Courted by FHM Magazine

[defordphoto]

I've gone International!

Over last weekend, I was approached by FHM Magazine to purchase a photo I shot in 2003. It was one of the infamous Players pitstop shots.

Here is the photo they purchased:

http://racefamily.racinglines.com/Galleries/2003/CART/Portland/3_Day/img_4261_std.jpg

Their approach to me was typical, but:

Hi Jim

I am from a marketing agency in Australia and got your details from the website www.rfmsports.com. We are running an editorial piece in an Australian magazine (FHM) on motor racing and I would like to use one of your photographs.

The photo is IMG-426 (sic) and it is from the G.I Joe Portland 3-day Gallery Photos.

Is there any possibility of obtaining this image as a high res file?

Many Thanks Jim.

Regards
Belinda

I was very, very skeptical. Her email address didn't match the magazine's. I was in scam-alert mode.

As it turns out these awesome Aussies are from the company that publishes FHM magazine. 19 countries, 190,000 issues a month. 12 issues a year.

See the FHM site at: http://www.fhm.com.au/

I have been overwhelmed, to say the least.

The one thing I have learned from selling to magazines is: do not undersell yourself. I thought I oversold myself, but I was greeted with no hesitation whatsoever. Nevertheless....

Yes, I'm tooting my horn, but mostly I'm showing that if you shoot great photos, you will be found. I have done nothing to promote myself other than run my website at www.rfmsports.com

My website does offer some international flavour because of the racing theme, but I would never have thought it would gone this far. So far my 10D shots have paid for over half the cost of my MKII.

My hope is to inspire and encourage all shooters out there, new and old, to keep on truckin'. I have been shooting for about 30 years and am finally recognized, but it's so sweet to be approached in this way.

Young shooters: Take your time, but be aggressive. Never give up. Always have a camera with you.

Old shooters: Become more aggressive. You don't have much time left. Get a young shooter to assist you.

Teach.

[tommykjensen]

Congrats!

[Ballen Photo]

Jim, That's a GREAT photo, and I can see why they wanted it. :D
Also was a SWEET story to go with it.
CONGRATS! Very inspirational. :D :D :D
......Bruce

[elfyrulz]

:shock: nice.. will they ask you to start taking photo of their models?

[drisley]

Wow!!!!!
How did they find your site I wonder?

[timmyquest]

My hope is to inspire and encourage all shooters out there, new and old, to keep on truckin'. I have been shooting for about 30 years and am finally recognized, but it's so sweet to be approached in this way.


I've said it before and i'll say it again.

This is the photo that had the largest impact on my recent boost in photography much more spending upwards of $2500 on camera equipment in the past year.

What pisses me off is that i just got my final FHM (free trial). Now i must renew and pay for a subscription.

Oh yes, i must brag for you elsewhere http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1026411351#post1026411351

[theflyingkiwi]

Congrats Jim, it is no supprise that you have sold that picture.

Since FHM is sold in NZ I will be looking out for the edition that has got a thing or to on motor racing :)

you better watch yourself you might become a pro
:lol:

Mark

[nosquare2003]

Congrats Jim. This shot certainly deserves more attention!!!

[Big_B]

Old shooters: Become more aggressive. You don't have much time left. Get a young shooter to assist you.

Teach.


I'll be your younger shooter :D

[SDK^]

Congrats

This shot certainly deserves more attention!!!

It already gets enough attention on this Forum - do a search :wink: :P

[blackviolet]

congrats! you mean i'll actually have to buy it for a PHOTO of a CAR instead of the - um... :oops: ARTICLES yeah that's it, the articles!

[IanD]

Way to go Jim!

[MarkH]

The only surprise here is that more people aren't paying to use that shot.

Brilliant Photo from a skilled/luckier photographer (the more skilled and experienced you get, the luckier you seem to get).

Keep up the good work Jim.

[chrisvw]

I love that photo!

[KartGirlsMom]

That's just awesome (both the photo and the publishing). Congrats!

[Aylwin]

Great photo and great story! Truly inspiring! Well done! :)

[abel]

great job!!!

thanks for sharing your story... it gives us little guys some hope. :)

[dds]

No other words: CONGRATS.
Sometimes talent and knowledge pay... :D
DDS

[cmM]

well, you've been congratulated enough... I'll just stay on the sideline, keep envying you, and hope to get close to where you are one day, Jim. :wink:

The picture is awesome by the way. I bet it'll look mindblowing printed in the magazine.

[Canuck]

Jim,
That pic has blown me away from the first tiem I saw it. It would only be a matter of time before it was in a magazine. Congratulations! Now to afford the next generation...just kidding! :) I am sure the Mark II will do you great. Just out of interest, was that pic taken w/ the 10D? If that is the case, that makes 2 now!

