Request to publish an image, via my flickr.

[Silverpenguin]

I've had this email sent to me via flickr...

'Dear Richard, my name is Cesar G. Truco and I work for the Citizen K Spain Magazine. We are interested in publish one of your photos "Spring Lamb - 2007 BBC Countryfile competition winner." Please, let me know if is possible send us a high resolution picture and if you don't mind if we publish the image. We'll credit the photo. Thank you in advance.Kind regards.'

Not really sure how to reply..?! Any suggestions...not sure how keen I am to supply a high res copy of this image as its been a very popular one and I'm slightly wary of it being used to make money elsewhere...thats just the paranoid side of me though...

A quick google reveals this could be the magazine?! (http://mompopson.blogspot.com/2007/12/undead-mischa-barton-in-citizen-k.html).

Obviously, if they published and stuck my website address in that could potentially get me lots of hits maybe even a sale or two but its just the idea of sending a full res shot of THAT image which worries me..!

[Tumeg]

What image is it?

[Silverpenguin]

The one linked in my signature, click the red text :)

[transcend]

I've had this email sent to me via flickr...

'Dear Richard, my name is Cesar G. Truco and I work for the Citizen K Spain Magazine. We are interested in publish one of your photos "Spring Lamb - 2007 BBC Countryfile competition winner." Please, let me know if is possible send us a high resolution picture and if you don't mind if we publish the image. We'll credit the photo. Thank you in advance.Kind regards.'

Not really sure how to reply..?! Any suggestions...not sure how keen I am to supply a high res copy of this image as its been a very popular one and I'm slightly wary of it being used to make money elsewhere...thats just the paranoid side of me though...

A quick google reveals this could be the magazine?! (http://mompopson.blogspot.com/2007/12/undead-mischa-barton-in-citizen-k.html).

Obviously, if they published and stuck my website address in that could potentially get me lots of hits maybe even a sale or two but its just the idea of sending a full res shot of THAT image which worries me..!

I'd start by telling them you don't work for free, and bylines don't pay bills.

[FlyingPhotog]

I've had this email sent to me via flickr...

'Dear Richard, my name is Cesar G. Truco and I work for the Citizen K Spain Magazine. We are interested in publish one of your photos "Spring Lamb - 2007 BBC Countryfile competition winner." Please, let me know if is possible send us a high resolution picture and if you don't mind if we publish the image. We'll credit the photo. Thank you in advance.Kind regards.'

Not really sure how to reply..?! Any suggestions...not sure how keen I am to supply a high res copy of this image as its been a very popular one and I'm slightly wary of it being used to make money elsewhere...thats just the paranoid side of me though...

A quick google reveals this could be the magazine?! (http://mompopson.blogspot.com/2007/12/undead-mischa-barton-in-citizen-k.html).

Obviously, if they published and stuck my website address in that could potentially get me lots of hits maybe even a sale or two but its just the idea of sending a full res shot of THAT image which worries me..!

Well, they appear to be a well-produced and (one would assume profitable) magazine so they must have a checkbook lying about somewhere in their offices...

The questions:
How much do you want the pub?
How bad do they want the photo?
How much are they willing to pay?
How much are you willing to settle for?

Just be sure there is absolute language regarding usage in any sales agreement...

[liza]

There are a lot of these jokers hanging around on Flickr, preying on people who don't know better. Flickr, IMO, is the biggest free stock photography site on the internet. Magazines and companies contact people, asking them if they can use their photos for credit only. And unfortunately people let them just for the thrill of seeing their image in print. Don't give your work away for free. Negotiate a rate to license the image for a one-time publication, based on the placement of the image and their magazine circulation.

[MJPhotos24]

Reason I hate flickr - one of my clients uses it as there database no matter how hard we argue with them. They have the settings put at "no searches allowed" - so the site is not supposed to show up in any searches on yahoo, google, etc. Well, I google myself and guess what database comes up, so anyone can go download and steal my images. The problem has been reported and nothing by flickr has been done.

