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Buying/Selling photographs help please


Big Cliff

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A friend has just been asked by a conservation authority if they could use some of my friend's wildlife photographs in one of their publications. They want to know how much my friend would charge and what restrictions my friend would place on their use.

 

My friend has asked me for advice but I have no idea where to start except to ask for advice on here. Have any of you ever done anything like this and if so, would you please point me in the right direction.

 

There seems to be a lot of information available on the internet but most of it seems to apply to selling single images not something that would be published in a commercial format.

 

I would really like to help this friend as they really need this opportunity and I would really appreciate any help or advice you can provide!

 

 

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Cliff we use commercial photographs in our advertising. We pay per use, the cost depends on the shot.

That is one way to go. Or he could sell,the print outright and the end user can use it anytime they want.

I'll give you an idea of what we pay when I get to the office but our figures tend to be high because of the exposure they get.

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Cliff we use commercial photographs in our advertising. We pay per use, the cost depends on the shot.

That is one way to go. Or he could sell,the print outright and the end user can use it anytime they want.

I'll give you an idea of what we pay when I get to the office but our figures tend to be high because of the exposure they get.

Thank you! I'll be waiting, I really appreciate it!

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Cliff,

 

The value of a photo depends on a lot of things, but the short story is it comes down to seven main considerations:

 

1. Where it will be used (i.e. a publication distributed to public, or something used internally)

2. The size the image will appear (bigger pictures cost more)

3. The number of copies that will be distributed (the more they print, the higher the price for the picture)

4. Who's doing the buying, and what their budget is. Obviously large corporations can (and do) spend more than governments, who in turn spend more than mom-and-pop businesses.

5. Will the photo be reproduced anywhere online (i.e. website, or on a downloadable PDF).

6. How badly the customer needs the picture.

7. Photographer's reputation and therefore how much they can get away with.

 

 

Rough pay scales in Canada:

 

For a smaller photo, up to about one-third of a page .....

 

Mom-and-pop business, using the picture for a brochure or catalogue: $25 to $100

 

Government:

Small circulation (under 50k) publication: $50 - $200

Medium circ (60k - 250k) publication: $100 - $400

Large circ (anything more than 250k copies) publication: $300+

 

Major Corporation:

Small circulation (under 50k) publication: $100 - $200

Medium circ (60k - 250k) publication: $150 - $600

Large circ (anything more than 250k copies) publication: $500+

 

 

Surcharges.....

 

If they want to use the photo in a larger size, say one-half page: increase above rates by 20 percent.

 

Full page: increase above rates by 50 percent.

 

Front cover: double the rates.

 

Important - if the photo also appears online: increase again by 50% and insist it appear in low resolution only (i.e. less than 150 DPI) to protect against someone copying and re-using it.

 

Note these rates are all based on one-time use. Your friend continues to own the photo and all rights to its future use. If they want to have full ownership of the photo, then negotiate using these values as a starting point. Personally, I have never sold full ownership of a photo (known as "all rights") for less than $2,500 per shot.

 

 

Bottom line is, there is no hard and fast guide to this. Throw them a figure and see how they respond. Your friend might feel it's better to take a lower amount and at least get some cash, or they might feel inclined to say no thanks. That's an individual decision.

 

Feel free to PM if you want further info.

Edited by Craig_Ritchie
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Thank you! I'll be waiting, I really appreciate it!

Well, I found out something new, we pick the shot and our client negotiates with the supplier on the $s. As it has been said. from a few buck to thousands.

If your friend can keep the cost down he may get repeat business. There are a lot of royalty free suppliers out there.

We lost a slide many years ago and it cost us $15,000 !

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a related point

 

our office manager pulled a picture off the internet to use on our small business website.

 

Thought it was public domain.

 

Received an invoice from the owner of the picture for $800 subsequently

 

Our legal advice was to pay it,

 

Apparently there is a hidden code imbedded on pictures on the internet that allows owners to track them.

 

Beware

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An automatic copyright on art... Even though you've bought an original oil painting, or such, from an artist... unless you have also purchased the copyrights and have paperwork to prove so the artist can come and collect your long paid for art to photograph so that they can do prints from same and then return you the original work.

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a related point

 

our office manager pulled a picture off the internet to use on our small business website.

 

Thought it was public domain.

 

Received an invoice from the owner of the picture for $800 subsequently

 

Our legal advice was to pay it,

 

Apparently there is a hidden code imbedded on pictures on the internet that allows owners to track them.

 

Beware

 

Beyond tracking codes in the photos, there are several agencies that exist specifically to verify the copyright of photos used on websites and publications. They all work on commission, so they're fairly aggressive in chasing stuff down. I use one of them, and get a couple of cheques each year from people I have never even heard of.

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