How much should I charge to use my photo(s)?

deadhippo · Jan 25, 2006

Hi,
Today I received an email from a lady claiming to be from a magazine that is doing a feature on world festivals and she said she was interested in some from my website and would like to know how to go about purchasing them. I thought that's a very good question. I have no idea.
I know that many things are important when determining the price such as
- Size and placement of the image
- Number of copies circulated and intended market region
- Length of time image is presented to the public, number of editions, etc...
but even if I had that information I wouldn't know how much to charge?

Can anyone give me advice? I'd really appreciate it

Hertz van Rental · Jan 25, 2006

If she is working for a magazine then she should know what the going rate is.
Magazines and newspapers normally have set rates that they pay and they should have a set way of going about it - real magazines and newspapers purchase images all the time.
If she doesn't have a clue then I would be a little suspicious. In that case ask to speak to a grown-up.
Get hold of a copy of this book
http://www.writersservices.com/mag/m_writers_artists_yearbook.htm
Although primarily aimed at Writers in the UK is does in fact cover the whole World and contains a wealth of information for Photographers - I believe it also contains guidelines as to the going rates for various publications.
UK libraries should have a copy but I don't know if libraries outside the UK would get it. You could ask.
It is worth buying your own. Amazon and other internet booksellers will have it.

MyCameraEye · Jan 25, 2006

You have two options here. I have done both. You can lease the image as you would a stock photo for a period of time, say a year at a rate or you can sell. Once you sell, you pretty much give up ALL RIGHTS to the photograph and you can never use it again orther then for personal use.

Either way, I created a pricing scheme a while back using the following book. It can be really helpful.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581152078/qid=1138203629/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-8696239-2275905?s=books&v=glance&n=283155"]Pricing Photography: The Complete Guide to Assignment & Stock Prices [/ame]

You might also consider the following book as well. It comes with a CD-ROM that have all the forms you will ever need in PDF format. It comes in VERY handy and has served me well over the past few years.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158115206X/ref=pd_sim_b_1/104-8696239-2275905?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155"]Business and Legal Forms for Photographers (Business and Legal Forms) [/ame]

I hope this helps you out.

Scott

deadhippo · Jan 25, 2006

Thanks for the replies. It's appreciated.
@MyCameraEye , well I won't be selling the images, it will basically be a license.
Thanks for the link to the books, although I think maybe the situation is a bit more immediate. I will check them out at a future date.
If indeed she is working for a magazine which, I believe she is I too am sure she knows the current rate. Her email didn't give details. It was just an enquiry.
Do you think I should just ask her?

I found this site too which seems very interesting.

MyCameraEye · Jan 25, 2006

I do not think there is anything wrong with asking their standard rates. I would also ask where in the magazine the image would apear and what size? e.g. front page back cover, main index page, advertizing page etc. These are premium spots and have higher rates in my book.

deadhippo · Jan 25, 2006

Well, the few hours I delayed seemed a little too long because when I replied they told me they had already sourced images for that project. Oh well.
Thanks for the advice it was a learning experience. I feel more prepared for the next time, if there is a next time.

markc · Jan 25, 2006

I wouldn't worry about it being a missed opportunity. It sounds a bit fishy to me anyway. Everything should have been in the first e-mail she sent you.