Client wants aerial pics for 80 cents each

[Julius13]

This whole industry is in a "revolution" and unfortunately it is a race to the bottom. We have people with little to no "Skin in the game" who are happy making "Beer $$" for a photo shoot. I see it almost every day and I just look the other way and beat them day in and day out with excellent Customer Service and a phenomenal end product.

John-Boy flying the drone his parents bought him for his 16th birthday can take "ok" pictures from the air but most of the time he knows nothing about composition, composure, editing, etc. For $50 a shot he can't spend much time on the project.

Also (please don't take offense) we have a large population of retirees and soon to be retirees who don't need to make much $$ and are willing to work for pennies on the dollar. I saw this first hand about 3 weeks ago when someone approached me (on a job) asking for advice and guidance about his new "Retirement Adventure". He said he wasn't doing it to make $$ he just wanted a hobby that paid for itself and kept him occupied.

It's genuinely a race to the bottom and NICHES make RICHES!!

Excellent points. I’m one of those soon to be retirees.. maybe and since I’ve been flying for couple of years I’ve turned down “offers” for some ridiculous chump change and unbelievable expectations. My niche is construction because it’s what I’ve done basically my whole career.

I have a possible client for monthly shoots for chronological verifications of work in place. He sends me a quote from some service and they are just a tad over $65 a shoot, once a month. This firm isn’t even local and seems to claim they have national presence. My guess is they hire some “hobby pilot”. And broker everything via email.

Anyway client wants to know how close I can get to this price. Okay, this site is about 140 miles round trip for me. I told them I won’t fall out of bed for $65. I also won’t quote a project until I have a full understanding of site specific conditions, but we could generally start at a baseline 10 times that amount and work from there either direction.

Regrettably most people will settle for mediocre shots taken straight from an SD card. And while you can compose some fantastic shots with just camera settings, nothing compares to some post production editing. And this in itself takes TIME.

I decided early on I wouldn’t chase that $100 bill and establish my worth, not a prospective client.

 

[Julius13]

I have been in customer service and sales in technical fields for over 36 years. There is always someone who will do it cheaper. But I like to remind my customers, price is what you pay, value is what you get.

I've been in the agronomy sales business for the last 16 years. It is hard to compare apples to apples on fertilizer. You have to know your product and your competitions' products and practices as well. I've seen people make bad decisions, find they received no support from the low price guy they bought from, and call me for help. Depending on the circumstances, sometimes I did. Other times, there just wasn't anything I could do, as bad as I hated it.

In addition to my UAV license, I am also a licensed auctioneer in the state of Georgia. And as bad as it sounds and distasteful as it might be to some of you, one thing you had better get used to doing is reporting unlicensed activity. Real estate folks are some of the worst as mentioned in an earlier post. But God help you if you try to sell a piece of real estate without joining the guild. I had what I thought was a friend. A fellow auctioneer who also handles real estate. They were going to hire me to handle their photography. I dropped by the office one day unannounced and met a new employee. A young lady in her early 20's. They had bought them a drone and she was going to take the test and get her a license. I asked a few basic questions that told me all I needed to know. I wish them the best. I am sure they are operating illegally now.

Car dealers are rabid protectors of their niche' as well. I ran an occaisional vehicle through my personal property auction, well within the law. But the owner of the local auto auction showed up to check me out one week. Just to make sure I wasn't getting over on him. In order to do regular auctions of more than just a few automobies per year, you have to be a licensed auctioneer, as well as a member of the Automobile Dealers Association and the Used Car Dealers Association, etc, etc. You have to belong to the guild.

And in cars and auctions in general your biggest source of complaints about your activities come from other operators. Its a jealous world.

One idea would be to start a register of unlicensed activity and post it online. It could be sort of an Angies List for UAV pilots. No legal repurcussions. Nothing but a list of suspected commercial activity where no licenses are known to exist. Thats one idea. And there may already be one, but an easily referenced index of licensed UAV pilots tailored for easy consumer usage might be another useful tool.

