Posted by Larry Gloth on November 21, 2007 at 7:05 PM
An individual contacted me and requested a high-res copy of a picture in order to make an 11 x 14" print. I am not a professional photographer. Can someone with some experience give me some guidance on what is fair in a situation like this?
Price? Is it OK to just send them a TIFF file to print? Are there licensing arrangements to consider?
Thanks in advance.
-Larry
Posted by RL Potts on November 21, 2007 at 10:12 PM
There are a number of things to consider. First of all, is there some reason you cannot sell him a print you have made? Do you trust him to not make many more prints for his friends or to sell? If you let others use your files they can be copied and passed around. Who knows whether he is unethical or ignorant on how he should use the files. On the other hand, maybe you don't care, but if that is the case, you probably wouldn't be asking. At the very least, mail him an invoice explaining what rights (one time display print rights?) you are conferring so no misunderstandings arise.
Posted by Toni Lankerd on November 21, 2007 at 11:35 PM
I had a request a couple years ago, under similar conditions, and I turned the individual down. RL is correct in asking if you can trust this person not to make more prints for friends or to sell. In today's world, no,. I wouldn't trust a stranger enough to send him a Tiff file....or any other format, as far as that goes. If he wants a print, tell him you will make a print for him, for an upfront price.
Experience has taught us to be really hard-nosed on this. Number 0ne, we want complete control on the quality of printing of all images that will appear with our names on them. Number Two, we might trust the person we sold to, but what about the next person that sits down to his/her computer. Memories fade too, so this week's agreement kinda gets lost a few years down the road.
We're in the business of selling prints in our studio, 99% of which we have produced at a lab. Even our wedding photos are sold ala carte or per print.
As for pricing we set our base at approximately 5x what it cost to have the lab print them, but that's only for photos that we generate of clients in shooting sessions, for which we also get a session fee. For our art prints of nature subjects, etc, we actually go quite a bit higher than 10x. And remember, we're having premium prints made rather than cheapies, so clients are paying a bunch for our prints.
Whatever you do, in our experience you are setting yourself up for grief every time you let go a file, whether it's the result of misunderstanding, accident, or malicious intent. If an individual abuses you, what are you going to do? Sue them for $100 or $200? Not likely, so you're really stuck. Collect the money up front and hang onto your file!
Posted by Larry Gloth on November 22, 2007 at 9:56 PM
Thank you very much for the great advice. It was just what I needed. I will offer a print and see if they are still interested. Your points all make perfect sense.
Posted by Larry Gloth on November 22, 2007 at 9:59 PM
On the topic of prints, you mentioned premium prints. Do you use a local lab or is there a national-type one that I might have access to? Is there any advice you can give on obtaining quality prints?. Thanks in advance.
We're using H&H, but it's a commercial arrangement with credit checks and all that. I just don't know if they do over the counter, small orders. I've heard great reports about White House, but haven't used them and don't know about their retail or account arrangements. A good quality local lab or ones that others might suggest may be a more direct route for you. What region are you in, so respondents can be more specific in their reco's?
Posted by Larry Gloth on November 23, 2007 at 2:51 PM
I'm in Portland, OR. I've used Citizen's photo in the past. If anyone has any recommendations, they would be appreciated. Thanks again.
Posted by Toni Lankerd on November 23, 2007 at 7:29 PM
I use a pro lab which just happens to be close to home in West Michigan. I can upload my files to them and either pick the prints up in person or they will mail to me. Their work is very good, staff is always courteous and helpful, and the price is right. Cindy Mead also uses the same lab as I do and we're both very happy with it.
Posted by Steve Foss on November 24, 2007 at 10:23 PM
I use White House. Great results. www.whcc.com.
No credit check. I became a client by signing up and putting a credit card on file with them through their secure server. Every order I submit they just debit the card and notify me via e-mail.
I also echo everyone else's strong advice to not send an electronic file to someone who wants to make a print. Only one thing can go right with that, and about 1,503 things can go wrong.
Discussion
9 repliesPrice? Is it OK to just send them a TIFF file to print? Are there licensing arrangements to consider?
Thanks in advance.
-Larry
We're in the business of selling prints in our studio, 99% of which we have produced at a lab. Even our wedding photos are sold ala carte or per print.
As for pricing we set our base at approximately 5x what it cost to have the lab print them, but that's only for photos that we generate of clients in shooting sessions, for which we also get a session fee. For our art prints of nature subjects, etc, we actually go quite a bit higher than 10x. And remember, we're having premium prints made rather than cheapies, so clients are paying a bunch for our prints.
Whatever you do, in our experience you are setting yourself up for grief every time you let go a file, whether it's the result of misunderstanding, accident, or malicious intent. If an individual abuses you, what are you going to do? Sue them for $100 or $200? Not likely, so you're really stuck. Collect the money up front and hang onto your file!
No credit check. I became a client by signing up and putting a credit card on file with them through their secure server. Every order I submit they just debit the card and notify me via e-mail.
I also echo everyone else's strong advice to not send an electronic file to someone who wants to make a print. Only one thing can go right with that, and about 1,503 things can go wrong.