Pricing for using photo in advertising???

[arond24]

Hi! Thanks in advance for any advice on this question.

I am a relatively new photographer, and have certainly never had this opportunity arise, so I have no idea how to proceed. What would a reasonable price be to release a photo in the following scenario?

"We think your picture would be great for some of the print advertising that we do in magazines. First I would ask if this is something you would even consider given that your daughter is so young. We typically advertise in magazines such as Door County Living, The Go Guide, and other media that is targeting the tourism industry in Wisconsin. Would you consider letting use one picture and what would be the cost you would charge us for the use of the picture in printed and social media? We would like to have the rights for at least 2 years. Would you think about it and let me know.?
All the best"

Thanks again everyone!

 

[pixmedic]

your going to get a lot of technical answers on this about copyrights usage, contractual obligations, and commercial usage prices.
I would venture a guess that many would put a publication usage for a 2 year period at the $10,000 mark +, but i think the reality is much more
likely that whoever the vendor is that contacted you is probably not looking to spend that much money. I would also guess that the reason they mention all the magazines the advertise in is not to give you a sense of how much money they should be able to pay you, but rather to sell you more on the "exposure" payment method in liu of financial remunerations.

you could look around at the PPA website and get a general idea of what you could charge, but be prepared for a dissertation on why they cant pay much.
I assume the want to sell you on the idea that your photo will be seen in all these publications and you will get photo credit as payment.
im not even saying thats a bad thing, if the exposure is worth more to you than money and if it is the only real payment they are prepared to offer.

you might try asking them a few questions before going into negotiations.
1: how exactly will your photo be used, in what context, and if it will be altered in any way from how you deliver it.
2: what is their projected budget for this project? instead of you throwing out a number, see if you can get them to divulge how much money they have to spend on this and see if its even worth it to you.

in the end, i would assume their offer will just be for photo credit, but who knows...you might get lucky.

just out of curosity, what sort of picture is it that they want to use it for tourism ads?

 

[KmH]

Pricing is going to depend on where on the planet you and the customer are.

For use in the US many commercial photographers use pricing software like fotoQuote Pro 6.
The size an image will be used at, where in a magazine the ad is placed, and how many magazines in each print run all affect the use license price.

 

[tirediron]

Two years use in multiple larger regional periodicals... that should run at least $5000 (a lot depends on circulation, frequency, etc), but the sad reality isI doubt very much they would spend that much. As Pix mentions, ask them what their budget for the project is. I would say that it should be at least $500/year.

 

[arond24]

your going to get a lot of technical answers on this about copyrights usage, contractual obligations, and commercial usage prices.
I would venture a guess that many would put a publication usage for a 2 year period at the $10,000 mark +, but i think the reality is much more
likely that whoever the vendor is that contacted you is probably not looking to spend that much money. I would also guess that the reason they mention all the magazines the advertise in is not to give you a sense of how much money they should be able to pay you, but rather to sell you more on the "exposure" payment method in liu of financial remunerations.

you could look around at the PPA website and get a general idea of what you could charge, but be prepared for a dissertation on why they cant pay much.
I assume the want to sell you on the idea that your photo will be seen in all these publications and you will get photo credit as payment.
im not even saying thats a bad thing, if the exposure is worth more to you than money and if it is the only real payment they are prepared to offer.

you might try asking them a few questions before going into negotiations.
1: how exactly will your photo be used, in what context, and if it will be altered in any way from how you deliver it.
2: what is their projected budget for this project? instead of you throwing out a number, see if you can get them to divulge how much money they have to spend on this and see if its even worth it to you.

in the end, i would assume their offer will just be for photo credit, but who knows...you might get lucky.

just out of curosity, what sort of picture is it that they want to use it for tourism ads?

Thanks for the input. Based on what they initially said I am guessing they are prepared to pay at least something. They asked for my "cost"...I will not be looking to max out what the photographer expected rate is here. We all know the value we place on our work, but a reasonable fee(I like the $500/year suggestion) and photo credit would be great. I was not shooting this for commercial reasons and it was just a pleasant surprise.

 

[arond24]

Two years use in multiple larger regional periodicals... that should run at least $5000 (a lot depends on circulation, frequency, etc), but the sad reality isI doubt very much they would spend that much. As Pix mentions, ask them what their budget for the project is. I would say that it should be at least $500/year.

Thanks so much for the reply!

 

[arond24]

Pricing is going to depend on where on the planet you and the customer are.

For use in the US many commercial photographers use pricing software like fotoQuote Pro 6.
The size an image will be used at, where in a magazine the ad is placed, and how many magazines in each print run all affect the use license price.

thank u

 

[vintagesnaps]

You won't get a photo credit, not in an ad. (Look at the ads in magazines.) An article may have a byline for the writer and a photo credit for the photographer, depending on the publication. But NOT an ad.

The email you got sounds unprofessional and not what I'd expect for an inquiry for commercial (advertising) use. Who/where is this company? I wouldn't be so quick to provide them with any photos, much less a photo of one of your children (if that's the subject).

edit - They're dangling some 'bait' ($$) because they know many people posting pictures are unaware of what would be an appropriate payment or contract, etc. Get on American Society of Media Photographers - Homepage and look up how to license usage, appropriate contracts for advertising, etc.

Be careful what you sign or agree to. This sounds odd to me. Find out what the company is and do a search and look them up (and where they place ads and look at some of their ads) and make sure they're legit.

 

[arond24]

You won't get a photo credit, not in an ad. (Look at the ads in magazines.) An article may have a byline for the writer and a photo credit for the photographer, depending on the publication. But NOT an ad.

The email you got sounds unprofessional and not what I'd expect for an inquiry for commercial (advertising) use. Who/where is this company? I wouldn't be so quick to provide them with any photos, much less a photo of one of your children (if that's the subject).

edit - They're dangling some 'bait' ($$) because they know many people posting pictures are unaware of what would be an appropriate payment or contract, etc. Get on American Society of Media Photographers - Homepage and look up how to license usage, appropriate contracts for advertising, etc.

Be careful what you sign or agree to. This sounds odd to me. Find out what the company is and do a search and look them up (and where they place ads and look at some of their ads) and make sure they're legit.

Yea, not sure why they chose an informal method of contact. However, it is a small town Farm and I don't think they have anything unethical in mind. I have all the info I need on the company and am perfectly comfortable with the picture I would be providing. I will be careful proceeding though, thanks