[scottbergerphoto]

Congratulations Jim. Your recent successes with Heartland Magazine and now FHM are well deserved.
Regards,
scott

[Lamplight]

Wow Jim, congratulations! I don't know too many people who have never heard of FHM, so this is pretty major! :shock: With a shot like that, you are completely deserving of this! Good work, and keep it up. :)

[Haifidelity]

Congrats, and great words of advice....

one question: did you end up 'selling' the photo? (i assume you did).

[bigsexy]

Jim,
It's nice to hear about something good happening for someone, but when it happens to an individual who has an obvious passion for his craft and the discipline to hone it, as you obviously have, it's just that much sweeter. Congratulation.

[SENster7]

Congrats Jim, that's an awesome photo. Which camera, lens, and which post processing techniques did you use for this shot if you don't mind me asking?

[Mthorpe_Davies]

Sweet deal, I hope it makes the transition from Aussie FHM (Good) to English FHM (Awesome). Maybe you'll get noticed by Sports Illustrated!

[sGu]

need an assistant? :wink:

[Penguin_101_1]

Great shot and congrats!

[defordphoto]

Thank you all! Let me address a few questions:

Congrats Jim, that's an awesome photo. Which camera, lens, and which post processing techniques did you use for this shot if you don't mind me asking?

10D, 100-400. Shot large-fine JPEG. Processing consisted of setting white point and black point, increasing color saturation and USM. Breezebrowser also added a little more USM.

Brilliant Photo from a skilled/luckier photographer (the more skilled and experienced you get, the luckier you seem to get).

Alot of that is true. Much of photography is a right-place, right-time kind of thing. But, the skill is in knowing where to be when that right-time is most likely to happen. And, of course, the photography skills just take over from there. The only way to get "lucky" is to be out there shooting. It ain't going to happen in an office chair.

I've said it before and i'll say it again.

This is the photo that had the largest impact on my recent boost in photography much more spending upwards of $2500 on camera equipment in the past year.

Compliments don't get a whole lot better than that. Several others were also inspired to purchase the 100-400 over this series. It's so cool to know that my work inspires others.

How did they find your site I wonder?

I never asked. If I think of it, I will next time we exchange emails.

one question: did you end up 'selling' the photo? (i assume you did).

Absolutely not. I doubt I will ever sell 100% rights to a photo. It would take HUGE bucks to sell complete rights to a photo. What was done in this transaction is to sell temporary rights. They can use the photo in this one issue and the 10,000 postcards they're placing it on. After that, the rights "expire" and they cannot use it again without purchasing the temporary rights again.

Selling complete rights to a photo like this would be well into the 4-5 figure range. It's rarely ever done. Not unheard of, and I'd love to do it someday because it rakes in big cash.

Thanks again all!! :)

[robertwgross]

one question: did you end up 'selling' the photo? (i assume you did).

Absolutely not. I doubt I will ever sell 100% rights to a photo. It would take HUGE bucks to sell complete rights to a photo. What was done in this transaction is to sell temporary rights. They can use the photo in this one issue and the 10,000 postcards they're placing it on. After that, the rights "expire" and they cannot use it again without purchasing the temporary rights again.

Selling complete rights to a photo like this would be well into the 4-5 figure range. It's rarely ever done. Not unheard of, and I'd love to do it someday because it rakes in big cash.


I think you are saying that the complete rights to that photo are worth a 4-5 figure price (to you), but that no potential buyer wants to cough up that much.

I'm not trying to purchase the rights, but let's talk theoretically here. If the same magazine asked you for complete rights, you would
talk to them for that complete price, but you would hold out for a big one time price, or vice versa? I guess you feel that others will want to buy one time rights a lot in the future. Or, maybe you just hold an emotional attachment to the photo (it is excellent!).

---Bob Gross---

[Bruce Hamilton]

I especially like the effect of the heat signatures coming off the cars and asphalt, makes the photo look more like a painting. Congrats on selling a great photo.

[defordphoto]

one question: did you end up 'selling' the photo? (i assume you did).

Absolutely not. I doubt I will ever sell 100% rights to a photo. It would take HUGE bucks to sell complete rights to a photo. What was done in this transaction is to sell temporary rights. They can use the photo in this one issue and the 10,000 postcards they're placing it on. After that, the rights "expire" and they cannot use it again without purchasing the temporary rights again.

Selling complete rights to a photo like this would be well into the 4-5 figure range. It's rarely ever done. Not unheard of, and I'd love to do it someday because it rakes in big cash.


