On a practical level, cinematography is about creating the look of a narrative project, often operating the camera for the visionary (you), and the production generally having control over the filming locations.

Videography, in typical cases, involves little control over the environment and having to plan and execute the vision as best as possible, with room for improvisation. For my purposes, it combines my cinematography and post-production services, and can include sound capture.

We’ll work together to determine your needs and wants to bring that idea to life. Do you already have an editor, or are you going to do it yourself? Then you just need a Cinematographer (me).

Is this your first project, or are you busy with all the other aspects of the project that you want to hand the cinematography and post-production off to someone else? That's a Videography service I can provide.

We’ll review your needs and I’ll provide the most transparent options available.

I have my own camera, sound equipment, lighting kit, and other essential gear to handle small to medium scale production scenarios. You can see a list of my gear here and examples of my work created with these tools throughout my site.

Alternatively, if you prefer to provide your own equipment for the project, you would only need to pay my Hourly Rate and travel fee (if applicable).

So whether you need a complete package with my equipment or just a skilled cinematographer/camera operator, I can accommodate your needs. Let me know what works best for your project, and we can discuss your investment accordingly.

I prefer editing and color grading in DaVinci Resolve Studio.

However, if you prefer a specific editing platform, you may choose one of the following for your project:

• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Final Cut Pro

Please note:

• Adobe products (e.g., Premiere Pro) will incur an additional fee added to the final invoice.

• Choosing a specific NLE (non-linear editing) platform implies that you also require a project archive, which will be delivered in that format and will incur a separate archival fee.

If you’re unsure which option is best for your needs, I’m happy to advise during pre-production.

Please note that I do not edit on pirated or free software. If you choose a specific NLE because you want the project file, you must have the current and paid versions of each software listed above. For example, I use tools within DaVinci Resolve Studio that are not available on the free version.

We can discuss the pros and cons of each option during our consultation to determine the best fit for your project.

The reason I offer these choices is to accommodate clients who may already edit using a specific software, and want the working files. Otherwise, if you have no preference, I'll use the most efficient option for me.

In the past, I’ve taken on unpaid projects, but I’ve learned the importance of setting clear boundaries, especially after a referral led to a misunderstanding about my rates. Now, I only consider unpaid work if I have significant ownership and creative control over the content.

This means I must have a strong say in the creative direction; from concept and visuals to editing and final approval. I also retain the unrestricted right to share, distribute, and publish the final product on my own channels (website, social media, portfolio, etc.) at my sole discretion and without needing additional approval.

In addition, I must have the right to profit from the content independently—including using it for paid promotions, products, services, or through monetized social media channels, without any obligation to share revenue or credit beyond what’s agreed upon upfront, just as you are free to do on your end.

Unpaid projects are limited to a maximum of 12 total hours of shooting time, which may be split across multiple days if needed. Any time beyond those 12 hours will be subject to my standard rates.

If you're reaching out about a collaboration, please keep these guidelines in mind so we can set clear expectations from the start.

These collaborations still require a significant investment of my time, energy, and professional equipment. By maintaining a stake of ownership in the final product, the work remains valuable to me beyond the shoot itself. These conditions allow me to continue growing my portfolio, sharing the content freely on my own platforms, and, when appropriate, profiting from it independently.

This approach ensures I can deliver the best possible outcome for you, even within limited resources. When we’re both benefiting in clear, meaningful ways, I’m able to give the project my full effort and attention.

I offer an hourly rate of $100/hr for my Director of Photography services to provide flexibility—especially for clients who only need a few hours of shooting rather than a full production day. This is ideal for smaller projects, pickups, content with tight timeframes, and productions with their own gear.

For multi-day shoots, I offer a discounted day rate of $250/day with a requirement to shoot with my kit for $550/flat to reflect the longer commitment, while still ensuring the work remains sustainable on my end. This balance allows me to stay flexible for a wide range of project sizes, while making sure the time and prep that goes into each shoot is fairly compensated.

If you’re unsure which structure works best for your project, I’m happy to help guide you through it.

For videography, if you decide you only need someone to do cinematography and editing, not capture sound, the gear kit is reduced to the standard $550/flat price point.

For Director of Photography/Cinematography services, if you have a Grip & Electrical crew who can handle lighting, but still need a camera, the gear kit will be reduced to $450/flat.

For post-production services, there are no customizations available.

The key is identifying your exact requirements.

Micro-budget projects will be considered. I understand the need to cut corners, and I will not deliver a poor-quality product, however, my level of effort (i.e. resources I'm willing to include and time spent on the project) will match the resources committed to the rest of the production if my rate can’t be met.

The key is finding the right balance between budget constraints and the production value I can deliver. I'm happy to work with you to find a solution that works for both of us.

Half-day shoots are not available under the Videography package.
Instead, these projects are billed as a combination of my standard hourly Cinematography rate, kit rental (if needed), and standard post-production rate. This structure maintains both quality and flexibility without compromising the workflow.

