Somebody wants to use my images...

[D4VE 3LL]

... I've been contacted on flickr by comebody who's creating there own management consulting business and would like to use 3 of my black and white London photos.

He hasn't mentioned a price, I think hes thinking about just crediting me and providing a link. I'm a 19 year old photography student so I don't know if to mention some dosh with a chance he goes cold on me, just get my name out there or negotiate with him?

How much do you think the 3 photos should go for as a whole?

here are ths photos in question...








Thanks for the help, Dave

[Jonny671]

Not sure but absolutely incredible photos!

[SamHH]

I don't know anything about being a professional photographer, so I could be completely wrong about this, but I think having your photos on this guy's website is going to be of negligible benefit to you, even if you are credited. As a medium for advertising yourself, I don't think it's all that great, and as something to put on your CV, "Provided photos for Joe Bloggs's management consultancy website" does not sound very impressive to me.

[robuk]

stock photo images for website use are just a couple of quid each, I would suggest something along the lines of say £50 for the set etc

[Simpo Two]

If you're planning to ask for money, a key factor is what he's going to do with your images. Internet/print/size/position/number of copies/territory all make a difference. Remember that you own the copyright and he uses them under licence. You set the licence terms

[Photogirl]

If you proceed with this then the image usage must be clearly defined and documented within a formal Licensing Agreement. This is far more important than any fee. By 'usage' I mean whether the images are supplied in a low resolution state only for use on their company website, or if they are to be used on any subsidiary sites, or whether the client requires full resolution images for a brochure (the print run must be stated). For brochure use, the price will be substantially higher. I would say that a great many stock agencies supply low resolution images for websites for a nominal fee, so the client could certainly go elsewhere and pay next to nothing for some good photography.

I would consider allowing them to use the shots, with a strict usage Contract which includes your copyright line - a link to your website would be a great thing to have.

Lovely shots, by the way.

[Photogirl]

" .....something to put on your CV, "Provided photos for Joe Bloggs's management consultancy website" does not sound very impressive to me."

As a professional photographer, I disagree.

Looks like some of us were typing at the same time, as regards the importance of image usage and licensing.

[SamHH]

To clarify my other post, I don't think there's an inherent benefit in having your photos on his website, so if you want some benefit for yourself — rather than just letting him use your photos to be nice — you need to get paid.

[D4VE 3LL]

Thanks for the quick responses guys! and girls! I was thinking along the lines of £50 for the set. So if he just wants them for the website shall I resize them so they'd not be much use in printing? any info greatly appreciated as always

Dave

[Photogirl]

Sam, as has been said, the problem with internet use is that stock photography is available for a pittance, the client has no real motivation to pay the OP. There is in fact real value in getting a photo credit and even better, a site link. Anything which drives a bit of traffic towards the OPs site could be very valuable, in SEO terms.

[Photogirl]

D4VE 3LL said:

Thanks for the quick responses guys! and girls! I was thinking along the lines of £50 for the set. So if he just wants them for the website shall I resize them so they'd not be much use in printing? any info greatly appreciated as always

Dave

Dave, web sized images are generally around 600 pixels longest size, and are often smaller. You will need the client to specify how big the images will be, physically on their site. Supply them in sRGB colour space, and at 72ppi. I assure you they will not be printable, or up-rezzable.

Edited to say, embed your copyright watermark (I don't mean so it physically shows, I mean as metadata).

Edited by Photogirl on Wednesday 16th September 19:40

[SamHH]

Photogirl said:

" .....something to put on your CV, "Provided photos for Joe Bloggs's management consultancy website" does not sound very impressive to me."

As a professional photographer, I disagree.

Looks like some of us were typing at the same time, as regards the importance of image usage and licensing.

I'm surprised at that, but I'm sure you're more qualified to know.

I suppose my impression — probably influenced by the "where can I get photos for free" posts on here — was that being published on a small business's website meant nothing more than that you were willing to give your work away for free.

Edited by SamHH on Wednesday 16th September 20:45

[_dobbo_]

Find out what he wants them for first, then come back and let us know.

Personally I'd want more than £50 for web usage but if you are threaders then I can see where you are coming from... If there isn't money on the table then a single incoming link is worth the sum of sweet f-all.

Let's say for arguments sake he gets hundreds of visitors a day and they are all going to click through to your site. Unlikely, but even so - are visitors to a management consultantcy company somehow going to generate you revenue? If you can think of a way they will then you should be the consultant, not him.