And never miss a chance to educate the consumer. I did a short video on a procedure to condition golf course greens. I used my Phantom, my Hero 4 with gimbal, my Power Director 15. All of my modest bag of tricks. It got over 2,000 views in the community. And on the opening screen I placed a cautionary statement about always using a licensed UAV pilot. I suggest any of you who have the opportunity to do this as well. Put your FAA certification on your business cards and letterhead. Say it loud and proud. We want the consumers to ask that question, "Are you an FAA licensed pilot?".

But ultimately, quality and professionalism will be your best defense. Second to that, a strong supporting association. That being said, if my nearly 40 years as a low level flunky in the business world can provide any help or insight to a fellow pilot, please let me know. I'd love to help.

OK, I will put the soap box away for now. Sorry for the rant. I will start another elsewhere...

Blue Skys and Fair Winds to all.

Touche’

People call me the drone Nazi because when someone starts that cowboy drone talk I ask if they are licensed? The ones who have a suspicion as to why I ask usually shut up. The real cowboys keep running that mouth until I start preaching about following the rules.

BTW, we’re practically neighbors. I flew the water tower downtown when I first started out.

 

[aerialimagery]

Anyway client wants to know how close I can get to this price. Okay, this site is about 140 miles round trip for me. I told them I won’t fall out of bed for $65. I also won’t quote a project until I have a full understanding of site specific conditions, but we could generally start at a baseline 10 times that amount and work from there either direction.

Regrettably most people will settle for mediocre shots taken straight from an SD card. And while you can compose some fantastic shots with just camera settings, nothing compares to some post production editing. And this in itself takes TIME.

I decided early on I wouldn’t chase that $100 bill and establish my worth, not a prospective client.

But construction progress photos don't need to be fancy and don't need to be edited. A "hobby" pilot is sufficient for that, as long as he at least knows enough to fill the frame and make a proper exposure.

 

[BigAl07]

But construction progress photos don't need to be fancy and don't need to be edited. A "hobby" pilot is sufficient for that, as long as he at least knows enough to fill the frame and make a proper exposure.

I've been solicited by 3 different companies in the last 2 years to come and re-shoot sites that "hobby" or Quasi Professionals shot. It helps to have a clue what you're doing and what your client actually needs.

 

[R Martin]

But construction progress photos don't need to be fancy and don't need to be edited. A "hobby" pilot is sufficient for that, as long as he at least knows enough to fill the frame and make a proper exposure.

It depends upon what the client needs those shots for doesn't it? To coin a title from another thread, owning a drone does not make you a surveyor; it makes you a drone owner. Your background skills and certifications make you the professional ______________________ (insert your chosen profession here).

 

[UAV_Mapper]

to come and re-shoot sites that "hobby" or Quasi Professionals shot.

The other side of the coin is that many companies are suspect about new technology and don't have a huge budget to get into the game or to get sample imagery to see if it's worthwhile. We've all presented to companies that see the products, see the benefits, see the cost savings, but still can't pry open their wallets to hire us. So, they get someone to do it for $50, instead of $500; then they get the taste, but not the quality.

 

[R.Perry]

I just received a job request, job paid $60.00 over an hour away in the mountains and this is from a company that posts on here regularly. My rate is $75.00 an hour on site and editing. First 25 miles is on me, beyond that it is 65 cents a mile round trip. I have a regular two days a week job that pays a little better, but that is construction documentation and requires a lot of photo indexing, mapping, panos, and upload time.
I think the thing is in this business to make money one needs to offer something more than just flying your drone and taking pictures. Building relationships with people that will pay is a good way to start, get acquainted with your local police or sheriffs departments, fire departments, city managers, and building inspectors. Get to know the big contractors in your area they can be a very good source.

 

[xspwhite]

I agree that reliability will become key in this type of business. People that under charge for their services generally become frustrated, go broke, and tucker out quickly. Customers needing repeat drone footage, will be in search for a reliable person who they can have confidence in knowing that they will deliver, and that's worth the extra dollar.