I sold a photo! - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM

09/29/2005 02:56:37 PM · #26

Originally posted by thatcloudthere:

Originally posted by louddog:
Those photos look great. Charge them $75 this time, but next time they come to you with a request be sure to get em!

Nope...doesn't work that way. Establish yourself as a photographer that accepts low prices and nobody will ever negotiate differently with you down the road.

AMEN BROTHER!!

09/29/2005 04:34:25 PM · #27

Originally posted by thatcloudthere:

You don't "sell" a photo...you "license" a photo.

There are many articles written about the importance of understanding the difference.

Yes, although I am not fully conversant with all of the various aspects of each, I am aware that there is a big difference between the two.

My intention is to sell the client a non-exclusive right to use my copyrighted work (the photo) for a wide, yet limited, range of uses. For instance, they can use the photo to enhance their web site, or put the photo on a product that they sell, but they cannot simply sell copies of the photos itself, nor can they transfer their rights to a third party or use the image in an unsavory or illegal manner (for instance, to promote a child porn web site.)

I suppose what I need is some type of â��Usage Rightsâ�� document that spells this all out in legalese. If you, or anyone else here, knows where I might find some wording that would work, please let me know.

But, my big problem is, â��Whatâ��s a fair price to charge for the use of these photos?â��

On the one hand, Iâ��m not a professional photographer and these photos are just shots that I took while on vacation. As I see it, if I get anything at all for them, then Iâ��m ahead of the game. On the other hand, this woman might make extensive use of my photos and earn lots of money in the process. If she hadnâ��t found my shots, she might have had to pay a professional, or stock photo site, hundreds, possibly even thousands, of dollars to get the shots she needs or wants. I guess what Iâ��m getting at is that the use of these shots may be worth, at least to this client, much more than I ask for them. Simple prudence, if not outright greed, dictates that I try to get as much as I can for them.

On the one hand, I want to be fair to the client. On the other, I want to be fair to myself.

Iâ��ve got too many hands! Can someone lend me a hand? J

Brent_Ward

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM

09/29/2005 05:23:36 PM · #28

Go to Alamy and sign up as a designer. Then price a RM photo out for the specific use your client wants. That will give you fair market value. The corona shot could RF, but the product shots should be RM.

09/29/2005 06:07:08 PM · #29

Originally posted by MeThoS:

Geez, couldn't you have just done this for me? Can't you see I'm a busy man?

LOL! Thanks Brent, I'll check that out asap.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

09/29/2005 10:27:19 PM · #30

I can't believe it! I got another offer today! This one is from a woman that wants me to do a custom portrait shoot of her 7 year old boy.

Heck, I may have to retire so I can just take photos for fun again. :)

Message edited by author 2005-09-29 22:32:12.

ace flyman

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

09/29/2005 10:55:15 PM · #31

It couldn't have happened to a better person....Good luck Mick!!!! (Remember us little guys...lol)

Message edited by author 2005-09-29 23:05:17.

wavelength

Nikon D300

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

09/29/2005 11:27:10 PM · #32

FWIW, i've seen some prices on the internet that give out photo's for internet use going for $250 per year.

I'd do a per use agreement with the presenter, some sort of arrangement that you get a set amount every time she displays your work at a presentation, plus an up front fee. Just a thought.

edit - actually since this is a set registered event, suggest you get the registration stats before each event, and they pay you a per person/per event, as if you were selling pictures that were intended for paper advertisements. so something like (throwing numbers out) 30 cents per registrant per event, so if 500 people each event see the picture, you get $150 per event. Since these people will probably pay over $100-200 (or more) per person for the seminar, I don't think this is too unfair a price to ask.

Message edited by author 2005-09-29 23:33:25.

eschelar

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

09/30/2005 12:06:06 AM · #33

Regarding Wavelength. Be careful what you ask for too. I'm not a professional photographer. I'm a guy with a camera, but I have worked with presenters before. The best presenters are able to deal with catastrophic technical failures of major parts of their presentation without much of a hiccup. They are very well used to rolling with the punches and making do with what is convenient.

The last word there is convenient. The presenters I have done work for have been international speakers and do understand business very well. For this reason, they are not averse to spending money on things they feel are worth it. One presenter paid several thousand dollars for a film crew to come in and record a 1 hour presentation of the man who speaks the most languages in the world - which totally didn't work out because he was having an "off" day (a strokes will do that to ya). On the other hand, they are NOT so willing to spend TIME on things.

I can imagine a high dollar business presenter paying a fair and substantial amount to a really cool photograph.

I can't imagine a high dollar business presenter wanting to muck about with doing her own calculations or providing information about her past attendance rates and projected attendance rates just so the guy who took one picture she likes can narrow the price down to something that is perfectly fair. Your picture - your price. It's all part of the job.

Providing a license on a year-to-year basis seems like a good idea. You won't be able to increase the amount later, and she might want to freshen her material a little next year, but you might find a really nice surprise at the beginning of next year if you weren't thinking about that picture anymore. Additionally, this could set up an incidence for you to get repeat business with her. A few months before the next year comes up, you could ask her if there were any other types of pictures she wanted...

Convenience is one of the most powerful commodities on the planet.

09/30/2005 12:36:51 AM · #34

Originally posted by ace flyman:

It couldn't have happened to a better person....Good luck Mick!!!! (Remember us little guys...lol)

Hey, thanks Joe!