Regards,
Fong

A photographer has the right (called copyright) to choose whether to allow publication of his/her images and also to choose whether to charge and how much to charge. If you think it is acceptable to charge $3 for your images then that is your right. They might be worth and they might be worth less but that is irrelevant. I do not, and will not, allow my images to be published for $3.

If you believe that your own images are worth that little, why do you expect anyone to believe that your opinion and recommendation of a business will persuade an audience to use their services? Your article and the premises in it are laughable, yet I am worried that you might persuade someone to part with genuinely good images for nothing and that won’t do.

Allow me to comment on some of your arguments.

“Anyone or a monkey could have taken the photo – it’s just that the perspective seen is from high above the ground.” If the first half of your statement is true then send anyone or a monkey to go and take it for nothing. However, the second part of your statement tells us the shot is taken from an unusual perspective – so it is not such a simple shot after all is it?

“I have access to Getty images for free.” Is Getty aware of this? If you genuinely have access to the Getty library for free then use one of their images. Why hound someone who doesn’t want to give away an image that “anyone or a monkey could have taken” when you have free access to a high-quality picture library. In the modern vernacular, it is a no-brainer.

“I don’t make any extra money writing this article, I’m paid a salary at the place I was writing for.” The point is that you get paid to write the article; yet you expect the owner of the photograph to get nothing.

“Everyone wants the easy money online.” And you want photographs for nothing. Wanting and getting are two different things. Furthermore, taking photographs for a brief (as opposed to taking a snap because you happen to be there anyway) is not an easy option. It costs time, skill and expenses.

“I make about a dollar a sale on my photos – high resolution shot with amazing care and precision.” You make a dollar a shot because that is the price you sell them for; your choice.

“The best photographers in the entire world are putting billions of photos online at stock agencies.” This may be true but they are not giving them away, and they are not selling them for $3 each.

“The best chance anyone has for making money on digital photography these days is to make all of your photos “Creative Commons” licensed (see flickr’s CC info) and put your credit in the form of a URL directly on your photos so that some people will come back to your site.” Incorrect; this is the best way of giving your photographs away. A credit inflates the ego, not the bank balance.

“Writing stories – is another story.” No it is not. It is the same. The written word is intellectual property, just like photography. Some of it is drivel and some of it is excellent. Some people give it away for nothing and some people charge for it. As a general rule the people who give it away are not as good as the ones who charge for it. I would not insult writers by telling them that ALL written work is of equal value; and it is simply not true. As in photography, some written work is excellent and some is poor; see below.

“There’s too many calendars”. There ARE too many calendars.
“There’s too many coffee mugs with photos.” There ARE too many coffe mugs etc.
“You’re aren’t anything special unless they’re naked people doing weird stuff.” Structure? Logic? Language?

One piece of your advice that I choose to follow. “Tell the writer your photos are not free and you will charge him for them.” My copyright; my choice. In the words of Mr T, “Quit your jibber-jabbing.”

It is people like him who are bringing the profession into disrepute by offering their photos for such ludicrously low amounts. Mind you, if that is what he is getting then I can only presume that that is all his wonderful photographs are worth.

I am a pro photographer and get many requests from small fry like you every day. I can’t pay the mortgage and other bills with referrals and my own marketing is effective enough to get enough work without giving it away. Creating good imagery isn’t free either, I have my equipment to pay for, studio rent, utility bills, model fees and many other overheads.

Many decent clients pay good money for the right image. I would rather protect my intellectual property than give it away to someone who shows such disrespect for my work and talent.

Sarah

Then there is the reverse. The person that hot links or out right steals a digital picture. They think it’s no big deal because everyone does it.