What a commission costs.
We don't publish a price list. Two commissions of the same size rarely need the same work, and a figure without context misleads more than it helps.
What we can do is answer properly. Tell us what you have in mind and you'll receive a written proposal — the scope, the deliverables, the schedule and the cost, set out in full before anything is agreed.
Below is what shapes a quote, so you know what you're asking for before you ask.
- A conversation about the work and who it's for, before we shoot.
- Full editing and colour work — we don't deliver unedited files.
- Adjustments until you're happy with the set.
- Files sized and ready to publish, in print or online.
- Full rights to use them for marketing, granted on final payment — no usage tiers, no licence to renew.
- The subject.
- How much there is to cover, and how much of it needs to be shown. A single room, a family, a launch, a three-day festival — the scale of what's in front of the camera sets the shape of the day.
- The deliverables.
- How many finished images you need, and whether the commission includes film. Film is the single largest factor — a minute of finished video takes several hours of editing.
- The time on site.
- A single visit within a working day is straightforward. Multi-day work, several locations, or a schedule that runs from morning into evening all change the shape of the commission.
- The conditions.
- Twilight means a narrow window of usable light and often a second visit. Occupied spaces, live events and anything we can't stop and reset take longer to shoot well.
- The travel.
- How far the work is from Pêra, and whether it can be reached and completed within a normal working day.
- The turnaround.
- Standard delivery is 3–5 business days for photography and 5–10 for film. Express delivery is available where a deadline requires it.
- Real estate.
- The rooms and outdoor spaces to be covered, whether the property is furnished and styled or empty, and whether the commission includes film or a 360° virtual tour. A sale listing and a holiday rental are photographed differently — one sells the space, the other sells the stay — and we'll ask which before we shoot. Aerial work forms part of a property commission wherever it adds something. The February-to-May listing season fills first.
- Business & brand.
- Scoped to what the work has to do. Brand photography, launch content, documentary film and product coverage all sit here, and the variable is usually how much has to be produced and in how many formats. Where a set has to serve a website, a campaign and social at once, that's a conversation worth having before the shoot rather than after.
- Portraits.
- Driven by time and by how many looks or setups are needed. A single-location session with one backdrop is straightforward; multiple settings, changes of clothing, or several people photographed individually and together all extend the day. Location work adds travel and depends on light.
- Celebrations.
- Baptisms, birthdays, anniversaries and family occasions. The variables are how long the day runs, how many locations it moves between, and whether it's photographed, filmed, or both. We work quietly and don't direct the day — the aim is a record of what actually happened rather than a staged version of it.
- Community events.
- Festivals, markets, sporting and cultural events. Scale and duration set the shape — a single afternoon differs considerably from an event running across a weekend — as does whether the coverage is for a programme, a report, a press release or a film.
Drone is part of the shoot, not an extra
Where the value of a subject is in its setting — a villa, an estate, rural land, anything coastal, an event across a site — a set of photographs that stops at the wall is an incomplete account of it. Aerial stills and video form part of a commission wherever they add something, and wherever it's safe and permitted to fly.
Airspace restrictions, protected areas and site permissions all apply, and so does the weather: above a certain wind speed a drone can't be flown safely, whatever the forecast said. Where we can't fly, we'll say so on the day and either return for the aerials or adjust the set. It doesn't change the price.
How far we travel
We work across Southern Portugal — the Algarve, the Alentejo and Setúbal. From Pêra, the southern Alentejo is the same drive as the eastern Algarve, and we treat it as core territory rather than an exception.
How far beyond that we go depends on the scale of the commission. A single apartment or a short session needs to be within reach of a normal working day. A larger estate, a multi-day event, or several locations together can justify going further. If you're unsure whether you're in range, ask — we'll tell you straight rather than quote a figure that makes no sense for either of us.
What you get back
Not a number in an email. Every enquiry receives a written commission proposal: what we'll cover, the deliverables, the plan and conditions, the delivery schedule, and the cost — set out in full before anything is agreed. If it isn't right, we'll change it. If it isn't for you, you've lost nothing.
We take on a small number of commissions each season.
Tell us about the property, the project or the occasion.
A few lines is enough. Every enquiry receives a written proposal — not a number in an email.
Begin an enquiry →Or reach us directly — info@oceanviewcreations.com +351 308 802 202