions answered!
Before I jump into the FAQs and their answers, I just want to say how beneficial these contracts are. And I’m not just saying that because it’s how I earn my keep around here. I’m saying this because let’s talk about this real quick: When you need someone to take your kids off your hands for an hour or two so you can work, what do you do? Hire a babysitter. When you don’t have time to go to the store, what do you do? Order groceries on clicklist. In order to free up time, you pay for services to do things you just don’t have time for. Here’s what you don’t have time for: self-timer photos, editing, re-taking shots that didn’t turn out. Guys, I take my own photos and ain’t nobody got time for that. Which is why I actually enlist the help of my cutie husband, because it just takes too much time and effort to try to get ONE photo. Let alone enough for a blog post. However, both you & I know that enlisting the help of our sweet husbands only turns everyone into monsters. Honestly, the lack of bickering and arguing with your husband/significant other is what makes these contracts worth it. But really, the true value in these contracts is the fact that you get your time back. You get to spend time working on your blog and more importantly, being with the ones you love because you don’t have to spend time taking photos and editing photos.
2018 Blogger Testimonial
Hey Utah bloggers! Listen up! The BEST investment I made for my business in 2018 was hiring Sadie Banks as my photographer. She is amazing! She travels all over Utah to come take any pictures you need taken. She has taken pictures of me with my family, bath bombs, recipes, hair tutorials, product shots, just about anything you can think of. I can't recommend her highly enough. She is currently opening up her books for a handful more bloggers to get a contract with her. DO IT!
McKenzie from Girl Loves Glam
Blogger Contracts Frequently Asked Questions
What the heck are these contracts you’re always talking about?
I created Blogger Photography Contracts to help bloggers and small businesses be able to create consistent content. Contracts are 3 Month, 3 hours of shooting time per month contracts (9 hours of shooting time total). I wanted to make sure that they were valuable and worth every penny. I’ve worked so hard to create the perfect balance of shooting time and content created within the time we work together. I also wanted to make sure that brands and companies were getting what they were paying for when they put their trust in a content creator. I love working with bloggers and small businesses and these contracts are well worth the investment made.
Would you come to me or do I have to go to you?
Either! Whatever is most convenient for you. I have specific days set aside for different geographical locations to make scheduling easy for you!
What if I want content or pictures with someone other than just me? (like my kids or my husband)
Cool! Bring it on! We’ll shoot whatever content you need! I try to go pretty quickly when it comes to shooting husbands and children because we all know they don’t last long, but we will definitely make sure you get the images you need! (And not to toot my own horn, but I’m PRETTY DANG GOOD at making husbands laugh, smile and have a good time when they’re involved in the photos!)
Do I have to plan the locations?
If you want to shoot on location, we’ll work together to find a location that is perfect for whatever you’re hoping to shoot. If I’m new to the area, I may ask for ideas of where you’d like to shoot, but I also keep a running list of places that would be good for different types of shoots, so I’ll definitely give you ideas of places to shoot!
Are the photos indoor or outdoor?
It’s completely up to you! Some of my bloggers shoot primarily outdoors while others shoot indoor and others shoot a little bit of both-- it just depends on what they need for content!
How do I make it look like the photos weren’t all taken in the same day?
Change your clothes, throw your hair up in a pony, change earrings! You can have as many outfit changes as you can fit into your session! We can also go to areas that have a good variety of location options and we’ll find different places to fit your needs!
How many photos from each outfit/location do I get?
You’ll get as many photos as possible. I’m not a photo hoarder. I want you to be successful and what I think are the best images may be images you don’t like, so I try to give you as many images as possible from each shoot!
How much directing and posing do you do?
At first, I’ll direct quite a bit. Until you’re comfortable in front of the camera, I want to make sure we’re getting all of the shots that we need. I may shoot and just tell you, “you’re doing great” and that means that things are lookin good, so keep on keepin on. But I want these photos to showcase you and your brand, so my goal is to make you feel as comfortable as possible. Once we get into a groove (it doesn’t take long), it becomes more of a collaborative effort! We’ll try different things and get creative!
How prepared for a shoot do I need to be?
