I got an interesting email inquiring about the purchase of some of my images. Here is what it said:
I would like to purchase digital copies of some of your images and use them to print
and sell large format Pictures and photographic wall paper in South Africa only.
Would you be willing to sell me digital copies of some of your images? – Non Exclusive.
What would you charge me if I bought 1 Image? What would you charge me if I bought 10?
I look forward to hearing from you
Has anyone seen a request like this before? I have serious questions about giving anyone unlimited use of any photo. I may be reading too much into this? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on August 5, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Tom, I haven't seen this one before but if you do decide it's worthy of further investigation I'd recommend setting your price per image at an "exclusive" type level since you'd have no further control of when and where it was reproduced and/or sold. Just my $0.02 worth.
Oh, and make sure the money is in the bank before delivering the files.
You NEVER really know about this sort of thing, but I suspect once you hit them with a reasonable fee quote that will be the last you will ever hear of them - but you just never know - perhaps there will be a lot of new wallpaper going up in South Africa! It won't cost you a dime to find out. Hit them with $1,000 for the first image, discounts for 10, 20, etc. If you hear from them again at all then you know they might actually be legit and you can begin to refine a price. Just don't start too low - always hit them on the high side first...
Posted by Randy Wilson on August 5, 2008 at 3:43 PM
If you got some kind of contact information from the guy, a name, a Web site, company name, or something like that, it might also be useful to try to google up some more information on him and his operation. If he hasn't supplied you with a Web site or company name, it might be a good idea to ask him for them. Among other things, a google search might bring to light complaints if there are those who have had less than pleasant dealings with him in the past.
I don't suppose it would hurt to broach the subject of references, either, although I don't know if that's a common practice in this kind of transaction.
Whatever the outcome, I'm sure we would all find it edifying if you could let us know how things turn out: nothing that you would consider confidential, but, say, whether everything seemed to be on the up and up at the end of the day.
Posted by Tom Kennon on August 5, 2008 at 10:19 PM
Thanks for all the good suggestions Wayne, Tim, and Randy. I have sent an email requesting additional information. I will let you know if anything comes of this inquiry.
I think it would be difficult for me to grant unlimited use of my work at any price. The biggest concern would have to be my loss of control over output quality, which has a direct impact on my reputation as a photographer. It's probably just my inexperience, but the fee Tim mentioned for the kind of licensing this person is asking for ("print and sell large format pictures") seems a little low. A thousand bucks would only cover four one-time use fees that many photographers would charge for a relatively small print. Tim - can you straighten me out on this - I must be missing something here...
Whatever the price you need it in advance and don't even think about giving him your bank account # for a funds transfer! More than likely he is fishing for a US bank account. (Let's face it for what he wants he can easily download images from istockphoto.com or similar at 5d resolution for $10 or so and then blow off any royalty concerns.)
Having been to South Africa I can tell you things are rarely as they appear. Next thing you know he will be selling your images on art.com or something.
I do know that US landscape images are very popular in Asia and South Africa. They plaster it on the sides of buildings and murals in public places. Most of it looks like it came from a 110 film camera so your work will be awe inspiring.
I wouldn't be too worried about image quality concerns. Nobody who is a prospective client is going to judge the quality of your work by nosing up to some wallpaper or an image on the side of a building in South Africa.
Ask him what is appropriate. If he says something less than 1 or 2k per image blow him off. If he is really in the business he will give you a realistic price on the low end of what he expects.
Discussion
7 repliesI would like to purchase digital copies of some of your images and use them to print
and sell large format Pictures and photographic wall paper in South Africa only.
Would you be willing to sell me digital copies of some of your images? – Non Exclusive.
What would you charge me if I bought 1 Image? What would you charge me if I bought 10?
I look forward to hearing from you
Has anyone seen a request like this before? I have serious questions about giving anyone unlimited use of any photo. I may be reading too much into this? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Oh, and make sure the money is in the bank before delivering the files.
I don't suppose it would hurt to broach the subject of references, either, although I don't know if that's a common practice in this kind of transaction.
Whatever the outcome, I'm sure we would all find it edifying if you could let us know how things turn out: nothing that you would consider confidential, but, say, whether everything seemed to be on the up and up at the end of the day.
Having been to South Africa I can tell you things are rarely as they appear. Next thing you know he will be selling your images on art.com or something.
I do know that US landscape images are very popular in Asia and South Africa. They plaster it on the sides of buildings and murals in public places. Most of it looks like it came from a 110 film camera so your work will be awe inspiring.
I wouldn't be too worried about image quality concerns. Nobody who is a prospective client is going to judge the quality of your work by nosing up to some wallpaper or an image on the side of a building in South Africa.
Ask him what is appropriate. If he says something less than 1 or 2k per image blow him off. If he is really in the business he will give you a realistic price on the low end of what he expects.
Sell him a few images and buy some new gear.