If you are using digital, images from a good DSLR 10MP camera (or one that produces about a 9x12 image at 300 dpi) can be good enough for publication and if the images are done really well, good enough for magazine covers. We have even used our 10MP camera to do small posters and it has worked well. Of course, if you are still doing film, 4x5 is the way to go if you think something will end up published.

For digital photography we shoot in a RAW format and convert to DNG and then create the Master Tiff from where all the derivative images come - the jpeg, web-ready, powerpoint-ready and object database-ready images. We use PhotoShop and Bridge to automate the creation of all these derivatives, but it still takes some time to "develop" digital images.

Photographers tend to charge by the hour just because of the situation you describe where there could be a variety of simple and complex objects to photograph. Often photographers will charge for a minumum number of hours. the rates vary widely. I have seen rates as low at $50/hour and as high as $300.

It's difficult to determine an average number of shots per object. Something may just require an overall and one detail, whereas a complicated detailed object or a piece of big furniture might require 10 or 15 separate shots. BUT, if I had to budget photography for a publication of a variety of types of objects, for instance, I would say 3 separate shots per object.

Feel free to ask if you have more questions.

Penny Leveritt
Visual Resources Manager (and Photographer too)
Historic Deerfield
Deerfield, Mass

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