Shooting for a promoter/venue

[DDCSD]

What kind of deals are you guys doing with promoters/venues to shoot shows for them? Do you do all of their shows, just the biggest ones, once in a while? Do they just hire you once every blue moon to shoot a show and show of their venue(s)?

What do you provide them with? An agreed # of images with unlimited license, one year license??

Just trying to figure out what value I can offer for my services.

[johnms88]

Im a staff photog for a venue. Unless a contract is signed beforehand, the venue owns all images you produce and can do anything with them.

A venue large enough to pay a staff photographer is going to want the images for use in whatever they seem fit. Advertisements, newspapers, press releases, website and newsletters, etc, etc. They most likely aren't going to fiddle with a contract limiting their use to 1 year or a limited number of images (for me, I just give them whatever I get that is good, and they sometimes request me to get specific images).

As a staff photog, I also have to go around and get images of advertisements that are up for proof so they can send it to the companies. It really helps to send them a picture of their banner in front of 15,000 people.

Keep in mind that at my venue, I am on the normal payroll with an hourly income (I bill for post processing time also). Your arrangements may vary, and your income will vary depending on how large and how deep the pockets of the venue are.

[DDCSD]

Im a staff photog for a venue. Unless a contract is signed beforehand, the venue owns all images you produce and can do anything with them.

A venue large enough to pay a staff photographer is going to want the images for use in whatever they seem fit. Advertisements, newspapers, press releases, website and newsletters, etc, etc. They most likely aren't going to fiddle with a contract limiting their use to 1 year or a limited number of images (for me, I just give them whatever I get that is good, and they sometimes request me to get specific images).

As a staff photog, I also have to go around and get images of advertisements that are up for proof so they can send it to the companies. It really helps to send them a picture of their banner in front of 15,000 people.

Keep in mind that at my venue, I am on the normal payroll with an hourly income (I bill for post processing time also). Your arrangements may vary, and your income will vary depending on how large and how deep the pockets of the venue are.


That makes sense. Thank you very much for the insight.

[canadatv]

I am the house photographer for a local club, about 1000 people on a good night (eg. Papa Roach). I do not get paid, but I barter for time/space at the venue to do some studio work when they are not open, and the owner puts me in touch with the promoters and visiting bands so I can offer them paid promo shoots. It is my humble opinion that there is little money to be had in shooting for the venue (at least the small/medium size ones) rather it is the networking and offshoot business that is the real benefit.

[DDCSD]

Interesting. Thanks!

[Metalphotographer]

I'm sort of the house photographer for a local venue that a friend of mine owns, max capacity of around 650. We have no contracts between us. When I shoot bands there I will provide a handfull (10-20) of small images (72dpi, 550px on the long side) for use on their web site. For the most part I shoot only the shows that I want to shoot and get compensated via all area access, free drinks, and the abilty to bring friends along for no charge.

The only real cash revenue I see regularly from our agreement is that the local openers often want images and are willing to pay for them. More often than not it's just for their myspace pages or (don't laugh) prints to give to their girlfriends and mothers as gifts. Money is money though :)

[Nouks]

René and I are both photographers at Atak, a local venue with a capacity of 700 (big stage), 300 (small stage) and 300 (bar) people. We take photos for their web site and on a fairly regular basis we're asked for delivering photos for promo publication or taking special request photos (people at work, special Atak promo photos, crew activities, things like that).

The Atak photographers have all time free access to any activity organized by Atak, free entrance to shows organized by a partner organization on request, the possibility to place somebody on the guest list when you're at work (and something can be arranged when not at work most of the time), free drinks (11 per standard gig or dance party). And sometimes when partner organizations or media are looking for a photographer or want to publish a certain photo, they'll recommend contacting us, which sometimes leads to paid jobs or selling photos.

Besides that we can do whatever we would like to with our own photos, so selling them to other magazines or bands is not a problem at all.

[DDCSD]

I'm sort of the house photographer for a local venue that a friend of mine owns, max capacity of around 650. We have no contracts between us. When I shoot bands there I will provide a handfull (10-20) of small images (72dpi, 550px on the long side) for use on their web site. For the most part I shoot only the shows that I want to shoot and get compensated via all area access, free drinks, and the abilty to bring friends along for no charge.

The only real cash revenue I see regularly from our agreement is that the local openers often want images and are willing to pay for them. More often than not it's just for their myspace pages or (don't laugh) prints to give to their girlfriends and mothers as gifts. Money is money though :)


René and I are both photographers at Atak, a local venue with a capacity of 700 (big stage), 300 (small stage) and 300 (bar) people. We take photos for their web site and on a fairly regular basis we're asked for delivering photos for promo publication or taking special request photos (people at work, special Atak promo photos, crew activities, things like that).

The Atak photographers have all time free access to any activity organized by Atak, free entrance to shows organized by a partner organization on request, the possibility to place somebody on the guest list when you're at work (and something can be arranged when not at work most of the time), free drinks (11 per standard gig or dance party). And sometimes when partner organizations or media are looking for a photographer or want to publish a certain photo, they'll recommend contacting us, which sometimes leads to paid jobs or selling photos.

Besides that we can do whatever we would like to with our own photos, so selling them to other magazines or bands is not a problem at all.


Thank you both for the great insight. Certainly gives me an idea of what I can expect.

Thank you!

[90c4]

... free drinks (11 per standard gig or dance party).

Wow, 11 free drinks? That's a a great deal. I usually just get on the list with a +1.

[Nouks]

Wow, 11 free drinks? That's a a great deal. I usually just get on the list with a +1.

Rule is 1 coin per hour working. Per standard activity (which is assumed to be around 8 hours) you get 3 extra because of working 8 hours, which makes a total of 11 per activity. With festivals and things like that usually more. Coins can be used on any evening so you don't HAVE to drink 11 drinks while doing your job. I usually don't really drink much when shooting :p

[gcobb]

I think I'm correct in getting into this, but when you're doing "work for hire" the venue has rights to the images anyway. I've had this discussion with many others more versed in copyright law than myself. If there is no contract and money doesn't change hands they're yours. If money changes hands and there is no contract that states who gets what, the images belong to the venue/manager.

I also shoot for a local venue. When they pay me I give them images on a CD. Otherwise I send them some edited images for the web.

[René Damkot]

That would not be so in the Netherlands...
Only case when the copyright of an image I take isn't mine, is when I'm working in a "regular" job relationship. (Not free lance).