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Steve Brown wrote: > This question is for the professional photographers.............. > > How much do you charge for pictures? Do you sell them outright, or do you > just sell for one time use? Do you require a photo credit? Are there > standard rates? Yes. And no. You are asking very good questions though, but they are hard to answer because they are so general. I'll try to explain. Commercially (assignment photography), you charge what the market + your experience will bear, and for fine art prints, you can check some local galleries for some rough guidelines. Stock photography is another matter entirely, but it may be the most 'standardized' in 'price structure' (watch out for the deluge of 'clip art' scams these days - don't sell out for a song). It is helpful to know your market before you can price accurately. This goes for any business. It is illegal to fix rates among photographers, but it is generally OK to discuss market averages. The biggest problem with discussing averages though, is that there are all experience levels of photographers, and among those, many different levels of business experience. Customers are often buying a service, not just an image (or the use of the image). If you are charging more than some others (hobby photographers, low-ball 'newbees', etc.) then you must generally offer the customer something that they can't get otherwise. This value can come in many combinations of forms, but this perceived value is a real component in securing repeat business and a good reputation. You can charge more than everyone else and still give a better value for your services, so price and value are related, but not the same thing. One good general source I would recommend on the business practice end of it, is ASMP's Professional Business Practices In Photography, which should be available at your local library, and is available directly from ASMP. There are several other very useful ASMP publications available as well, along with some very good trade magazines (such as PDN) these days. There is also computer software out there for pricing various types of photography, but this is mostly data base format stuff that requires knowledge of the market anyway, in order to set the variables correctly. Generally, I sell usage rights for stock and regular assignment photography, and I sell the image (film) to those corporate customers that are paying me to do so. It is not always in your best interest as a photographer to sell your images outright (and give up ownership - you cannot use those images again for any purpose then), but everything has its price, and if that was the way that the customer contracted with you, and you agree to do 'work for hire', and the pay is (well) worth it, (and they are a good credit risk), then negotiate a fee that makes you happy first and the client happy second. There is no sense doing something for nothing when you are in business and you have expenses like any other business. Flip the situation around and they will most always see what you mean if you are professional in your delivery. Regards, Dave Dave Cohen Photographer, Member ASMP Action Photographic Webmaster [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/home/ ======================================================= -> SPORRS: 'Serious Photographers Of Railroad Related Subjects' -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs/ -> Message © 1998 SPORRS® - All Rights Reserved =======================================================
