Newb needs to be pointed in the right direction

[justicekitty]

I'm pretty new to secondlife and was considering hiring a photographer to get some photos of my avatar - namely some reference photos so I can draw art of them without having to fire up the game every time for references. I've found a couple of people and see that they offer things like profile photos, wedding photography, portraits, etc. but I'm not quite sure what category this would fall under.

Namely, I was wondering, what's a general price point for high quality (meaning good photo+editing skills) professional photography in SL? I don't want to approach an artist and not even have remotely enough to pay, nor do I wanna end up paying too much. Obviously, the price will be different depending on the artist and quality, but having a ballpark number to save up would be much appreciated.

Secondly, if you have any recommendations (or are a photographer yourself), I would appreciate them. It's been kinda hard for me to find them, I've used different search engines and terms with few results.

Thank you in advance!

[Doc Carling]

5 hours ago, justicekitty said:

namely some reference photos so I can draw art of them without having to fire up the game every time for references.

Hi.:) That sounds like ambitious expectations and hours of work for  photographer. I know what I'm talking about. I'm photographing since several years in SL. You said that you found already a couple of photographers. What was wrong with them? Their rates? Too expensive in your opinion?

Edited January 10, 2021 by Doc Carling

[justicekitty]

7 minutes ago, Doc Carling said:

Hi.:) That sounds like ambitious expectations and hours of work for  photographer. I know what I'm talking about. I'm photographing since several years in SL. You said that you found already a couple of photographers. What was wrong with them?

I'm not sure what you mean? I haven't found any photographers.

I was thinking of a full body front view, a close-up portrait, and maybe an action shot. So three images altogether. Is that really too ambitious? 

EDIT: Oh wait, I see what you mean. I found exactly 1 person so far and I like to have options. I was being vague about the amount of people so as to not be asked directly why I didn't want to work with one specific person. Nothing against them, I just like options. Every photographer is different.

Edited January 10, 2021 by justicekitty
Corrections

[Doc Carling]

5 hours ago, justicekitty said:

I've found a couple of people and see that they offer things like profile photos, wedding photography, portraits, etc. but I'm not quite sure what category this would fall under.

People who offer profile photos, wedding photography, portraits are no photographers? Anyway, I think 500 L is the average price for 1 picture. Couples 1000 L. Or better that were the average prices a year ago, when I made profile pictures by myself. And that was the minimum. Don't know what the actual rates are, sorry.

PS: I just read your edit. That you met only one person. Ok.

Edited January 10, 2021 by Doc Carling

[ValKalAstra]

In terms of price you will likely get vastly different answers that range from basically free to a couple of thousand linden. It also scales with the type of post editing you are looking for. Basic shots with a base level of editing I have seen around the 1000-1500L$ mark.

The photographer more or less puts you in their studio, let's you pick from a few poses or you bring your own, they adjust light and shadow, then take the shot and do some small touch ups if needed. 

You then get options that quickly scale upwards with a number of factors such as complexity of editing, if you need a very specific pose that needs to be made first and such things. My shots for example go through hours of post edits and that would theoretically reflect in the price, depending on complexity.

That, however, might be completely out of scope for what your actual needs are. You said you wanted these as drawing references, aye? That reads like simple shots to me, clear lighting in front of a simple background. Those should not be too expensive and dare I say - might even be worth it to quickly do yourself. Portraits, well here a normal one might do unless you want all bells and whistles. The action shot is the one i would expect the highest price tag on and the most work put into.

Finally, where to find photographers: Mostly three places to my knowledge. One, check the avatar threads here, see if someone strikes your fancy and style, then poke them. Two, social media. Personally I know that Flickr is a hotspot and just browsing through the official photo group or any of the unofficial ones puts you into contact with plenty. Three: If you see someone with a nice portrait in game, ask them.

Edit: Currently on mobile so i will edit the links tomorrow when I am back at my PC.

Edited January 10, 2021 by ValKalAstra

[Orwar]

   As ValKalAstra said, it really depends on what sort of preparations and editing you want for the shots.

   I've seen people offering to do profile pics at L$50 a pop here on the forums, and I know of people who'll charge you L$7-10K for the same. Well, not 'the same'. Price isn't necessarily an indicator of quality - always check the portfolios of any potential photographers before you decide whether to commission their services. 

[Doris Johnsky]

Feel free to IM me in SL. I should be on tonight

[justicekitty]

On 1/10/2021 at 4:28 PM, ValKalAstra said:

In terms of price you will likely get vastly different answers that range from basically free to a couple of thousand linden. It also scales with the type of post editing you are looking for. Basic shots with a base level of editing I have seen around the 1000-1500L$ mark.

The photographer more or less puts you in their studio, let's you pick from a few poses or you bring your own, they adjust light and shadow, then take the shot and do some small touch ups if needed. 

You then get options that quickly scale upwards with a number of factors such as complexity of editing, if you need a very specific pose that needs to be made first and such things. My shots for example go through hours of post edits and that would theoretically reflect in the price, depending on complexity.

That, however, might be completely out of scope for what your actual needs are. You said you wanted these as drawing references, aye? That reads like simple shots to me, clear lighting in front of a simple background. Those should not be too expensive and dare I say - might even be worth it to quickly do yourself. Portraits, well here a normal one might do unless you want all bells and whistles. The action shot is the one i would expect the highest price tag on and the most work put into.

Finally, where to find photographers: Mostly three places to my knowledge. One, check the avatar threads here, see if someone strikes your fancy and style, then poke them. Two, social media. Personally I know that Flickr is a hotspot and just browsing through the official photo group or any of the unofficial ones puts you into contact with plenty. Three: If you see someone with a nice portrait in game, ask them.

Edit: Currently on mobile so i will edit the links tomorrow when I am back at my PC.

This is a really clear and thorough answer, thank you for taking the time to write it out. It's very helpful. Especially about where to look for photographers.

Edited January 13, 2021 by justicekitty

[Nalates Urriah]

When looking for photographers look at Flickr. There are a bunch. They post their work there. You can decide if you like their work.

Search Flickr on: "second Life' photographer