Dilemma

[Keith Douglas]

I have just had an image of a sunrise, taken at Godmanchester on 14 December, published in the national press, two via Alamy. I've offered the photos to my local newspaper for a pretty low fee, but they've declined, saying that they have no budget for submitted photos. 

 

Should I say "OK, you can have it for nothing", with the possibility of a credit plus some exposure? Or do I say "Tough, photographers need to be paid, even if it is a pittance?"

 

I'd be interested to hear about other people's experience with the local press. Am I wasting my time trying to get them to pay for photos?

 

Keith

 

[Mal Knight]

 

I have just had an image of a sunrise, taken at Godmanchester on 14 December, published in the national press, two via Alamy. I've offered the photos to my local newspaper for a pretty low fee, but they've declined, saying that they have no budget for submitted photos. 

 

Should I say "OK, you can have it for nothing", with the possibility of a credit plus some exposure? Or do I say "Tough, photographers need to be paid, even if it is a pittance?"

 

I'd be interested to hear about other people's experience with the local press. Am I wasting my time trying to get them to pay for photos?

 

Keith

Hi Keith

 

If I get the same problem as you I normally email them this you tube clip http://tinyurl.com/nkvnx23

 

Regards

 

Mal

[Martin Carlsson]

Value your work - credit is 99.99% useless.

[losdemas]

 

I have just had an image of a sunrise, taken at Godmanchester on 14 December, published in the national press, two via Alamy. I've offered the photos to my local newspaper for a pretty low fee, but they've declined, saying that they have no budget for submitted photos. 

 

Should I say "OK, you can have it for nothing", with the possibility of a credit plus some exposure? Or do I say "Tough, photographers need to be paid, even if it is a pittance?"

 

I'd be interested to hear about other people's experience with the local press. Am I wasting my time trying to get them to pay for photos?

 

Keith

 

 

#2.

 

Credit and exposure?!  For what?  So others can tell who to get their free images from?  Put a sign over your head with an arrow pointing down and a derogatory phrase inserted.

 

You tell them that you are a professional; you point to your national exposure and - if you must - offer the reproduction rights at a discount to your normal fee.  Many local rags are still disappearing at an increasing rate - or moving to online only. That does not mean that you give away your images.  In the dim and distant past, there may well have been some justification for this in certain limited scenarios, but today - never.  If they want free photos they have enough sources, without you offering to open your veins.

 

If there is an image that they want badly enough (usually a big local news event), and you have it where others don't and they are unable to get it, then they will find the cash to get the image.  But - as far as I am aware, pretty sunrises won't interest any local rag.

 

Sorry, but I'm feeling very negative this morning, and cannot believe that these questions ('should I give away my photos?') are even being asked anymore.

[Guest]

Only time when credit and exposure is of any value is if you have something to promote which is appropriate for the readership of the paper...e.g a local exhibition. If the paper gives you a small promo then it can be worthwhile otherwise I doubt many local rags are high on the agenda of picture buyers as places to source photographers.

[IanGibson]

Hi Keith,

 

I don't know what kind of photographer you are exactly, but I guess if your work is good enough for the press, it's good enough to sell as prints. 

 

Maybe you could consider writing an advertorial. Something along the lines of;

 

"Keith, a local photographer from xxx has had an image printed in the Big Paper said; "something about how it was taken and how chuffed he is."  Keith who has lived in xxx for x years with his wife/partner/puppies sells fine photographic artwork from xxx."

 

About 100 words bigging up your local connection should be enough. 

 

You'll make a connection with the editor and you might sell a print or two. And you have exposure, while the editor gets free page filler. 

Everyone wins (or loses).

If you don't sell prints, you probably should. You can set it up in an hour.

[Julesimages]

Keith, I think I live near you and know the paper you refer to (Cambridge area?).  I have had the same issue and refuse to send them anything for free.  I have offered news photos to them and they said no budget, so I said fine no picture.  If it's the same company they really hacked me off when I was taking photos of a man protesting outside his house.  While there, a reporter turned up and asked if they could use my pictures as it would save them sending a photographer.  I agreed on the understanding I was to be paid.  Then they refused to pay.  I counted 8 uses of the photo during the following week.  I was just too lazy to sue them and maybe might need their goodwill one day.  I am too soft.    Anyway....don't give anything away!

Julian

[Doc]

Dont give them away Keith! It helps none of us in the long run

 

Kumar

[IanGibson]

 

 

I have just had an image of a sunrise, taken at Godmanchester on 14 December, published in the national press, two via Alamy. I've offered the photos to my local newspaper for a pretty low fee, but they've declined, saying that they have no budget for submitted photos.

Should I say "OK, you can have it for nothing", with the possibility of a credit plus some exposure? Or do I say "Tough, photographers need to be paid, even if it is a pittance?"

I'd be interested to hear about other people's experience with the local press. Am I wasting my time trying to get them to pay for photos?