Be flattered by all means, but don't give away the crown jewels because someone made you feel nice and someone else on the internet told you it would be good for your search engine ranking.

[Photogirl]

"Be flattered by all means, but don't give away the crown jewels because someone made you feel nice and someone else on the internet told you it would be good for your search engine ranking."

Look, the reality is that web images simply cannot command much of a price these days - just see what you can get for mere pence from most of the big stock agencies. I'm afraid that's how it is. Had the OP been commissioned by the client to produce those images for their site then that's an entirely different matter, however that was not the case. Essentially the OP has the choice of a few quid (if he's lucky) and/or a photo credit. Neither are terribly exciting, but those are your choices when you're dealing with this kind of situation. As I said before, stock price is governed by size and usage. And the OP is not 'giving away' anything, bar a limited license to display a small rendition of his work, to which he holds copyright. And a link/credit very often has more value to one's business.

I often shoot corporate images which are entirely or primarily for use on company websites. I'm paid well for my time, but the images themselves, if used elsewhere at low resolution, have very little intrinsic value. Now as I said before, if the OPs pictures were requested for a company brochure - that's a whole different ballgame.

Of course, since I'm nothing more than 'somebody on the internet' the OP is entirely at liberty to disregard my advice, and everyone else's, and tell the consultancy in question to take a hike.

Edited by Photogirl on Wednesday 16th September 22:05

[Mr POD]

D4VE 3LL said:

Thanks for the quick responses guys! and girls! I was thinking along the lines of £50 for the set. So if he just wants them for the website shall I resize them so they'd not be much use in printing? any info greatly appreciated as always

Dave

£50 for the set, but copyright is retained by you and clicking on the photo in his website should result is a link to you website where they can purchase a full size print. If you sell any via his website you could give him a smallish percentage.

[_dobbo_]

No need to get touchy photogirl, the OP can read the posts and make his own judgement.

It's likely I wont ever make a living from photography, but people giving away their work for nothing (or next to nothing) is a bad thing in any industry.

[Photogirl]

Dobbo, forgive me, I wasn't disagreeing with you, but I was trying to explain how things are in reality, given that I make my living from photography. Of course nobody wants to feel they're giving their work away for peanuts, but an awful lot of good stock photographers are in precisely that position nowadays. The growth of the internet agencies has essentially rewritten the terms, so supplying anything for the web is not much of an earner anymore. But as a young photographer starting out, the OP has nothing to lose. As has been said, the images are still his, copyright is not compromised in any way.

Edit: When the OP takes on his own commissions, it's important that he charges a realistic rate for his time and his talent. One of the reasons so few professional photographers survive is their tendancy to try and undercut the competition - which damages us all. This is something very much within our control, but my point was that we do not have much influence over stock prices for internet imagery.

Edited by Photogirl on Wednesday 16th September 22:47

Edited by Photogirl on Wednesday 16th September 22:52

[D4VE 3LL]

Evening everyone,

Thanks for the feedback, I shall read it in more detail and report back on what I decide to do.

Once again thanks for everyones input - much appreciated - even if it almost did turn a bit nasty :/

Dave

[MonkeyHanger]

_dobbo_ said:

Let's say for arguments sake he gets hundreds of visitors a day and they are all going to click through to your site. Unlikely, but even so - are visitors to a management consultantcy company somehow going to generate you revenue? If you can think of a way they will then you should be the consultant, not him.

1 image on the front page of a World Championship motorsport site brought me over 10,000 hits in a few days, but not a single extra order other than the original sale.

It bought me a new lens...i suspect i actually under-sold it!

Credits are largely worthless, charge like an angry rhino or keep the images to yourself.

[Quick silver]

MonkeyHanger said:

_dobbo_ said:

Let's say for arguments sake he gets hundreds of visitors a day and they are all going to click through to your site. Unlikely, but even so - are visitors to a management consultantcy company somehow going to generate you revenue? If you can think of a way they will then you should be the consultant, not him.

1 image on the front page of a World Championship motorsport site brought me over 10,000 hits in a few days, but not a single extra order other than the original sale.

It bought me a new lens...i suspect i actually under-sold it!

Credits are largely worthless, charge like an angry rhino or keep the images to yourself.

^^^^ what M/H said with bells on.