KPL PRICING GUIDE

Every shoot is built from the ground up.

KPL pricing is based on what the work actually requires.

A simple shoot stays simple. As a project requires more time, equipment, crew, or control,

and those resources are added to the estimate.

Most projects are built from:

Creative + Capture
Pre-Production
Kit + Crew
Post-Production
Licensing
Expenses

You don’t pay for a production level.

You pay for what the work requires.

CREATIVE + CAPTURE

$1,500 / full day

This is the foundation of every standalone shoot.

It covers Kyle’s time and creative expertise on set, including photography and/or directing the visual execution of the project.

The Creative + Capture Fee is separate from equipment, crew, post-production, and licensing so the estimate can scale with the actual scope of the work.

Full Day — $1,500
Half Day — $900

A half-day is 60% of a full day.

For standalone projects at Production Levels 3–5, a half-day is the minimum shoot window.

Shorter assignments are available for Production Levels 1–2 when the footprint remains minimal.

PRE-PRODUCTION

The work before shoot day.

Pre-production is scoped according to how much planning the project requires.

It may include creative development, shot planning, production meetings, scheduling, locations, talent coordination, equipment planning, crew coordination, and call sheets.

$150 / hour or project fee

Some assignments need very little.

Some need a lot.

Turns out, “we’ll just figure it out when we get there” is not always a production strategy.

KIT

Bring what the work needs.

Rather than charging for every camera, lens, light, stand, and cable individually, KPL groups common equipment into three straightforward kit levels.

CORE KIT — $350 / DAY

One bag. Ready for almost anything.

Our nimble everyday kit for lightweight assignments.

Includes professional cameras and lenses, media, power, speedlight, compact continuous lighting, wireless audio, and basic support.

Most common with Production Levels 1–2.

STANDARD KIT — $750 / DAY

More tools. More control.

For shoots where we’re intentionally shaping scenes rather than simply responding to them.

Includes expanded stills and/or continuous lighting, modifiers, stands, grip, power, support, expanded audio, and additional camera equipment as required.

Most common with Production Levels 2–3.

EXPANDED KIT — $1,500 / DAY

Built for controlled commercial work.

For projects requiring larger lighting packages, expanded grip, tethered capture, client monitoring, dedicated audio, additional power and media, specialized camera systems, or other project-specific equipment.

Most common with Production Levels 3–4.

ADDITIONAL RENTALS

Specialized equipment beyond KPL’s in-house inventory is estimated separately.

Additional rentals are typically associated with Production Levels 4–5, unless otherwise specified, and can include specialized cameras, lenses, lighting, grip, sound, or support equipment.

The kit is determined by what we’re planning to create, not by counting what comes out of the bag on shoot day.

CREW

The right people for the job.

Some shoots need one person.

Others need additional hands, specialized skills, or the ability to make two things happen at once.

First Assistant — $500 / full day

Additional crew can include producers, production assistants, digital technicians, second photographers, camera operators, sound, hair + makeup, wardrobe, styling, art direction, and other specialists.

Crew is scoped according to the project.

We don’t add people because a commercial set is supposed to look impressive.

We add people when the work actually needs them.

STILLS + MOTION

One shoot. Two capture requirements.

Stills and motion work beautifully together, but they require different tools and share the available capture time.

When both are part of the scope, the estimate accounts for the equipment, capture time, post-production, and additional crew required to create both well.

Depending on the project, we can optimize primarily for stills, primarily for motion, or give both equal priority.

Adding another medium doesn’t create more hours in the day.

When both require comprehensive coverage at the same time, an additional camera operator can be added.

The goal isn’t to make the production bigger.

It’s to give each part of the work what it needs.

A SIMPLE PLANNING RULE

Photography and motion have very different production footprints.

A useful starting point is:

PHOTOGRAPHY

1× production time

0.5× post-production time

MOTION

2.5× production time

Up to 5× post-production time

These aren’t pricing formulas.

They’re a useful way to understand the difference in what each medium asks of a production.

Photography often works toward the decisive frame.

Motion has to build a sequence.

That can mean:

More coverage.
More angles.
More movement.
More takes.
More transitions.
More continuity.
Often sound.
And substantially more material to shape afterward.

PHOTOGRAPHY CAPTURES A MOMENT.

MOTION HAS TO BUILD ONE.

When we create photography and motion together, some parts of the production can overlap.

Others can’t.

Sometimes one person can move comfortably between stills and motion.

Sometimes one medium takes priority while the other supports it.

SAME PRODUCTION. DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS.

And the same principle carries into post.

Photography may require selection, color, refinement, retouching, and delivery.

Motion may require footage review, selects, editing, pacing, sound, music, color, graphics, multiple versions, and multiple formats.

So when we add motion, we’re not simply adding another deliverable.

WE’RE ADDING ANOTHER CREATIVE PROCESS.

The actual time required is determined during pre-production based on the complexity of the work, the deliverables, how the finished assets will be used, and what the project needs to accomplish.

