Yes, another pricing thread, but hear me out!

This one's not really all that tricky, it's just that I don't really hear much from people with experience in this. The engineering devision of a top university in the US wants to purchase some photos for use in their yearly viewbook. While I expect the distribution to be less than 10k, it may be more. The tentative price for these is about $350, but I'm not sure if that is the right amount. These are stock images I have, but I am also a student at the university so I'm not sure exactly how well certain prices may be received. Any advice on this?

Your station in life should have no bearing whatsoever on the fair market value of your images. If you feel strongly that they're worth $350 each then that's what you tell your buyer they're worth.

If they want to haggle and your up for the game, then haggle but don't sell yourself short based on a factor completely unrelated to the quality of your photography!!

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #5465054
Your station in life should have no bearing whatsoever on the fair market value of your images. If you feel strongly that they're worth $350 each then that's what you tell your buyer they're worth.

If they want to haggle and your up for the game, then haggle but don't sell yourself short based on a factor completely unrelated to the quality of your photography!!

The question i really had should be: how do I go about that without getting ripped off in the end. They want these shots, but there's also future contracts involved (at least two, one will be substantial). Do I leave a bit of room to work with so i don't come off too strong yet don't get ripped off? These guys already have a photographer they regularly use on top of an entire media services organization the school provides (total of about 15 staff members including 3 full time photogs and one part time).

basroil wrote in post #5468042
The question i really had should be: how do I go about that without getting ripped off in the end. They want these shots, but there's also future contracts involved (at least two, one will be substantial). Do I leave a bit of room to work with so i don't come off too strong yet don't get ripped off? These guys already have a photographer they regularly use on top of an entire media services organization the school provides (total of about 15 staff members including 3 full time photogs and one part time).

It's a dangerous game to de-value your current products for future gigs, as they may expect a discounted price for these shoots.

I agree with the others. But what I would do first is find out EXACTLY what usage they intend on using. Schools are used to asking for freebies or low end budget contraints.

How many images do they want, for how long and for what usage, those are the guides for pricing. Also are the images they want unique? Or can they bypass you and use pennystock. If your image are uniquem and there are no others like them then get your price. If the usage is primarily editorial or along those lines make sure that you get a signed contract prior to releasing the images.

LBaldwin wrote in post #5475840
I agree with the others. But what I would do first is find out EXACTLY what usage they intend on using. Schools are used to asking for freebies or low end budget contraints.

How many images do they want, for how long and for what usage, those are the guides for pricing. Also are the images they want unique? Or can they bypass you and use pennystock. If your image are uniquem and there are no others like them then get your price. If the usage is primarily editorial or along those lines make sure that you get a signed contract prior to releasing the images.

Oh, these are definitely unique photos, no stock options there because I am the stock . I'll definitely look into what the exact uses are for. It is more or less like corporate booklets, in the 10-100k range. Should there be considerations for the size of the image, such as 1/2-1/4 page, spot use?

I just hope this all goes well because I think it's time to start purchasing some more equipment... perhaps even a 300 2.8 which will be out of budget unless we get another 10 licenses (at 500 each, i'm including taxes and standard expenses)