“Know Your Rights– Know The Price”; Guidelines For Selling Your Images
When photographers sell their work they are not only selling images. Fees also include the rights to the use of photos, so additional factors such as overhead, equipment, experience, and personal expertise must be considered. For sometime industry associations have recommended and referred photographers to books and other written guidelines that were dedicated to helping establish pricing guidelines. Pricing your images right increases your photography business' chances to prosper. It is imperative to develop a clear strategy.
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Finding proper stock pricing was previously an arduous chore, but new software
allows the user to price stock with a range of variables. This gives photographers
tremendous power and flexibility to accurately calculate pricing.
One example of this trend is the integration of two powerful software programs
that provide the tools for the less experienced or less accustomed to aid in
the task. Allen Murabayashi of PhotoShelter (www.photoshelter.com)
and the Cradoc Corporation (www.fotoquote.com)
have collaborated to help photographers avoid underestimating the value of their
work.
The collaboration has resulted in PhotoShelter's rights-managed pricing
module integrated with Cradoc's fotoQuote program data. Both products,
Personal Archive and The PhotoShelter Collection, have a free starter account
available; for but more than 50 MB of space it becomes a paid subscription,
the online applications are for photographers to archive and sell images. The
PhotoShelter Collection is an online service that provides a proficient sales
transaction system, with the photographer keeping 70 percent of the stock image
sale.
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Databases tied to industry standards allow anyone (even the novice) to price
like a pro. By providing the average individual photographer access to the same
pricing information that is held by large agencies, the playing field can be
much more level. We recently talked with photographers Annie Libby, Robert J.
Pennington, and Jock Fistick plus PhotoShelter CEO Allen Murabayashi to learn
more.
Shutterbug: Why would a photographer be vulnerable to underpricing
their work?
Allen Murabayashi: Photography is easier to create and distribute
than ever before. There is so much imagery available through web searches. This
makes photographers who post images more vulnerable to photo buyers who are
looking for the "one dollar sale." The current situation is that
the widespread use of high technology to obtain images and the need to avoid
pricing quality photography as a simple commodity are conflicting with each
other.
Annie Libby (www.outloudstock.com):
Those who are at the beginning of their careers and have not assisted another
photographer to learn the necessary skills of the profession firsthand are vulnerable.
Conducting business with limited knowledge of the industry and no negotiation
skills will lead to detrimental mistakes.
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