Free Photography Doesn’t Pay
Everyone knows that photographers and their families get all the nourishment they need from the air they breathe. They do not need to eat or drink like other people.
Nor do they have to make mortgage payments. Banks generally give them their houses for free.
In fact, they never have any bills to pay. Ever.
It’s great!
At least, it would be if it were true.
Yet somehow a lot of people see the world this way. None of them photographers, mind.
How else to account for the large number of requests we get for free pictures?
And nearly always we’re told that giving free photography will benefit our business. The classic one is that the picture is for newspaper use and that it will appear with a byline – free advertising!
Rubbish. Bylines are often omitted and even if they aren’t, they are useless. Do this quick test: Without looking, who is the most published photographer your daily newspaper? The paper you read everyday.
Most people can’t answer this. Most people can’t name a single photographer from their daily paper. Nobody reads picture credits, except for photographers and their mums.
Yet a single mention is going to propel me to fame?
At the recent BNI Big Breakfast, a number of people came up to me for free photographs of themselves at the event and gave exactly that reason.
It’s insulting.
So how should people ask and make it an attractive proposition?
Offer something tangible in return. Ideally money, but how about this:
“Hi, I see you’re taking photographs. I’d love to get one to use for some self-promotion, but I’d like to give you something in return before you do. Where do you get most of your business from and which of my business contacts could I introduce you to with a personal recommendation? Let’s meet for coffee and I’ll bring my contacts book along for you to look at.”
Now, there’s a proposition. And it’s applicable to any business. Importantly, it gives proper balance to the proposal. Reciprocity is key to any healthy business relationship.
Or, in my case, I will shoot for cupcakes.
A shot from a recent shoot I did for Margaret Smith of Um Num Num. A box of cakes came home with me. More on this shoot soon. (c) Roger Overall 2010
I’m a bit shocked BNI members would treat you like that. Perhaps they think that in this digital age it costs you nothing to run them off a copy of a photograph?
Maybe those same BNI members offer their services for free. After all, if I let a plumber do my pipes, I could offer the plumber free publicity in return. You can see how attractive that proposition would be to your plumber.
On the other hand, I had a conversation with a BNI member that went like this…
“Oh I don’t think we could afford to hire you now. We have no budget for a writer.”
“You are mad. Have you any idea how my wife would react if I came home and said we could stay in your hotel for free? You don’t need any money to hire me.”
“Oh, I never thought of it like that.”
“Barter is the new black eh…”
Paul O'Mahony (Cork)
7 Feb 10 at 10:15 am
[...] about the same time as I was so brooding, my friend Roger Overall, fabulous photographer with a documentary approach, was bothered by a like issue. He was [...]
From Bath to Cork with Baby Grace :: Free :: February :: 2010
10 Feb 10 at 12:22 am