Keith

 

Hi Keith

If I get the same problem as you I normally email them this you tube clip http://tinyurl.com/nkvnx23

Regards

Mal

Or send them this:

Love the guy

Cheers,

Philippe

I hope you paid him for using that clip

[Allan Bell]

Dont give them away Keith! It helps none of us in the long run

 

Kumar

 

++++++1

 

Allan

[SalopPhil]

Do they tell BT they "have no budget" when the phone bill arrives?

Don't give them away.

[York Photographer]

 

Dont give them away Keith! It helps none of us in the long run

 

Kumar

 

++++++1

 

Allan

 

+++++++++++1

[Foreign Export]

Easy- say tough

[Arletta]

Why cutting the branch you are sitting on? Why ruin the market and then cry it's ruined? Give free files here and get surprised everybody else wants it for free...

For what? Link to your gallery?

 

Sorry, but I'm feeling very negative this morning, and cannot believe that these questions ('should I give away my photos?') are even being asked anymore.

 

 

Exactly, same here... :/

[RedSnapper]

You've offered the pix to them (rather than them coming to you); they've said no.

 

end of disciussion

 

 

km

[Stu]

Next time you have your car serviced or some building work done tell the garage or the builder you have no budget to pay them but you will put up a tiny sign giving them the credit for the work. I am sure they'd be more than happy with that.

[John Morrison]

Hardly a dilemma. Everyone else in the publishing process gets paid; don't be the odd man out...

[Alex Ramsay]

They are salaried; you are not. Except for charitable causes, never supply pictures for free.

[RWilliam]

Dilemma? What Dilemma???

 

Go tell them to take a running jump!

[Colin Woods]

Yup, tell 'em to sod off. Stop wasting precious minutes of your life.

Col

[spacecadet]

 

 

 

 

I have just had an image of a sunrise, taken at Godmanchester on 14 December, published in the national press, two via Alamy. I've offered the photos to my local newspaper for a pretty low fee, but they've declined, saying that they have no budget for submitted photos.

Should I say "OK, you can have it for nothing", with the possibility of a credit plus some exposure? Or do I say "Tough, photographers need to be paid, even if it is a pittance?"

I'd be interested to hear about other people's experience with the local press. Am I wasting my time trying to get them to pay for photos?

Keith

Hi Keith

If I get the same problem as you I normally email them this you tube clip http://tinyurl.com/nkvnx23

Regards

Mal

Or send them this:

Love the guy

Cheers,

Philippe

 

I hope you paid him for using that clip

 

 

Djeezes! Never heard of "linking" 

 

Cheers,

Philippe

 

You missed the joke.

[Alex Todd]

Don't forget a lot of these small local papers are now owned by the bigger nationals. They have their own budgets but if you give them free use of one you might find it has been used in the national paper.

 

My local weekly has a deadline of Tuesday afternoon for publication on Thursday (unless a big story breaks) and the staffers hate that they are now owned by a national as anything of interest they submit is often published by the big paper ahead of the Thursday. When people buy the weekly paper it looks like they have ripped off stories from the national rather than the other way around.

[Ed Rooney]

Back in the last century, when I was a newbie, if we worked free or cheap that good deed was immediately followed by another opportunity to work free or cheap. 

 

And excuse me for asking, but what is newsworthy about the fact that the sun came up the other day???

 

And Martin in Floda, your numbers are wrong. It's 99.999% useless. 

 

Edo

[Keith Douglas]

Thanks for all the replies and advice! You will be pleased to know that I haven't succumbed to giving my work away free this time. However, in a rather interesting twist, the photo has appeared in another, slightly less local, daily newspaper, that is owned by the same group. I'm expecting to get paid for that one! (Yes Jules, you are right!)

 

I'll reply to some of the other posts later. I particularly liked the constructive suggestion about how to work with local newspapers.

 

On the question of whether a photo of the sun coming up  is newsworthy, if 4 national newspapers and one local one are prepared to pay for it and put it in their NEWSpapers, then it must be! :-) 

[Martin P Wilson]

Keith, I think I live near you and know the paper you refer to (Cambridge area?).  I have had the same issue and refuse to send them anything for free.  I have offered news photos to them and they said no budget, so I said fine no picture.  If it's the same company they really hacked me off when I was taking photos of a man protesting outside his house.  While there, a reporter turned up and asked if they could use my pictures as it would save them sending a photographer.  I agreed on the understanding I was to be paid.  Then they refused to pay.  I counted 8 uses of the photo during the following week.  I was just too lazy to sue them and maybe might need their goodwill one day.  I am too soft.    Anyway....don't give anything away!

Julian

 

I got nearly £600 in a similar situation after I had told the editor they were not available and he went ahead and used 8 pictures anyway. He also cropped of my watermark. If it had been a corporate, rather than a breadline businbess, I would have looked for around £1,500! If it is less than 6 years (I think) you could still go after them!