Advance Notes: A client wants to use one of your photos on his website. What do you charge the client? Here's an easy formula to use.
WEBSITE PRICING is easy if you use the "Hits Formula." It applies to both editorial as well as commercial markets. A client asks, "What do you charge for website use?" Return the question with your question, "How many hits does your site get each day?"
This question may stump them, and they may admit, "I don't know." But you can easily look like the expert when you return with, "Just a minute, I'll let you know."
Using the free software from www.Alexa.com (a company owned by Amazon.com) you call up Alexa.com. Type your client's website address in the search bar. Once a page comes up, at the bar at the bottom of your screen, click on, "traffic." The statistics will not only show you the owner and address of the company (you can spout that back to them also for verification) but the number of "Alexa hits" they get each day. Alexa has its own secret formula for determining the number of web traffic hits, but it's generally regarded as close to accurate.
Now that you've determined this figure, you are ready to apply the "Hits Formula." Most inquirers contacting you for a photo to use on the Web, are interested in acquiring a photo for their Home Page, and the formula applies to this usage.
THE FORMULA*
If your client currently receives 50,000 hits a day, you will charge them $25 per month. If they receive 100,000 hits per day, you will charge them $50 per month. If they receive 200,000 hits a day then their monthly fee would be $100.*
A client may be just starting out and not have stats available yet at Alexa. Your response: "Who are your competitors? Can I assume you plan to keep up with them? Let's see what they are getting in the way of daily visitors."
Of course, if your client receives very few hits per day, a minimum you would establish is $10 per month.
Some companies may plan to use a number of photos at various places on their website. In that case it's discount time. The monthly fee for the initial, primary photo will remain the same, but for the extra photos, divide the monthly fee by the number of photos they plan to use. This will give you the per photo fee to charge, for those additional photos.
You might find it necessary to make some bargaining concessions. To keep the style consistent in their website, they might want to use only one photographer's work - and plan to use many photos profusely throughout their site. It may be good politics to adjust your price for volume purchase.
For non-profit organizations that might have a high visitor count but a low budget, be prepared to make adjustments.
* Multiply the number of hits by .0005 to get the dollar amount you will charge them each month for the use of your picture on their home page.
Rohn Engh, veteran stock photographer and best-selling author of "Sell & ReSell Your Photos" and "sellphotos.com," has helped scores of photographers launch their careers. For access to great information on making money from pictures you like to take, and to receive this free report: "8 Steps to Becoming a Published Photographer," visit http://www.sellphotos.com
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to PhotoAim.com. Here's where you'll find information
about stock photography, editorial stock photography,
specialized photography, stock agencies, mini-stock
agencies, selling pictures, and social photography.
THE GOOD STUFF
Advance Notes: Some of what follows may be "old hat" to veteran stock photographers. Some of it might be new. Most importantly, some of it might be "forgotten" - gems, that we once knew and applied, but somehow allowed to drift away from our standard stock photo operating procedure. For expansion on the following answers, consult our bulletin board, "The Kracker Barrel," on the Web at: www.photosource.com/board.
Q. Copyright: Do I have to register my photo with the Library of Congress before I place a copyright symbol on my picture?
A. No. Place the Copyright symbol and your name on any digital image, print, or slide that you've taken. It costs you nothing. If you wish to "register" your picture with the Copyright Office, there is a registration fee. (Currently $45.)
Q. Is Copyright registration mandatory?
A. No. Registration is helpful primarily in the event of possible infringement: if your photo is registered and someone uses that photo (infringement) without your permission, you have a chance for award of larger damages than if the photo was not registered. (Copyright is yours in any case.) If you remain in the area of deitorial photography, the instance of infringement will be rare. There have been few cases of "theft" in the editorial field. This cannot be said of the other field of stock photography: commercial.
Q. I'd like to send my pictures via the Internet to a photobuyer, but we've all heard those horror stories about photography being stolen. What do I do?
A. Yes, there have been some thievery problems reported. But 99% of the cases have been in the field of commercial stock photography (advertising, corporate endorsements, public relations, etc.). My advice: begin your career in the field of editorial stock photography (books, TV, magazines, newspapers) where your pictures are used to inform and educate the public. It's rare that an editor in one of these fields would "steal" your photo and publish it without paying you. But you must weigh that risk against the alternative: Your pictures remain in your database, aging, and going nowhere but out of date. But take heart, here's good news: the horror stories are mostly blown out of proportion. Our experience of many years shows that instances of "stolen" photos in editorial photography are exceedingly rare.
Q. Are model releases necessary when I take a picture in public?
A. Only if your client intends to use the picture for commercial purposes, such as for advertising, public relations, endorsements, etc. A model release is not required if your picture is used to "inform or educate." Only in rare "sensitive" cases is a model release ever required in the book and magazine industry.
Q. Can I call my part-time photo marketing operation a "business" and thus be eligible for tax deductions?
A. You certainly can. Open a separate checking account for your "business," plus get some invoices and stationery printed. Many tax deductions await you, ranging from write-offs for the cost of your home office, marketletter subscriptions, your travel costs, and your actual camera, software, and equipment costs. Call the IRS toll free number (800 829-1040) and ask for details and pamphlets on operating a home business part-time. Tax laws change from time to time. Check with a tax adviser dealing in "intellectual properties." He or she can save you many dollars.
Q. Is my computer useful in photo marketing?
A. Yes, definitely. If you are not "computer literate," employ a local high-schooler to get you up to speed. When you're ready to "computerize," read available books on the subject at Amazon.com.
Q. Do magazine and book publishers accept digital pictures?
A. Yes. Send a digital (jpeg) sample first. This can be a "Light Box" or individual attachments. Advertising agencies accept quality hi-res images. Photobuyers at book publishers and magazines can also accept your high-resolution images on disk or via email. But for now, they'll first want to see a "jpeg" or "Tiff", and then ask for the original or a CD of the picture.
Q. Can I convert my 35mm color slides to digital?
A. Yes, at least to the point where you can send digital samples such as a "thumbnail" to a photobuyer. If the photobuyer likes your image and you make a sale, the photobuyer may want you to ship the original to them so that they can convert your slide to their digital specs.
Q. What camera should I use?
A. For book and magazine production (1/4 or 1/8 of a page) a common digital camera will often work. For larger formats, you'll have to invest in a top-of-the line digital camera. But take heart, software is continually being developed that can enhance even low-res images for print publication purposes.
Q. Should I go with a "gallery?"
A. Traffic is the answer. If you are interested in "selling," go with a portal that has a high traffic rating.
Q. Should I develop a website?
A. Yes, but remember this rule. Photobuyers visit personal, individual websites only when they are looking for highly, specialized photos. If you put up a website of generic photos, you'll get few visitors. And why not? Photobuyers always visit the popular massive sites (Corbis, Jupiter, Getty, etc.) where they know they will have a wide selection.
Rohn Engh, veteran stock photographer and best-selling author of "Sell & ReSell Your Photos" and "sellphotos.com," has helped scores of photographers launch their careers. For access to great information on making money from pictures you like to take learn how to sell pictures, and to receive this free report: "8 Steps to Becoming a Published Photographer," visit his website, PhotoSource International or call 800 624-0266.