Now, onto your question - EVERY company is going to offer credit first, it's how things are done when they know or think they are dealing with amateurs. If anyone believes that's all they have to offer they are stupid! They look for what they think is an amateur and say "oh but we'll give you credit, it's great publicity" - no it's not liar! Sure, give me credit, and $150 for one time usage - in fact credit is mandatory. So, e-mail them back and say you'd be happy to have them publish your image, how much is there going rate and for what usage rights are they looking for? Be polite and professional.

If you have your own rates (or fotoquote) then you can give them a figure and negotiate. Do that by asking circulation, dimensions wanted, placement, etc. It's like any business but editors will always try to low ball you because they know there are idiots out there that will give there stuff away.

A photo editor knows what to do and what not to do with the photo. Agreeing to publish it means they agree to your terms (or at least it should). They get one time usage and thats it, nothing more. If they use it for anything more they have to pay for it. In all honsesty you're probably not going to get any hits to your site for it being published, it just doesnt work like that. Noone reads the photo credits besides other photographer and usually it's a "no clue who that is" or "oh he shot it" kinda thing.

Just had a recent example, this magazine wanted a photo and emailed me. I told them the usual price and they said they cant afford to pay. Asked him circulation, placement, etc. and told him a new price (much smaller than I thought and after checking it out found out it was true). They refused to answer. They contacted me again asking for it for free a month later, again sent the new price. Another month I get a phone call this time asking for it for free, again I email him the price - same email. So now deadline time comes around, and they can magically afford it. Weird huh?

[transcend]

So now deadline time comes around, and they can magically afford it. Weird huh?

Amazing how that works, isn't it?

[Box Brownie]

Richard

It is great that someone else wants to publish that lovely Spring Lamb image - were that I could be in your shoes ;)

But the one thing that struck me & I bow to the good advice above which I would be acting on if I were as mentioned in your shoes, is under what terms did you 'release' the image to the Calendar competition i.e. can you sell it (currently) for & too other publications?

Edit: Sorry if I missed it from anyone else but do check the bona fides of the enquirer because I note you had to 'research' a link for the magazine. It may pay you to, a little like avoiding bank fraud, once he gives you a contact email address to email using one from the magazine website confirming that he does work there and is authorised to discuss & purchase images afterall you do not know him from Adam, as the saying goes ??? Paranoid maybe but better safe than sorry in (any) business.

All the best :D

[PhotosGuy]

competition winner Many competitions want to assume all rights to your images on submission. That's how they get cheap stock.
1/ Put a © on that image, & IPTC data (http://www.breezesys.com/BreezeBrowser/help/iptc.htm) inside it, now.
2/ Only give limited rights for the calendar. Tell them the rights conveyed are contingent on a credit being given with the photo published.
3/ Ask for $s & see how badly they want it.

[sspellman]

Richard-

Ask them for information to calculate a license for usage:
media, territory, time, size, circulation, placement

Go to Gettyimages and sign up for a free acount. You will be able to use their price calculator to see how regular commercial licensing is priced. You can restrict a licensed use to be non-transferable so that a third party cannot reuse or grant the license to another party.

-Scott

[MikeI]

I can't offer anything that hasn't been said, but is is a fantastic image!

[Silverpenguin]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, very useful info so much appreciated :)

As far as the use of the image is concerned, the competition rules stated that the BBC could reproduce the image during the following year if they wished but full copyright obviously belongs to me. I was also told by one of the researches on the phone that once the competition was over and the results were in I could do what I wished with the image. So I assume its ok?!

[PhotosGuy]

So I assume its ok?! Probably.

[neil_r]

You may want to check out the small print on the "2007 BBC Countryfile competition" some of the BBC comps limit what you can do with the images you submit, and bank on people not reading the "small print". Not sure if that is the case with this one but worth a check.