Would you give your work away

Since I retired from Photography Every shot I have taken is given away totally free... mostly to the local museum. Or to the building project I am interested in. I also give them use free of copyright.

I also do Joinery work for my local church again totally free... including Oak and Ash and hardware.

I can not see any reason why I should not do so... If I did not do it it would not be done at all.

I have spent over £2000 in camera equipment and about £1500 in wood working tools and materials to enable me to do this.

I can chose to do what interests me and I am not bothered by the tax man.
 
I've got this mindframe atm..

I'm currently wanting to expand into better things with my photography, so if i had *that* photo, which was technically perfect, had loads of interest to it, and is visually very pleasing, then i would be tempted to give it away FOC, as long as i knew it would lead to bigger and better things.


For instance, if you had an opening, which was paid work, and guaranteed publishing in a magazine or something, and it's because you gave that photo away, that you've got to think about it.

But i'd only give the image away to either close friends who i know wouldn't abuse it, or to a company who could guarantee future work, or at lease publish my work to a much wider audience, and therefore getting my name accross.



All that is miles away atm, as i have SO much to learn until i get anywhere near good enough for that though..
 
In the general course of things, just because someone might really love a photo, no, we wouldn't give it away (I say we as husband and I have a portrait studio together).
However, we sometimes have training days/sessions to work on new ideas, or in the past for new photographers, and we usually give the families some of the images we shoot free from those. Usually we use friends or friends of friends. Since the shoot experience is not our usual standard, we give away the images. They will usually order product from us anyway, and we'll do this at a reduced price (not cost)

L
 
Only saints do things for free.

For the rest of us, there is always some kind of payment back to us, even if it is not monetary, and usually some kind of slighly selfish motivation.

Even if you just do someone a favour, you earn a favour back. Or you get a pat on the back, a grateful thankyou, a credit line.

The ego boost is the one most people mistake for a genuine freebie, when actually it is the highest payment of them all.

Will the person who has truly given away their work for nothing please step forward.
 
that's like saying is there such thing as a truly altruistic act, and possibly a bit deeper that the op requires!

L
 
free - not a word i ever use:):):):shrug:

do you ever go to work for free :bonk:
 
Headless Lois said:
that's like saying is there such thing as a truly altruistic act, and possibly a bit deeper that the op requires!L
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LOL Yes, possibly ;)

When people complain about being 'ripped off' by not being paid (usually an insignificant sum) or not getting a credit, or not even being asked if their pictures can be used, what they are really saying is that they have been offended (mildly!) by being undervalued and taken for granted.

Offended by the fact that somebody has taken their work and used it as if it has no value, and is not worth being acknowledged in some small way.

I think we should all grow thicker skins, but it does seem to be true that good photography today is not held in anything like the same esteem as maybe a painting would be. Or as it used to be when photography was technically more challenging.

Anybody can take a photo, it only takes 1/250sec or whatever. That is the popular belief. The fact that you've spent years learning how to use often expensive equipment, doesn't always seem to count for much.
 
I agree totally HoppyUK. It is actually incredibly hard to get people to view photography as a product/service when the image already exists - it is very much a case of, 'well it's sitting there, doing nothing, you've taken it now, I can't see why you wouldn't let me just have it?'

L
 
sawman said:
Well one of them made a magazine cover & another is about to be used in another mag. So I would say they were of commercial value yes. Several of the others are being retained by a mag with a view to publish in the future.
The point I was making was that they were used without anybody asking if it was OK.
As I have never met the people that used them then I could hardly ask for money could I?
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Well, I guess you can find contact details for the magazine offices. I'm sure you could contact them and explain that you own the copyright for the images they are holding and planning to use.
 
Generally if a driver asks me for an image for free for a social networking site or another personal site I let them have a small image with a big watermark, but it is stipulated that any commercial usage will be billed for.
 
If the OP means what I think they do then I would.

ie. You have taken what you feel is an amazing shot of someone (Or something someone owns/keeps etc). You are that pleased with it that you want the owner to see it and like it - you want them to have a copy because they like the shot at much as you. Not for them to profit or anything like that (Why og why do we have to go straight for the bottom line every time!) just because they like it.

