Selling a digital image.

[turbo212003]

So i work for a bookstore as their photographer. Customer comes in, wants us to photograph a painting and wants to buy the digital image. This is uncharted territory as we haven't done this before. The customer wants to use the image for post cards and to hang over the the door of a church. The market for this image isn't very wide and it's of no use to us. I'm guessing he wants the high-resolution image also. I feel we would rather get more money out of it than retain any rights to the image.


If anybody has any advice, that would be great.

[Karl Johnston]

It is not uncommon to just sell the one high resolution image, though retain the rights to the image. What that cost could be is variable based on what you think its worth or the client is willing to pay. Often portrait photographers offer a high-resolution image for an additional fee of something like 200$ extra to go with a select package.

best idea: Another option is to sell a license for the use of (x)format of image for (x)reason for (x)amount of time with rights retained to you. I think this is the best option.

If you want to sell the rights on it, though, then feel free it is your image. Again thats up to you to decide the price. Generally you would want something considerably more than the first, though.

edit*I just re-read that post, actually....he wants to photograph a painting then re-print the image of the painting? Im not sure of that`s entirely legit of him..what about the rights of the artist of the painting ?

[turbo212003]

It is not uncommon to just sell the one high resolution image, though retain the rights to the image. What that cost could be is variable based on what you think its worth or the client is willing to pay. Often portrait photographers offer a high-resolution image for an additional fee of something like 200$ extra to go with a select package.

best idea: Another option is to sell a license for the use of (x)format of image for (x)reason for (x)amount of time with rights retained to you. I think this is the best option.

If you want to sell the rights on it, though, then feel free it is your image. Again thats up to you to decide the price. Generally you would want something considerably more than the first, though.

edit*I just re-read that post, actually....he wants to photograph a painting then re-print the image of the painting? Im not sure of that`s entirely legit of him..what about the rights of the artist of the painting ?


He is the artist of the painting.

[Karl Johnston]

Sorry, it didnt say that anywhere. In that case, then dont worry about the rights issue

[RDKirk]

If he is the original artist and you're making a copy of the painting, he actually still owns the copyright even to your image. Your rights in this respect are exactly the same as Kinko's would be if he'd gone to Kinko's and put the painting on their copy machine.

In other words, you have no copyright to the image anyway, and he'd legally be able to sue you for any further use you made of it. You can, of course, charge whatever you want for the service, but the copyright is still his...you're selling your copy service, not licensing an image that belongs to you.