Since the first fully digital professional photographer began offering images to their clients, they have heard the following phrase...." Can I get a CD with that?"

What the client is really saying here is, "Can I take YOUR images to my local x-mart and print them for a lot less than you are offering?" The truly amazing part is that a lot of photographers are saying sure, no problem." Huh? come again? Did you just say, yep I do that? OMG, Why?

Ok, ok Maybe you aren't aware of the Federal Copyright Laws. These laws are the ones that were put into place after literally generations of photographers, fought to get YOUR images recognized as intellectual property. There the laws that allow you the right to say no you can't get a CD with that, or at the very least charge for YOUR images.

Look there isn't a professional photographer out there that hasn't done a gig for a family member or best friend, giving away their time and talent to a special event etc. This doesn't mean that everyone you do business with is your friend. The images that every photographer produces are their livelyhood, either in part or whole. Those images are responsible for paying their mortgage or rent, their automobile payments, insurance, fuel costs, they will be used to put their kids through college, and some day their own retirement. If the photographer is also the business owner you can add things like, state taxes, liability insurance, accountant, bank and credit card fees, camera and computer equipment, employee payroll and federal taxes, office supplies, lab fees, cel phones and coffee so they can stay awake while they pay all those bills. 

These are the reasons that 8x10 costs so much in the eyes of your clients. They are paying for the art, the creation of the image and everything that goes into making it. Don't sell yourself or your abilities short by giving away your images for free on a CD. When a room of photographers were recently asked how much an 8x10 costs, the average response was $3.69. This of course was a trick question. The real cost of an 8x10 will vary based on each photographers personal and professional needs but it is, considering all the expenses listed above, a far site higher than $3.69. What the photographers in this room were referring to was, their average lab costs. How many people would actually make money if they sold everything for what it cost them?

Think about it like this, we would all like to go to the movies or pick up the latest book for free. However, just like YOUR photographs, these are intellectual property. The bookstore owners, employees, distributors, truckdrivers, malls, movie theatres, popcorn vendors, actors, writers, directors, and even the electric company worker, all benefit from the fees we pay for these pieces of intellectual property. You could even expand this to include things like the restaurant you went to before the movie, the gas station where you filled up your car, the credit card company that you paid to buy your tickets. The list could honestly go on forever. This is how a free market works. When photographers give away their intellectual property for free, who benefits? The answer is simple really, everyone but you! While you are not the mega goliath movie studio, you have bills and expenses for your time and talent just like everyone else. Why shouldn't you be charging for it?

Whether you are just starting out as a professional photographer or if you are a seasoned vet, selling your images for a fair price is not a crime. It's expected. The Federal Copyright Laws that make YOUR images YOURS from the second they are created, are there for a reason. They are why that customers will ask you "can I get a CD with that", rather than simply expecting you to turn over your work for free. Revenue from reprints and enlargements, albums, holiday cards, birth announcements, calendars, posters, postcards, business cards, invitations...... is all going to someone else when YOUR images are given away.  What's more is the retailers that are making money on YOUR images are more than happy to do it. In recent years there has been a crack down on retailers that print intellectual material without consent from the artist, but it still happens everyday and you are simply feeding their bank accounts.

Don't get us wrong, as professional photographers for nearly 30 years, we have sold ( operative word here) our images to clients that have requested them. Because we are also a printing company, we offer our clients the ability to print those images professionally through us at a discounted price, when they purchase limited printing rights. Additionally a client may request to be able to print the images elsewhere. This of course costs more, but gives the clients the ability to use the vendor of their choice. In every case though, we retain the full rights to the images. We can still use them for promotional and advertising purposes etc.  We are simply releasing printing rights to the customer for limited or unlimited use and charging accordingly.

So where is all this going? Well hopefully toward a change in the business practices of those that simply give away their art. Last year reprints and enlargement made up nearly 1/2 of our total business income. What this means is that if you are giving away your images for free, you quite possibly could have doubled your income by selling those same images. Imagine what you could do if you doubled your income?

The competition out there is only growing, as a professional you need to retain more of what you earn to stay competitive and earn more than nothing for your work. According to the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) their membership has swollen by 45% since 2002 and there is no end in sight. With all this new blood in the industry, prices will surely go down, how can you compete if your minimum price is free? You can't go any lower, what's more you can't stay in business because your suppliers, utility companies and others aren't about to offer you the same deal. Allow your customers to order their images from you online at a fair but reasonable price. Give them the option to purchase a limited or unlimited printing rights disk rather than simply giving YOUR images away. You'll find that you will stay competitive and in business. Your customers will respect your imagery and you will feel better about both your customers and your art.  -aloha

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