The 2-day minimum for post-production may be reduced to 1 day, depending on the scope of the project.

For cinematography services, footage is transferred after the final payment is made. I retain the footage on my end for my reels and advertising, but archival in case you lose the footage is not guaranteed unless paid for.

For Videography services, footage will only be transferred to the client at an additional cost, which will also include the project file after project completion and the final payment is made.

To reserve your date and lock in the services, a signed contract and a non-refundable 50% Initial Payment prior to the shoot or the start of the edit is required. No exceptions.

The final payment must be paid before you can download your completed video(s).

If I’m only providing cinematography services, final payment is due prior to footage transfer.

No exceptions.

After our initial consultation, I draft a project plan with a timeline for completion to provide an idea of when to anticipate payments.

Electronic payments are made through my website, using the latest online payment methods, including Apple Pay! This ensures a streamlined process, from you contacting me, receiving a proposal, estimate, contract, and an invoice all from the same place.

Cash is only acceptable for in-person payments. No mail-ins. The same terms apply when payment is due.

The timeline for completing a video project can vary depending on the scope of work:

• For a full, end-to-end service (from concept to final delivery), the process could take anywhere from one week to several months.

• A proposed schedule is always included as part of the service agreement, ensuring both parties have a clear understanding of the expected timeline.

The specific duration will depend on factors like:

• The complexity of the project

• The amount of pre-production, production, and post-production work required

• Any revisions or changes requested during the process

I'm happy to provide a detailed project timeline estimate once we've discussed the specifics of your video needs. This will help set realistic expectations and keep the project on track from start to finish.

I typically factor in at least 2-3 days when developing an estimate for the editing process on a video that’s less than 15 minutes long. The number of days needed is determined by the following steps:

• Media Management: Labeling and organizing footage and audio.

• Revisions for each cut of the film:

  • At a minimum…

    • Assembly Cut: Includes all dialogue shot during production.

    • Editor's Cut (aka Rough Cut): I provide suggestions for improvement, typically narrowing the focus.

    • Director's Cut: You provide additional notes for improvement, if any, before picture lock.

• Color Correction and Grading

  • At a minimum…

    • Colorist’s first attempt at establishing the overall look of the film

    • Director’s notes for improvement

• Sound Design

• Beginning/End Titles for the project

The duration of the editing process can vary depending on the complexity of the project (i.e., adding subtitles) and the number of revisions required.

For production days, the project schedule will be adjusted for inclement weather. Due to the “50% prior, 50% later” payment plan, the final payment will simply be adjusted for when the production picks up again and concludes.

This will also be applied to post-production services, in case inclement weather prevents us from meeting to deliver footage in-person or if the weather cuts power and internet usage.

No need to worry if you accidentally delete or lose the final video product.

Your Videography investment includes Lifetime Archival of the final cut on my end.

This means you can simply download another copy if you ever need it, at no additional cost. The video files are securely stored, so you don't have to stress about permanently losing the final deliverable.

Consider it a built-in backup solution as part of your investment.

I backup all finalized projects across at least two different storage methods - cloud and external drive - for as long as I'm in business. If I ever go out of business, I'll notify you and provide one final copy of your project.

If the cloud storage service I use changes, I'll let you know and send you a new download link.

For Videography projects, Project Archival is available as an optional add-on service. This includes the actual editing project file and all media associated with it. This ensures your project files are securely stored and accessible even after the work is complete. Please note, however, that specific plug-ins, if any, used on the project will not be available for archival. You will simply have access to the edit and any standard plug-ins that come with your editing software.

Let me know if you have any other questions about my backup and archival processes. I'm happy to provide more details to give you peace of mind about the safety of your video assets.

For a full video production project, I can archive the entire project, including:

• Project files of the edit

• Raw footage

• Color-graded footage

• Sound effects

• Music (subject to licensing terms)

• Trailers

• Screengrabs

This archival service can be applied to any project we work on together, whether it's a full production or just the footage (without any editing on my end), or a post-production-only collaboration.

The optional cost for this archival service ensures you don't have to worry about losing any of the assets. I'll have everything stored securely, and can provide you with the files whenever you need them.

Let me know if you have any other questions about the archival process. I'm happy to discuss the details and ensure you have a comprehensive backup of your project materials.

If project archival services are not included in your investment, project assets will only be stored on my end until the completion of the project.

I may add any necessary materials to my editing/color grading reels, and then I will delete the assets once I've exported an updated version of my demo reel.

This is to ensure I have the necessary storage space for future projects. I will send a courtesy email a few days before the files are deleted, in case you need copies. However, after the deadline, those copies will no longer be available.

Unless our agreement includes Limited or Lifetime Archival services, I will not have ongoing access to the project assets. The responsibility for retaining those files will be on your end.

Please let me know if you have any other questions about the archival process and what is included in our custom package.

No problem! Contact me with your question and we’ll sort it out.