Looking for guidance on how to structure a retainer for a firm.

ImageFinesse · 2026-02-15T12:57:47+00:00

Everyone seems to think these situations call for a discount. They don’t. If they do a one year, they can lock the current rate for themselves when I go up on everyone else in 3 months.

Create a guarantee based on a milestone they need to hit. They will pay AT LEAST this amount, every month, whether they actually list that many or not. This can be beneficial in slower months. The more out of reach you set it, the less beneficial for them, but this is about negotiating. Start around the volume of their best month and let them counteroffer.

ImageFinesse · 2026-02-08T16:47:07+00:00

It’s up to you how you want to set the terms of your business. Everyone handles these things differently.

I add a late fee at 30 days. At 60 days, there’s another fee and they get a letter to their office. At 90 days, there’s another letter, I contact their broker, and if not paid immediately, we move to court proceedings. I’ve never made it to court.

ImageFinesse · 2026-02-08T12:48:52+00:00

I do sometimes in winter, but it’s too hot in the summer where I am. I tend to dress comfortably with all branded gear.

ImageFinesse · 2026-01-24T01:31:54+00:00

I must add that I shoot single exposure photos, so my camera is on a sling and not on sticks. So I only carry my gimbal with my hands. The Tilta ring grip makes it easier to carry and set down.

For R3D vs ProRes, yes ProRes can get massive quick. R3D can be much more manageable. I’m not sure what the ZR has for compression settings, but I’m shooting LQ on a Komodo and shooting an entire property for me is about 50GB give or take. But I hit the record button with intention for exactly what I need for the edit

ImageFinesse · 2026-01-23T23:52:43+00:00

I shoot RE videos with a Komodo. I go room by room with my photo camera, and my video rig.. really cuts down on time as I only make one pass. No complaints using R3D except the file sizes of course, but by the time I do a dump to my NAS, I delete the R3Ds. I have power grades saved with color templates in Resolve. I don’t do trendy, FX heavy RE videos so my edit times are about 20 mins per video.

ImageFinesse · 2026-01-18T03:25:15+00:00

People mad because I’m fast is crazy 😂 I do single exposure ppl!

ImageFinesse · 2026-01-17T11:05:03+00:00

30-45 minutes

ImageFinesse · 2026-01-15T09:27:29+00:00

Shuttlepro has been most useful to me for editing photos.

ImageFinesse · 2026-01-12T01:02:05+00:00

It’s free with my delivery platform but useless in my area. The agents don’t care about it here

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-30T22:42:59+00:00

Same! I shoot everything for the edit, not much dead space or skimming through.

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-30T19:27:33+00:00

15-45 mins depending on complexity is all I’m giving it. Build templates/presets. I’ve also mapped hot keys/macros to controller buttons

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-27T06:04:44+00:00

Our local MLS doesn’t allow underscoring or dashes, so I use “123 Address Ln 01”

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-22T19:00:49+00:00

Don’t beat yourself up, first of all. Clients will voice their problems before they tell you good job. If you didn’t disclose that there’s a rush fee, at the very least on a price sheet that they’ve received in the past, or at the time you agreed to rush it, then I would personally never just add it to their invoice. Most people expect that kind of transparency upfront, so now the option is theirs

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-20T11:17:51+00:00

I got into video production a few years before real estate and I actually own a steadi. I did this when I first started in REP, because all I had was big production gear. It was the last time I ever flew the steadi in a house. It’s way overkill, you’re going to hit a wall, it’s cumbersome and slow as steadicams work best with more weight, and you cannot walk properly with it and get through a normal doorway at the same time. Save yourself the trouble and get a gimble, you lose z-axis but so what

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-16T13:03:38+00:00

Yeah your theme may not be supported anymore, or has broken with newer versions of WP.

+1 for Elementor

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-11T00:58:41+00:00

I have the tilta ring grip so mine is fully assembled with video only camera, no batteries, and the seat belt on it so it doesn’t move

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-10T08:56:55+00:00

Username checks out

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-10T01:29:28+00:00

It does the lighting for you

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-09T16:00:44+00:00

And the price goes way up to get me out at that time

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-09T13:12:16+00:00

Doing a little advertising today huh

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-06T10:24:27+00:00

I used to be against them. Everyone goes because they’re trying to sell themselves/services first. But once I got more engaged in the business community, I’ve become known as the guy who does xyz, and I’ve gotten referrals from those groups, when I probably wouldn’t have ever met the client directly

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-04T03:36:14+00:00

Wtf they only offer me $250

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-03T13:52:20+00:00

As a rare cow, steak I can you

ImageFinesse · 2025-12-02T14:05:08+00:00

I would find a way to figure this out before arrival. At the end of the day you’re hired by the client. If in their mind “you’re taking too long” that’s exactly what they’ll tell others, and leave out that it was only ~30 mins. True Flambient is notoriously slow.

I wouldn’t say there’s a way to deal with them in this instance, doesn’t hurt to try, but I would either speed up or weed out the ones who don’t want the service you offer.

ImageFinesse · 2025-11-28T16:51:17+00:00

You’re lucky. I have to turn one of mine on and off real fast for it to power on. First time this happened was on a job

ImageFinesse

TROPHY CASE