The more prepared you can be, the better. We’ll shoot whatever you’ve got ready. I’ve gotten to the point where it doesn’t take me too long to get the shots you need for your posts, so if you’re ultra prepared and have 15 different things to shoot, we’ll get that done. But if you’re unprepared and we only get to 2-3 things, then that’s all we’ll get to for that day. I’m working with lots of different schedules so it’s really important to me that I start and end shoots on time.
Do I have to do three 1 hour sessions?
Nope! You can do one 3-hour session or one 1-hour session and one 2-hour session! How you break up your hours is completely up to you (well, and how quickly you sign up for times).
How quickly do spots fill up?
FAST. I’m not just saying that to pat myself on the back. It’s unreal how fast the time slots go. When the schedule sign up goes out, you’ll want to take 10-15 minutes to sign up for your slots or they’ll be gone by the time you get on. Not kidding. I decided to watch the sign-ups in real time this month and basically every slot was filled within 45-minutes of the email/text reminder going out. It was insane.
How do I sign up for my time slots?
I send out a calendar via Google Sheets with my availability for the upcoming month on the 22nd of each month. Once the calendar is sent out, you can sign up for a time slot if it’s empty. If someone else’s name is there, that means they’ve signed up for the slot already. There also may be some slots that say NOT AVAILABLE. Those slots are obviously, not available due to my personal schedule.
How likely am I to be able to snag a Saturday Session?
Currently, Saturday sessions are very limited. Because I have a family and a life outside of photography (what?) Saturday sessions are limited. There may be times when I am unable to shoot during specific days of the week and Saturday sessions will be available. I also shoot Commercial Shoots on Saturdays, so again, Saturday sessions are limited.
Do you shoot on Sundays?
No, I don’t shoot or work on Sundays.
Can you do a combination of lifestyle photos and product photos?
GIRL YAS. I have worked so incredibly hard to up my product photo game and I honestly love them. Of course, lifestyle photos are my favorites but being creative with product photos has become one of my favorite parts of this job!
How much do you charge for one-off sessions?
One-off sessions are $125 per hour. There usually aren’t very many slots for one-off sessions, so I highly recommend the contract because you’re guaranteed shooting time each month.
Do you have a travel fee?
Yes. For anywhere 15 miles away from Saratoga Springs UT there is a $100 travel fee UNLESS I have 3+ bloggers in that area. If I have 3+ bloggers in that area then the travel fee is waived.
How do I receive my photos?
You’ll receive your photos through an online gallery called PASS+. I’m obsessed with PASS+ and it has proven to work really well for bloggers. You just bookmark the link and then when your photos are uploaded to the gallery, you can just open up that link and your new photos will be there as well as your old photos!
What is your turn-around time?
You will receive your photos within 5 business days of shooting. I completely understand that you have deadlines and sometimes those deadlines are less than 2 weeks. My goal is to get you your photos back before your draft deadlines are due!
How many outfits/locations can I have?
You can have as many outfits/locations as you can fit into your session time! The most outfit changes I’ve had in a 1-hour session is seven. Can you beat it?
Is payment required when I sign up?
The initial payment (because I have a payment plan option) is due before the first monthly calendar goes out. So payment is due December 22, 2018 for Quarter 1 2019 Contracts. HOWEVER, you have until January 5, 2019 (for Q1 Contracts) to pay. You just will not receive the schedule calendar link until payment is made, so the quicker you pay, the better off you’ll be.
Wait, you have a payment plan?
Yes. Definitely. I totally understand that sometimes payments need to be broken up and that’s completely doable. If you’d like the payment plan option, shoot me an email at hello@sadie-banks.com and I’ll send you that information right away!
(exhale) Did I answer all of your questions? I sure hope so because this post is LONNNNG. But if I missed something, feel free to send me an email at hello@sadie-banks.com. Or you can sign up for emails with more information or hop on board, go here. OR OR OR you can join me for an Instagram LIVE Q & A with Chelsie from Hey There, Chelsie, a lifestyle, beauty and fashion blogger that I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with in 2018. We’ll be announcing the time of the Instagram LIVE on our stories SOON, so stay tuned for that!