Why do you charge for shooting and images separately?
Professional imagery production involves more than just shooting - it also includes filtering through thousands of images to choose the best ones, producing a contact sheet for you to review, editing each image, producing licenses, file storage, and delivery. By charging an editing cost per image rather than an assumed rate that covers everything, you pay only for what you need, keeping costs down.
Can I just pay for the unedited images?
I’m sorry, I don’t provide unedited images. My livelihood depends on people recognising the quality of my work, and delivering unedited RAW files to clients can negatively affect how people perceive that work. I provide a complete finished product to you, just like any other professional photographer. I want to provide you with the best possible product, and that includes the editing process. You wouldn’t ask a baker for just the batter!
Who owns the copyright of commissioned images?
Copyright of creative works always stays with the author of those works (that’s me) upon creation. When you commission images from any photographer, they provide you with a license to use those images. If you have any questions about copyright and licensing, I’m always happy to discuss these with you at steven@spicerphoto.co.uk.
What is the turnaround time for editing?
Turnaround times depend on the scale of the project and my availability. For most projects, I aim to have a contact sheet for you to choose your images from ready within 7 days of shooting, and final files delivered within 7 days of you making your selections. In many cases, it may be faster than this. However, If you need a fast turnaround, let me know in the early stages and I will try my very best to accommodate this.
Do you require a deposit?
There is a 50% up-front booking fee in place to protect my time. Don’t worry, this fee is deducted from your final payment once the project is completed. If something beyond your control unexpectedly means I can’t deliver what was initially promised, I’ll be more than happy to refund it. I do have bills to pay, but I’d much rather earn your trust than take your money!
Can we have a no-obligation chat before I commit to a booking?
Absolutely! Working with a photographer is a collaborative experience and we need to get to know each other to see if it will be a good fit. I always welcome the opportunity to meet someone new and chat about your needs and how I might be able to help. If you decide to go elsewhere, I won’t take it personally — I may even be able to suggest someone!
What is the Ghost Notes Archive?
Ghost Notes Archive is a love letter to the music scene in my hometown. It's a music documentary photography project which aims to capture the people, culture, and everyday, human moments behind the original music coming out of Norwich, England. For such a small city, Norwich has an enormous and thriving music scene full of talented and deserving people, and Ghost Notes is my way of supporting that community, by drawing more attention to the people making the music and the incredible work that goes into making it.
Steven Spicer – Photographer