I am over the deferred gratification stuff. Pay me what I am worth now.

Take an incident I had the other week. A PR rang me late in the evening asking me to quote for a job. I quoted the going market rate for the job and she said she would get back to me if the client approved the fee. She never did.

A couple of days later I saw an advertisement on a photography forum by a company requesting a similar job at £50 per day without any expenses for mileage, equipment etc. I sent a polite e-mail challenging them that this fee was unreasonable. They responded, this is a training position, and that expenses are payable (notable change). I responded, "ok so if its a training position, who will be giving the training, given that training positions in commercial photography, means assisting an existing photographer, who teaches them the ropes".

The advertisement was gone from the forum within less than an hour.

We as an industry need to be prepared to press these people, as in my experience when they encounter a challenge, they shoot off with their tails between their legs. Being wripped off by someone who drives up in a Merc and ownes a £1m house is not clever, and its never going to make you a living.

If a company wants photos from you and they can afford to pay their employees they can afford to pay you. A link on a website isnt going to get you work.

Its good to see some of the lines used so we can avoid them.

Thanks for sharing, I hope more photographers stop falling for these client pick-up lines!

They ain't.

Clients think they have creative pros over a barrel because of today's economy. It's insulting but a fact of life anymore. "You get what you pay for" isn't just a tired cliche, and people need to recognize that PROFESSIONAL RESULTS DEMAND PROFESSIONAL COMPENSATION. Period. You can't offer a full-time photographer "exposure!!1!!" for his time and expertise and expect any serious response.

However, I was approached a few weeks ago by an interior designer who has a client wanting some large prints for her home and this person really liked my work.
She gave me the specs and I emailed her my pricing. She replied (aghast) that her client's total budget was only X$$, including printing and framing. She then suggested that I (boldface I) contact HER printer/framer and work something out.
I didn't even bother to reply to her email. What planet are these people on?? I had half a mind to tell her she should check out pricing from Getty.

I love Michael Beasley's line...'YOU get paid, don't you?' Bravo!

I think we all do ourselves a disservice to sell our work short. And the solution is simple: don't do it.

Well, the event organizer told me that I wasn't going to get paid. So, I asked if I could sell my photos in my online store. Or if I could sell them to local media outlets have been known to buy the work of freelance photographers.

Well, apparently, my wanting to be compensated for leaving home with my heavy and expensive camera and my expertise was bad, very bad indeed. The event organizer brought our conversation to a very hurried end.

I might add that this event is being held in a concert hall that most likely isn't providing the space for free. Nor are its employees going to be working for free. So, why shouldn't I have the opportunity to earn *something* for my time, energy, and expertise.

"...If your photo is exceptionally bad-ass, we may feature it on our blogs or slide shows (or even in our print version). Please include your name with each photo, so we can give you the credit you deserve! Make sure your photos are least 400 pixels wide at 72 dpi in order for them to be considered for online use. If we need a hi-res version, we'll contact you."

The credit we deserve? How about the fees we deserve..?

"...asking for a waiver of fees in return for credit for you on the programme and for the book in the online version."

My response:
“No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue”
Franklin D. Roosevelt - 32nd US President 1933-45

“A fair day's wages for a fair day's work.”
Thomas Carlyle - 1795-1881

“Give the laborer his wages before his perspiration be dry.”
Prophet Muhammad (570-632) quoted in 'The Sayings of Muhammad' by Sir Abdullah Suhrawardy

"Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation."
Romans 4:4

“The laborer is worthy of his hire.”
Luke 10:7

“…If the terms and compensation they’re offering sound like a bad deal, they are a bad deal — no matter how much lipstick they try to slap on the pig.”
http://rising.blackstar.com/photographers-dont-fall-for-these-client-pick-up-lines.html

You get paid, Don’t You???

Last summer, I was asked to share some of my photos with a local organization. I told the person making the request that I'd be happy to work out a licensing agreement. Her reply: The organization had no money for such a thing.

I guess I was supposed to take pity on this organization and share my work, but I didn't. Something just didn't seem right. After all, this group has a well paid staff and a nice downtown office. I later found out that its annual budget is more than $1.5 million.

Pricing, whether in $ amounts or equivalent, has to make sense to both parties. Many of my clients are non-profit, and they get my somewhat lower non-profit rates. To a few charities, whose cause I strongly believe in, I make a donation at the end of the job, a percentage of the fees paid . For me, the feeling of giving back represents a different kind of compensation (although intangible), so it's a win-win. But at the end of the day, I'm running a business, and I can't pay my bills with exposure.

Shaq

Every time I read an article like this it makes me want to RAISE my prices!

Thanks again for such good advice.