Circulation of 1000, what to charge?

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petemc

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Pete
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I've just been contacted by a company in France who want to use a photo I took on their invitations to a big event with about 1000 members. I've heard its best to charge based on the circulation of the image. But I don't have a starting point as I normally charge by the hour. Any tips? Ta.
 
is the company a big company? what sort of publication are they going to do?
 
They seem big. All to do with the European Capital of Culture stuff. Its on the invitation to the Liverpool meeting they're holding.
 
well tbh i dont know Pete, get a contract to say its for this one thing only, other jobs need to be negotiated, either a per sheet or a set fee? depends what they are willing to pay i suppose!
 
How big is the image going to be?
Is it a front cover image?
What file size are they after?

Lots of variables come into the pricing of image use, you need to know exactly how they are going to use it.

For a corporate invitation file size between 100-250k you should be looking at around £150 for a small image, or £350 for a large image.

If you know the full details I may be able to help you more.
 
Yer tis tricky. I never heard back from one a few weeks ago, and that was for £50. I'll just reply and ask if they have a figure in mind. Thing is, I hear thats a bad thing to do. But they did ask me to email them so they can discuss prices. Hmmm.
 
Matt said:
How big is the image going to be?
Is it a front cover image?
What file size are they after?

Lots of variables come into the pricing of image use, you need to know exactly how they are going to use it.

For a corporate invitation file size between 100-250k you should be looking at around £150 for a small image, or £350 for a large image.

If you know the full details I may be able to help you more.
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Ah ha, excellent. I'll simply reply with "Great yadda yadda" and can they provide details.
 
This is one thing you are going to have to get right from the start and thats your approach to finding out exactly what the image is going to be used for, how big it will be, what circulation, any future re-prints, front cover etc..all the things that Matt has mentioned and more need to be establised and made absolutely clear before you can price the job.

It may be worth spending a while to get a framework sorted for your business so that you can quickly refer to it whenever approached :)

BTW Glad to have you back after the opp, hopefully everything is going fine now?
 
Thanks :) Long road to recovery. You can read about my "adventure" on my website. Quite a rough few days, but getting there. I'm really trying my best to be ready for the Southport Fireworks :)
 
Ouch, glad you got it sorted in time. Know what you mean about the drain too, I had one in my head for 10 days, it's horrible when it comes out.
 
dod said:
Ouch, glad you got it sorted in time. Know what you mean about the drain too, I had one in my head for 10 days, it's horrible when it comes out.
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:eek: I doubt I could have coped with that.
 
gah, glad its all over Pete, nice write up, thanks!
 
The picture is on the front page. Our invitation card is 15x21 cm and the picture will cover more or less half of it.
We have a budget of 150 – 200 euros for it, let me know if you agree with it.
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Thats about £100-130 for a 7.5cm x 10.5cm picture. A5 ish I think. I'm tempted to say £120 and go for it. They say they've got other proposals too, which could just be to make me say yes.
 
Tell them that you do not usually allow for you work to be used so cheaply however on this occasion as a gesture of goodwill and with a view to starting a mutually beneficial relationship for the future, you will allow the use to the extent that they have described for a payment of £150 and any future use will have to be agreed.

I think they will snatch your hand off and it still allows for you to strengthen your position and increase your prices for future work.
 
Even though they say they have a budget of £130 I should charge £150? Wouldn't they just count me out then?
 
Well they are not going to give you a between price and expect you to accept the lower of the the two figures, however if they do want your image then they will be preparred to pay another £20 to get it instead of starting all over again.

There is always a risk but they are a large company and if you lower your price now they will always do business that way with you, expecting you to fall in line with their price not the correct way of you setting a price and them paying it.

Think of it another way, you want to buy something from Jessops and its unique to them however you are only prepared to pay them £20 less than they are asking, they would tell you where to go.

Obviously it all depends on how you value your work and skill.
 
Have you had scan through some image libraries on the web and checked what they charge for that size of image? IIRC that is not much, if at all, below the going rate. If it was me I'd be happy for them to use the image at that price as it would be good addition to the CV/portfolio and may provide future work.

And those drains are evil. I had one when I had my spleen out, was worse than the stitches coming out!
 
Steve's got it absolutely right, they obviously want your shot for a reason, it's up to you to say how much you want for it.

Even if they do have other proposals if they're from more established freelancers I'll bet they're more expensive.

But, it is the chance you take, good luck with it :)
 
Sent :) I said £150, 220 Euros and reminded them that I'm only 20 mins away from Liverpool for future work. /crosses fingers :D
 
good luck, let's know how you get on :thumb:
 
I think they're biting. The CEO is in Argentina at the moment but will be thinking it over next week. In the mean time they've asked for a small 60 word bio to go with the shot. So I figure;

I am photographer from the North West of the UK focusing on portraits and event photography. I specialise in stylish modern portraits and classical black and white shots. Living near Liverpool provides me with a continous source for inspiration. From its architecture to its people, there is always something new to see and photograph, especially as we get closer to 2008.
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Seems ok?
 
Just wondering, if these guys do work for other cities it might be worth saying something like "Liverpool and other modern cities.........." By just saying "Living near..." could be interpreted as that's the only place I work, just being picky though

Well done :thumb:
 
dod said:
Just wondering, if these guys do work for other cities it might be worth saying something like "Liverpool and other modern cities.........." By just saying "Living near..." could be interpreted as that's the only place I work, just being picky though

Well done :thumb:
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Yer that makes sense. I was focusing on pimping Liverpool since its the topic of the convention thingy they're holding.
 
I would drop the "especially as we get closer to 2008" as that implys that after that date you may well run out of ideas and things to shoot ;)

Well done buddy on securing the sale.
 
Steve said:
I would drop the "especially as we get closer to 2008" as that implys that after that date you may well run out of ideas and things to shoot ;)

Well done buddy on securing the sale.
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Not there yet, but hopefully :)
 
sounds good Pete, fingers crossed for you!
 
Dear Peter,

Thank you for your message and biography. Mr Tropéano has come back from Argentina and we discussed with him the various proposals we received.

Unfortunately and despite the quality of your work and the conditions you agreed, he decided to choose another picture to illustrate the invitation card. I feel very sorry to tell you that. Therefore, we will contact you if we have another project in the future.
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Balls. Easy come easy go.
 
never mind Pete, they may well come to you again, shame though
 
Unlucky mate. Easy come easy go. Maybe they were just after some cheap labour and realised you weren't just going to bend over backwards and sell for peanuts?
 
It may seem hard now but in the future you will look back on this and be glad that you didn't lower your standards to theirs. Value your work for what it is worth, there will always be people who want something for less than its worth and basically if they can't afford it, they don't get it. It doesn't mean that your work is not worth what you asked.

Look to the future not the past ;)
 
Marcel said:
Unlucky mate. Easy come easy go. Maybe they were just after some cheap labour and realised you weren't just going to bend over backwards and sell for peanuts?
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Yer most likely.

Steve said:
Look to the future not the past ;)
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And the future includes my new ultra wide angle lens and some fireworks, hopefully :D

Thanks for all your help guys. Their loss :)
 
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