Copyright & Credit

[William Jones]

I have someone interested in one of my pictures. I offered it for them to use as long as they give me credit. I am just looking for exposure. Is there any suggestions of how to go about this? Should I just forward them the image? I am new to this as you know and I am just looking for some pro's out there to give me some direction or suggestions.

Bill

[Jacob Leveton]

hmmm... i predict this not going well...

who is this person, and what type of opportunity are they offering to you that is so innovative and amazing that you would refuse money to be a part of it? Did you offer to do it for free? or did he suggest that he couldn't possibly pay for your work?

If you are 'that guy who gives away photos for free' now, it will be tough to break that reputation in the future.

[Bill Jurasz]

I agree Jacob. I've learned that exposure is almost always worth what you got paid for that exposure. In other words, not much.

[John Thawley]

Giving things away should be a plan... not an accident. You should create an offer that provides a value for something SPECIFIC in return. You should KNOW what you want in advance and you should have some sort of plan behind captializing or garnering a form of return from your efforts.

Stores run sales and give-aways all the time. Coupons, buy-one / get-one free... two for one.... bring a friend.. whatever. It's not a complete no-no.

But stop and look at what they're doing. They're calculating a return on their investment. You should do the same. Treat your work like money. Would you take money out of your pocket to purchase the very same "benefits" that you're being offered in trade for your work?

[William Jones]

All good advise. Please keep in mind that I do this as a hobby and with it I get access and benefits from those I offer my work to. This past 12 hour I was able to bring myself and 5 friends to the race and got access to the hot pits during the race + food, beer, etc for my group. We also had access to a track side "chalet".

The interested party is one of the teams that ran in Sebring. I have offered the image use on their website (with proper credit) at this point. If the image is to be used for any other media I feel I would want to be paid. And here is my question, whats my work worth? In hindsight you are right, I don't want to be known as the guy that gives his work away. So who can help me get in the proper direction with this. How do I specify what an image is to be used for in a way that I can hold them to it? They also showed interest in offering the image as wallpaper on their site.

Sorry in advance for all the newbe questions.

Bill

[John Thawley]

Please keep in mind that I do this as a hobby and with it I get access and benefits from those I offer my work to. This past 12 hour I was able to bring myself and 5 friends to the race and got access to the hot pits during the race + food, beer, etc for my group. We also had access to a track side "chalet".

Bill

Bill: I hope you'll take this the right way...

While I'm happy you and your friends got to enjoy the race, you might also keep in mind, many of us do this for a living. So, while you're hobby might be providing you with a little fun, it is also denying someone else the opportunity to get the work that feeds their family.

With car counts being down by 50% or so, it getting rather tough out there for motorsports guys to make a return on their investment... (nearly $20k per year just in travel expenses) - So, while you alone aren't specifically the problem I think you can see where "fans with a hobby" bartering away photos for food and access is problematic for those of us trying to feed our families. :)

I'm thinking this board might not be the place to ask "how do I best ferret away business from you guys that do this for a living?" LOL

Hope you can see where I'm coming from.

JT

[William Jones]

John,

I totally understand your point (and would not take your comments the wrong way). Although this is a hobby, I would like to develop it into something more. Every Pro had to start somewhere, I'm just trying to find my way. My intent with the party interested in my image was to gain some exposure to help start a business. The race day perks have been provided by a car sponsor, not a team. They generally just use snap shots from attendees (Customers) of their event. It started as a favor but has become a yearly thing now.

I certainly don't want to take work away from people trying to make a living. At present I have a job that pays well. With the current economy that could change any time. I just like to keep my options open. I can see where you are coming from in reference to "fans with a hobby". I actually saw someone with a "Photo" vest on the other side of the fence with a point and shoot camera. It was kind of disheartening knowing that the guy may have taken access from someone trying to earn a living.

This all said, I don't want to give away the store. Just like home prices falling due to your neighbor selling low, I don't want my offer to effect the value of others work in the future.

Again, Thank you for all your feedback.

Bill

[Dave Verna]

I actually saw someone with a "Photo" vest on the other side of the fence with a point and shoot camera.


That just might have been JT with his Leica!
:p

[John Thawley]

John,

I totally understand your point (and would not take your comments the wrong way). Although this is a hobby, I would like to develop it into something more. Every Pro had to start somewhere, I'm just trying to find my way. My intent with the party interested in my image was to gain some exposure to help start a business. The race day perks have been provided by a car sponsor, not a team. They generally just use snap shots from attendees (Customers) of their event. It started as a favor but has become a yearly thing now.

I certainly don't want to take work away from people trying to make a living. At present I have a job that pays well. With the current economy that could change any time. I just like to keep my options open. I can see where you are coming from in reference to "fans with a hobby". I actually saw someone with a "Photo" vest on the other side of the fence with a point and shoot camera. It was kind of disheartening knowing that the guy may have taken access from someone trying to earn a living.

This all said, I don't want to give away the store. Just like home prices falling due to your neighbor selling low, I don't want my offer to effect the value of others work in the future.

Again, Thank you for all your feedback.

Bill

Thanks for understanding. Just an FYI, it is not unusual these days for a journalist in need of a quick image to support an article they are working on to also shoot a few pictures... using a point n' shoot. So, don't be mislead. The Series and sanctioning bodies do a pretty good job of screening credentials... though the tracks are often guilty of the "buddy" system.

And, as Dave pointed out, I've been keeping a point n' shoot with me for years... and with the current high-end crop of cameras, others are starting to do the same. I know Regis Lefebure has become totally hooked since we started playing around with the Leica D-Lux 3 last year.

You might also read a couple entries on my blog about small cameras:

http://www.johnthawley.com/journal/2008/10/31/tools-toys-and-treasures.html

http://www.johnthawley.com/journal/2008/11/18/the-leica-digilux-2.html

http://www.johnthawley.com/journal/2009/1/13/pimp-my-ride.html

[Bill Jurasz]

Every Pro had to start somewhere, I'm just trying to find my way. My intent with the party interested in my image was to gain some exposure to help start a business.
Agreed, everyone starts somewhere. While I am not a working pro I got my start with amateur racing, mostly karts and motocross. But track days, autocross and driving schools are another venue to get practice, hone your technique and post-processing and develop your style. Just more options for you to gather some practice.