Selling digital image to an art consultant - need advice

swimber1 · Oct 16, 2013

First off, I'm brand spankin new to these forums so hello to everyone! Ive done a lot of googling and research but info seems hard to come by, so here I am...

I've found myself in some pretty exciting, yet uncharted territory and I'm seeking help from anyone willing to provide it. I'm a (very) amateur photographer who posts images on Flickr. I do not run a business nor have I ever profited from my 'work'.

Well, yesterday I received an email from an art consultant and apparently they presented some of my photos (along with many others from other people as well, I'm sure) to a client of theirs. This client runs a local hotel and they chose a photo of mine to place in every one of their guestrooms, 157 in total! Exciting stuff - I feel like I won the lottery

The consultant is looking to purchase the digital file from me (apparently called a file usage fee) and pay me a royalty per print. They will be responsible for all the printing, framing, etc of the photos. I'm simply providing the image to them, nothing more. It should be noted that I will retain rights of the file.

So naturally I have questions...most of which I'm comfortable asking the consultant. But when it comes to pricing and what I should reasonably expect to receive for this, I need your help.

I was offered $100 for use of the file and $4.00 per print (9"x 29"). I have absolutely no idea if this is reasonable? I understand this fell into my lap and I won't turn it down by any means, but I also want to make sure I'm receiving fair market value for what they're seeking. Again, this isn't about being greedy, it's about making a smart business decision.

So, I would appreciate your feedback and professional advice. Should I take the money and run? Should I present a counter offer? Is there anything more a pure amateur like myself should know upon entering into something like this?

Thanks in advance!

PS - I've researched the art consultant and they are very reputable - they consult primarily for luxury hotels and have quite the portfolio.

vintagesnaps · Oct 16, 2013

I assume you have your Flickr page set to be viewed publicly, but my first thought was that they showed your photo to a client already? before they contacted you? I can't help but think that companies know on plenty of sites like Flickr that people have posted their photos who have no experience with retail or commercial sales of their photos. I don't do commercial work but pricing seems higher for commercial use than for other usage.

ASMP as well as other pro photography organizations has info. but I don't know that there's a quick answer. Here's what I found that might be useful. On the right column of this page you'll see Pricing Photography, Steps to Determine Your Price, Details: Usage or Licensing Fee - those links could give you more suggestions.
Licensing Guide | American Society of Media Photographers

swimber1 · Oct 16, 2013

vintagesnaps said:
I assume you have your Flickr page set to be viewed publicly, but my first thought was that they showed your photo to a client already? before they contacted you? I can't help but think that companies know on plenty of sites like Flickr that people have posted their photos who have no experience with retail or commercial sales of their photos. I don't do commercial work but pricing seems higher for commercial use than for other usage.

ASMP as well as other pro photography organizations has info. but I don't know that there's a quick answer. Here's what I found that might be useful. On the right column of this page you'll see Pricing Photography, Steps to Determine Your Price, Details: Usage or Licensing Fee - those links could give you more suggestions.
Licensing Guide | American Society of Media Photographers

Thanks for the reply. Correct, my flickr page is open to the public and I had no idea my images had already been shown to their client. The email I received was totally out of the blue. While the $700+ I'll receive is certainly welcome, I can't help but think I'm leaving WAY (thousands of dollars) more on the table because I'm an amateur with zero knowledge of the business side of such affairs. What makes this unique, I suppose, is the fact that I didn't do any leg work here. The consultant has done, and will continue to do everything. I'm simply providing the image to them, nothing more.

I appreciate the link and I'm going to thoroughly read over the article.