Then yes, I would and I have.
 
I agree with the comment earlier that says always get something in return, doesn't have to be cash.
I believe it makes it more likely that they will come back to me as we have established a working relationship.

Here's an example I'm dealing with right now!
I take photos at our village's music festival. They get used extensively on the festival website and in promoting the festival. My village benefits from the festival and I get credited, so I'm very happy with that part of the deal. However, I found out that one of my images was ripped off the website a couple of years ago and used as an album cover by one of the bands. Not a happy bunny.

That was out of order; so this year I watermarked the images.
Two weeks later and three bands have already contacted me about using my images - yay!
These are not well known bands, so they while might be prepared to cough up some cash but it's a big ask. Generally speaking a big credit to both me and the festival on the album will keep me happy. The bands have also been very happy to send me CDs and stuff which doesn't cost them too much and overall I feel it's not a bad trade.

Also.... If they like my photos then who knows, I might get invited to do something special or interesting!
 
I would give, sell or anything else I want to do with MY pictures :)
 
KIPAX said:
I would give, sell or anything else I want to do with MY pictures :)
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Unless of course the media rights were sewn up by some kind of evil commercial empire :cautious:
 
desantnik said:
Unless of course the media rights were sewn up by some kind of evil commercial empire :cautious:
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haha as most of the ones I take are... but then they aint MY pics :)
 
I force people at gunpoint to take my photos free, they're that bad!!! :D
 
Hacker said:
Just as an interesting update to this, Phil is a trainer at this yard and is one of the people I gave some images to last week. We were there again this morning to watch Zeus being ridden and as a direct result of the 'freebie' last week Phil has just booked me for his wedding next year (something I didn't even know about) which will be my first same sex wedding.

So was 20 minutes of my time to process some images and the cost of a disc worth it? I think so. :D
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Of course it was! Phil got a freebie, Zeus got ridden and You get a husband :thinking: Hope your very happy together ..... :naughty:
 
I would, I have And will do again.

keeping pics on your computer rather than in a frame or in photo album breaks all the rules of photography for me. ( and im guilty off it to)
seeing images is what inspires me.

at the end of the year I will get my favs and get them printed in a book for the shelf/ coffee table, and hopefully people will browse and see how I see the world.

If someone offered money well then thats a bonus.
 
I have given loads away.:)
 
I've given away the same image to several people (including one who posted in this thread ;)), so it's going to be funny if any of them ever try to claim the rights to it (however unlikely that may be).

Getting a little thanks in return for giving something away doesn't have to be seen as a 'selfish ego boost', as one forum member ranted in another thread ;). It's no different to holding a door open for an old lady (for instance), in my opinion :|. Should you let it slam in her face because she's not paying you to hold it open and you don't need the ego boost :shrug:? I'd say no, but some of the pros here may disagree :D.

;)
 
Gary Kinghorn said:
If you took what you thought was THAT shot would you give it away to ensure the subject had the a copy of it for their memories?
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Well I used to, until I posted some full size photos on this obscure forum - I think it was called Northloop or something, and people started taking them and using them without permission. I seem to remember they were even made into calendars and sold.

So no, I don't post anything online at all these days.
 
As an employed photographer, I get a monthly salary, so in that strict sense, none of my images are free as far as I'm concerned, as I have been paid for taking them in the first instance.
However my employer does give those images away free for use for the first 30 days and only charges thereafter. I get none of the residuals from those sales. I also have no control whatsoever over the marketing and distribution, though I am free to use those images that have been previously released to promote myself and my work.

Quite often in my full-time job, I will take and give away images to subjects as a goodwill measure - Team Photos, individual portraits etc as it facilitates my work - easier access, better communications; sometimes it can mean the difference between sleeping on a camp-bed and sleeping on the ground.

My private work is all charged for, assuming it's a comissioned job, like a Dinner Function or a Wedding and at the market rate for the level of work I do...
 
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