I think you are saying that the complete rights to that photo are worth a 4-5 figure price (to you), but that no potential buyer wants to cough up that much.

I'm not trying to purchase the rights, but let's talk theoretically here. If the same magazine asked you for complete rights, you would
talk to them for that complete price, but you would hold out for a big one time price, or vice versa? I guess you feel that others will want to buy one time rights a lot in the future. Or, maybe you just hold an emotional attachment to the photo (it is excellent!).

---Bob Gross---

I have never sold complete rights. But, my motto is Everything is for sale.

Everything.

Want a MKII? Want a 400 f/5.6? Want a 100-400? All for sale.

Same applies to the photos so yes, I would negotiate in a big way if someone wanted exclusive rights. But, exclusive rights would jump the price exponentially.

Considering what I was paid for this one photograph, the price would be extremely heavy into 4 figures. Not-five.

How attached am I to this particular photo? That series is one of my best. I'd hate to lose one, but I probably have another that's close. That's not even the photo I usually post when people start yakking about the quality of the 100-400, etc. ;)

What would I take? Our conversation would begin in the $3k-$4k range in this particular case. For the most part, clients do not buy exclusives. They normally don't need to.

I don't anticipate that my clients would want exclusive rights, but like I said at the beginning of this post, everything is for sale. Everything has its price.

[defordphoto]

I especially like the effect of the heat signatures coming off the cars and asphalt, makes the photo look more like a painting. Congrats on selling a great photo.

Thanks, Bruce.. That effect is called roil.

[Kabz]

that must be the greatest feeling man...

good for you...be sure to have them send you a bunch of free copies to send to us :D

[NILOLIGIST]

WOOOHOOOO!!! Congrats!!!

Well deseved as always. You are a great photographer and you are so humble and you are my friend.

WOOOHOOO!!!!

NiL,

[defordphoto]

that must be the greatest feeling man...

good for you...be sure to have them send you a bunch of free copies to send to us :D

Yes, it is a great feeling. Very few things come close.

Actually, they will not send a "bunch". I asked for 10, and they said they don't send out that many, so I expect I'll get 2-3. That's okay. I've got a scanner. ;)

HeartlandUSA had no problem sending me a dozen.

[defordphoto]

WOOOHOOOO!!! Congrats!!!

Well deseved as always. You are a great photographer and you are so humble and you are my friend.

WOOOHOOO!!!!

NiL,

:) Visa-versa.

[Mills]

Great Jim! That is a great shot. Your hard work is paying off. Congratulations!!!

[mjordan]

I'll add my congrats to the rest, Jim. And yes, I'm one of those that bought my 100-400 because of you. :lol: You and your shooting are also the reason why I've tried shooting AI and a few other tricks that I'd tried before and they didn't work. I just got done shooting 3 days of ring sport (where a guy in a protective suit stands around and lets big strong dogs chew all over his body) and I used AI and the * button to lock the exposure the whole time. I have to admit I had more in focus images this time than I have in the past.

When I was approched by Town and Country Magazine to use one of my dog images, their first message was pretty much the same as yours. They actually contacted my wife since it was her web site. When she told me about it, I laughed and said something about it probably being a scam or joke of some kind. :lol: It wasn't really until about the 3rd e-mail with them that I saw they were for real and very serious. Even though the image they used was just a small image in one of their filler stories, it was still a great feeling to have a magazine like that pay me to use one of my images.

So great job and thanks for all your encouragement and sharing you do on here.

Mike

[timmyquest]

that must be the greatest feeling man...

good for you...be sure to have them send you a bunch of free copies to send to us :D

Yes, it is a great feeling. Very few things come close.

Actually, they will not send a "bunch". I asked for 10, and they said they don't send out that many, so I expect I'll get 2-3. That's okay. I've got a scanner. ;)

HeartlandUSA had no problem sending me a dozen.

Pshh, i'll just buy it and tell everyone "Hey, i onced talked to this guy on an internet message board"

:-)

[defordphoto]

Mike: Great story! I see you have the same t-shirt too. We still need to get together and do the Hood River trek.

Timmy: Send me the bill. I'll pay for your copy. ;)

[robertwgross]

Everything has its price.

Damn, Jim. You're so mercenary.

Where can I sign up?

---Bob Gross---

[defordphoto]

Everything has its price.

Damn, Jim. You're so mercenary.

Where can I sign up?

---Bob Gross---

In my backyard. In the Abrams.

[robertwgross]

Damn, all I ever got to ride in was the M113 APC.

No chrome bumpers on that vehicle.

---Bob Gross---