Do I charge for both photogrpahy and photo licensing?

Birdmcfarland · Jul 20, 2012

I have a pet photogrpahy business but have lately started doing commercial work for local businesses and magazines. I have a big job coming up and I am not sure how to charge the guy. It's for a landscaping business that specializes in floodplain restoration and the first project is pre-restoration shoot, then during the process and finally after when everything is in place. In addition, maybe some shots a year later or seasonally.
Since I have a pretty good idea of what to charge hourly for the actual shoot, I'm ok there, but how does one handle the actual use of the photos? Do you charge a flat fee for licensing all the shots? A la carte for the ones he chooses? Web use? Print? There are so many ways to do this, I don't know what is standard or good practice.

Thanks

jamesbjenkins · Jul 20, 2012

What does your business plan dictate? What is your cost of doing business (CODB)? What is your cost for goods sold (COGS)?

These pieces of data will help you answer these questions. If you don't already have the business side of your...business... figured out, then you need to stop immediately and figure out what you're going to do BEFORE you accept a client.

Every situation is different, and every photog I know has their own way of writing their bids and contracts. FWIW, when I have a commercial client that I know will be using my images to advance their business, I build the cost of the license into their bid. I use a flat fee and specify they can use whatever medium they like, but I reserve the resale and copy rights. They can have those as well, but it costs them A LOT more.

Hope that helps.

tirediron · Jul 20, 2012

There isn't really any "standard" practice. Good practice is what works for you.

What I would do is charge for the job at standard rates and then license the images that the client chooses based on: Size, length of use, circulation (ie, an ad in 'Time' is worth a LOT more than an ad on the back page of a small-town newspaper) and medium.