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Friday, November 02, 2007
Photographers' Ad Game
Published: Friday, November 02, 2007
Forget finance, medicine, the law or technology. If you want to make big bucks in a short time these days, become a fashion photographer.

Top photographers can earn more than $100,000 a day shooting ad campaigns for major fashion and beauty brands — a process that typically takes three to five days. As for their rates, there are many details to take into account — such as, what will the usage be? Will the ads run nationally or internationally? For ad campaigns, photographers also tend to use three to five full-time assistants and a digital tech, plus a small army of freelancers if they can. And even the most prestigious photographers will take a cut in pay to do a high-profile campaign or a favor for a friend. Taking all of that into account, up-and-coming photographers tend to earn about $25,000 to $50,000 per day for a fashion ad campaign, while more seasoned ones make between $75,000 to $100,000 a day, and major names can make more than $100,000 a day.

WWD surveyed fall ad campaigns to find out which photographers shot what ad. Of course, we're talking about fashion — and styles could change next season, if they haven't already. After all, most brands are shooting their spring campaigns now. Here, a list of the fall campaigns:

Craig McDean:
Christian Dior
Calvin Klein Collection
Gucci
Blumarine
Anna Molinari
MaxMara
Emporio Armani
Oscar de la Renta
Prada Sport
Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin:
YSL
Chloé
Stella McCartney
Givenchy
Jean Paul Gaultier
Ungaro
Balmain
Lanvin Men

Steven Meisel:
Prada
Lanvin
Mulberry
Pringle of Scotland
Dsquared
Belstaff
Alberta Ferretti

Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott:
Giorgio Armani
Armani Jeans
Louis Vuitton, with Scarlett Johansson
Roberto Cavalli
Valentino
Miu Miu

Mario Testino:
Burberry
Michael Kors
St. John
Versace
Donna Karan
Ferré
Two Hugo Boss campaigns
Ferragamo


Peter Lindbergh:
David Yurman
Hermès
Moschino
Calvin Klein Underwear
Club Monaco
Hugo Boss