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View Full Version : fees for commercial uses of photos

richards1052
17th of September 2005 (Sat), 03:47
I wonder if I might ask for some guidance regarding an inquiry I received about commercial use of my images. A direct mail firm has asked what my fees are & conditions for use.

To tell the absolute truth, I've never received such a request before & it (& any potential income) is appealing. Would anyone who's dealt with these issues have any thoughts on how I should approach them? On the one hand I'd like to price things competitively so that the idea of using my work will be attractive to the other party; on the other, I want to make sure I ask for a reasonable fee that isn't too low. Also, what are standard types of conditions that photographers might impose for the use of their images? Perhaps there's a website you know of which covers some of this territory?

I'd welcome any thoughts you might have. If you'd prefer you can also send me a PM.
neil_r
17th of September 2005 (Sat), 03:53
It all depends on what they want to use it for, how big and prominently it features and what the volume/circulation is. Page 10 and 2"x2" in a trade mag will not be worth as much as the cover of Newsweek.

N
richards1052
18th of September 2005 (Sun), 02:06
It all depends on what they want to use it for, how big and prominently it features and what the volume/circulation is. Page 10 and 2"x2" in a trade mag will not be worth as much as the cover of Newsweek.

NThis is for direct mail in post card size format. The mailings are in the 50K-150K range. I assume one of my images would appear on 1 of the postcards.
Mike Smith
18th of September 2005 (Sun), 10:33
You should probably tell them that the conditions of use are negotiable, and ask them exactly what they want to do with it. That will give you a better idea of how to price it.
thomascanty
18th of September 2005 (Sun), 13:13
You can use this site: http://photographersindex.com/stockprice.htm as a guide, but these are just suggestions. You still need to decide/negotiate for each individual case. At least it gives you an idea where to start. Also, there's a program called FotoQuote Pro (http://www.fotoquote.com/) that helps with this, but it isn't free (or very cheap, actually).