PLAN FOR BOTH, AND BOTH GET WHAT THEY NEED.

POST-PRODUCTION

Turning the shoot into the finished work.

Post-production is based on the actual deliverables, not simply the number of hours spent on set.

It can include image selection, color, retouching, video editing, sound, color grading, motion graphics, exporting, formatting, and delivery preparation.

$150 / hour or project fee

Stills and motion are scoped independently according to the finished deliverables.

Standard delivery and reasonable project storage are included within the project.

Long-term archival, RAW retention, or substantial ongoing asset management is scoped separately when required.

Shoot day gives us the ingredients.

Post is where they become the finished work.

LICENSING

What is the work being asked to do?

Every commercial project includes clearly defined usage rights.

For most projects, licensing stays simple.

STANDARD COMMERCIAL

Most KPL projects use a straightforward 3-year commercial license covering normal brand use across client-owned channels.

That includes website and digital, organic social, email, PR, internal communications, and printed brand collateral.

Standard Commercial Licensing starts at $1,250.

For smaller documentation or event assignments with limited organic use, a simpler license is included or scoped to the project.

ADVERTISING

When the work moves into paid media, the job it’s doing changes.

Paid social, digital advertising, print campaigns, out-of-home, and other advertising uses are licensed according to the actual campaign.

Pricing considers the media, duration, territory, number of assets, and overall reach.

We’ll do the math.

You get one clear licensing number.

NATIONAL + EXTENDED USE

National campaigns, substantial media buys, broadcast, major out-of-home placements, exclusivity, third-party use, extended terms, and unlimited usage are licensed separately based on the scope and value of the campaign.

This category scales with the commercial reach of the work.

A social recap and a national billboard campaign do very different jobs, even if they came from the same camera.

EXPENSES

Project-specific expenses are estimated separately and can include travel, mileage, airfare, lodging, specialized equipment rentals, locations, permits, talent, props, styling materials, catering, shipping, and other outside production costs.

Whenever possible, these are identified during pre-production and included clearly in the estimate.

No mystery math.

PROJECT OVERAGES

If the scope grows, we’ll tell you.

Every project is tracked individually against the approved proposal.

If the work grows beyond the original allotment, we’re not going to shut the project down or automatically say no.

We’ll flag it, explain what changed, and let you know when the additional scope requires more time or resources.

More time means more cost.

Additional pre-production, capture time, post-production, crew, rentals, expenses, or other project-specific overages are tracked to the project and billed separately through a supplemental invoice.

OVERTIME

When a shoot extends beyond the scheduled production window, overtime is calculated on both the Creative + Capture Fee and the Kit required for the shoot.

Each is converted to its hourly equivalent and billed at 1.5× for the additional time on site.

Crew and other time-based production resources also incur overtime according to their applicable rates.

The goal is simple:

Keep the work moving while making sure there are no surprises.

MONTHLY RETAINERS

Built for ongoing work.

Retainers work a little differently.

Rather than pricing every shoot as a standalone production, ongoing clients reserve blocks of time that can be used across planning, setup, capture, breakdown, and post-production.

One block = three hours.

Each shoot or production touchpoint uses a minimum of one block, with additional time allocated as needed.

Retainers are designed for Production Levels 1–3.

That covers ongoing documentary coverage, social content, lifestyle imagery, planned scenes, and other nimble brand work without rebuilding a standalone estimate every time.

Once a project moves into Production Level 4 or 5, it becomes a full production and is scoped separately.

Those productions require a different degree of planning, equipment, crew, lighting, sound, talent, client monitoring, location control, or other specialized resources.

Retainer time can still be applied to agreed planning or project work, but the production itself is estimated separately once it moves beyond Level 3.

Retainers cover Production Levels 1–3. Full productions begin at Level 4.

HOW IT COMES TOGETHER

Here’s a one-day hospitality project requiring stills + motion and a controlled hero setup:

Creative + Capture

$1,500

Pre-Production

$750

Expanded Kit

$1,500

First Assistant

$500

Post-Production

$1,500

3-Year Commercial Licensing

$1,250

PROJECT TOTAL

$7,000

Plus applicable expenses, specialized rentals, or approved overages.

One project. One estimate. Everything required to create and use the finished work.

No separate charge every time the level of control changes.

No arbitrary stills-versus-motion surcharge.

No invoice with twenty-seven cables on it.

THE SIMPLE VERSION

Every standalone estimate starts with Creative + Capture.

From there, we figure out:

How much time?
How much planning?
Which kit?
Which crew?
How much post?
How will the work be used?

That’s it.

Sometimes the answer is one photographer and one bag.

Sometimes it’s a full crew and a truck full of equipment.

And sometimes our stylist really does need to spend twenty minutes making lettuce look heroic.

You don’t pay for “Level 4.”

You invest in the production your outcome requires.

Your proposal will show exactly what that means for your project.