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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
HS coach asking for photo for national magazine
Russell Rinn, Photographer
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Georgetown | TX | USA | Posted: 4:30 PM on 10.31.10 |
->> I have been asked by a local HS coach to photograph one of her kids for a national magazine.
The coach is very supportive and has been purchasing photos for her various publications and websites from me for several years.
However, not sure how to tactfully approach this deal so I negotiate the proper rate for mag publication since they approached the coach first,
I need to find out what the coach told the mag when approached for the photo. |
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Dylan Lynch, Photographer, Assistant
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Edmonton | AB | Canada | Posted: 4:42 PM on 10.31.10 |
| ->> I'm pretty sure you answered your own question in the original post. |
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Mike Janes, Photographer
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Attica | NY | USA | Posted: 4:54 PM on 10.31.10 |
| ->> I'm a bit confused, the coach is purchasing photos to send to publications and websites or are they running publications/websites? I don't let the coaches do anything with my images, all usage goes through me and if they get a request they send it to me to be handled. The school I shoot for here is supportive, helps promote, etc. but never negotiates or buys for any publications. |
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Osamu Chiba, Photographer
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Vista | CA | USA | Posted: 6:02 PM on 10.31.10 |
->> I have dealt with somewhat similar cases before. Although I always told the athletes that the magazines should pay me not them, the athletes paid anyway. I asked them what I would ask the publishers (maybe with a little discount since they had been good customers), but they didn't mind at all.
O |
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Mark Loundy, Photo Editor
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San Jose | CA | USA | Posted: 6:48 PM on 10.31.10 |
->> Russell, Ask the coach to have the magazine contact you directly.
--Mark |
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Darren Whitley, Photographer
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Northwest Missouri | MO | USA | Posted: 9:15 PM on 10.31.10 |
| ->> Best guess is that the coach thinks that providing a photo for free to the publication will insure that it's published. |
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Russell Rinn, Photographer
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Georgetown | TX | USA | Posted: 11:39 PM on 10.31.10 |
->> I relied earlier, but it looks like it didn't make it.
I asked the coach to send me the contact info for the mag and I'll handle it like that.
Mike: The coach uses my photos for the team publications and website. I'm guessing the mag asked her for a pic and she just said she would get one given our relationship over the years.
Note: The coach didn't ask for a free photo, she simply said she need me to shoot one for a mag. She pays for all the work I do for her. |
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Jack Howard, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Central Jersey | NJ | USA | Posted: 9:20 AM on 11.01.10 |
->> Possible bigger picture possibly hypothetical picture points to ponder:
What if it turns out that Sports Animated's Local Headshots column relies on handout art from coaches and league directors?
-Should you bill the coach going rate for a 1/64 page rate in a magazine of that size per PhotoQuote or other pricing software?
-Should you deal with the magazine directly and try to bill what you think is a fair rate and walk away from the deal if they don't want to "Play ball" as it were, even if it means the local kid who just did something noteworthy may not get the recognition the coach who has been good to you and your business for the past few years thinks the kid deserves?
-This is a loyal, longtime business partner of yours per your own admissions. Be mindful of the bigger picture here. Is the possibility for a couple hundred bucks (at most, in my most generous estimations) by driving a hard bargain (and possibly losing–and possibly not getting the exposure for the local headshot hero your client hopes for) with this magazine worth it when you tally up the total past and potential future revenue from the local client? Is that relationship worth souring for a small one-time payment?
-There's a goodwill and karma aspect here, if you see where I'm coming from. Dare I say the heretical words here, but perhaps here's a time when giving the photo away for the national magazine will have much more long-term gain for you? Don't think about it as the single $125 paystub from the magazine or a line item on a resume. Think about it in the local buzz that could be generated by working with the coach to get her hero recognition–and you recognition (and more local work) alongside it.
~~~
In other words, just be sure you don't lose sight of the local big picture by the siren song of a distant one-time national tiny photo placement and the chorus on online commentators echoing hardline business sense and sensibilities from a thousand miles away. Do what's right for you in the long run. |
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Mike Janes, Photographer
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Attica | NY | USA | Posted: 10:41 PM on 11.01.10 |
->> Honestly, I don't see anyone taking out blame on the photographer if the magazine refuses to "play ball". I've taken the "hard line" before and said I'll deal with the magazine/paper and they have refused to pay so they got no photos. It did not affect my relationship with the local clients/coaches at all as they knew it was the magazine asking for free images, it was their fault and not mine. This happened this year a few times with the local rag, the coaches understood fully that it'd be stupid for me to just hand them over for free.
If the kid did something to garner attention from a national publication they are probably looking for the image and would pay anybody else (agency) if it was on file, or would pay someone a day fee to go do the photos themselves, so why wouldn't you ask for compensation?
Now, if it's the school, coach, someone else sending it into the publication then that's different. If it's like mentioned where they only publish submitted photos then it's a decision to make. I gave one away for the local publication, not a paper or magazine, the "update" that goes to every household to tell everyone what is happening at the school, paid by taxpayers so not charging. A national mag. comes calling for a photo though they're paying.
So all in all it really depends on the situation exactly and what's best for business, but not because the coach may not like you didn't hand it over free, they won't fault you. If the coach has to pay then you may let it slide, all depends on the exact situation at hand. |
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