Why photo credit lines aren’t worth the paper they’re written on
Since the advent of digital more and more people are making images. That’s a good thing. The downside is that the explosion of photo sharing sites like Flickr and PBase have created a ready made amateur market for business savvy publishers to exploit.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re not doing anything illegal. They are simply playing on the fact that there are lots of new image producers in the marketplace who don’t have the first clue that their images are worth anything, and they are banking on the fact that “being published” is reward enough on its own.
Taking candy from a baby
Let’s face it. If you could walk down to a store, owned by someone who didn’t know the worth of their goods, and get something for free – would you take advantage? Well would you?
Of course you would – its human nature.
So imagine the smile on the faces of the publishers and companies that want to use images in a book, magazine or website – but who don’t want to pay for it. Imagine the happiness as they trawl through the millions of images posted on Flickr or PBase looking for what they want and knowing full well they’re going to try every trick in the book to get it for free.
First thing you know about it is an email (if you’re lucky – if you haven’t got your images watermarked you’re more likely to have them stolen).
Dear X, I came across your wonderful images on (insert public image sharing site) today and was really impressed. We are producing a (book/website/magazine) and would love to use your image of (insert image name) in our publication.
Unfortunately we do not have a budget for images but we would give you a photo credit next to the image which would be a great promotional tool for you.
Please let me know if you would like to have your image included in our (book/website/magazine) and if so, please forward the high resolution image to x@xy.com
“Gee wow, somebody wants my image and hey, I’m going to get a photo credit. I’ll get famous – this could be the start of my career” you think.
Think again – the reality
Lets dissect this request one by one:
1. Notice the “oohing” and “aahing” over your image they found out of all the others on the site. This is trying to emit a response from the “vanity publishing” side of your brain. The side that says “they love me” “they chose me – I must be good”. It plays on your desire as a new shooter to be published (regardless of payment).
2. “We don’t have a budget for images”. Yeah – right. I suppose that along with no budget for images, there’s no budget for the printers, the distributors, the staff, the rent, the electric, the rates as well? Pull the other one it’s got bells on. Telling you they have no budget for images is trying to appeal to your humanity. You’re supposed to think “ah well its only a small book, magazine, website”, “I suppose giving them my image wouldn’t hurt”?
Ask yourself this. Would you work your day job for free? “Sorry Sam, we love the way you file those letters and operate the fax machine but we have no budget for a salary” – think about it.
Could you walk into your local grocery store and say “You know, I’ve been admiring your Black forest Gateaux for a long time and I love its creamy lusciousness – I don’t have any budget for shopping but if you’ll let me have it I’ll tell all my friends it came from you”.
Try that and see the blank stare you get in return.
3. We’ll give you a photo credit. This one is used quite often. The “photo credit” is offered as if its worth something of value.
Let me tell you this – its worth jack. I’m not saying that a credit in a top editorial mag (Vogue, GQ etc) isn’t worth anything – there are lots of editorial shooters who shoot editorial at cost for top titles to get their style out there to gain advertising work.
But if you think a credit line next to your pic of a yellow throated reed warbler in “Birds monthly” is going to launch you to superstardom then you’re seriously deluded.
Credit lines are worthless in 99% of cases. I’ve had a fair few in my career yet I can honestly say that I never had one person come to me and say “I saw your pic in XX book, looked you up and tracked you down and here’s a big juicy commission – want it”?
All you’re going to be doing by giving away your image for a credit only is adding to another person or company’s profit margin. If your image wasn’t valuable to them then they wouldn’t want it so badly.
After all, if they go to iStock they can get a selection of stuff for $1 a pop. But they want your image because it has value to them and you should recognise that and sell reproduction rights using a licence. If you need to understand what licensing is and how it works then take a look at the related posts section below.
I can’t buy anything with a photo credit – can you?
The writers strike
Coincidentaly I was going to write this credit line post a while back but I’ve been uber-busy shooting and making a living so now I’ve got round to it I see there’s an absolutely brilliant piece of video appeared on YouTube that covers this very same subject.
Currently there’s a screenwriter’s strike on in the US. The screenwriters are protesting that when a TV show is sold on DVD they don’t get paid extra royalties. They should – its another medium and another use (just like you should get paid extra for online use when you do a magazine article). The bosses of the companies know DVD and online is valuable. After all, most are suing youTube for breach of copyrighted material! But when the writer’s argue that their material is being used without proper payment for electronic and online use – the bosses don’t want to know.
So here’s a great rant by the legendary Harlan Ellison, a top US writer, and by the looks of this a man not afraid to stand up for his rights. It’s from the point of view of a writer but covers what we’ve been talking about here (i.e. publishers trying to get something for nothing) perfectly.
Its 3 mins and 24 secs long. Watch this and then tell me your work isn’t valuable.
PP
Tags: copyright, credit lines, flickr, Getting paid, harlan ellison, licences, licenses, pbase, Photography Business, pricing photography, working for free
Hi,
I’ve recently discovered your very informative website. This post makes a great deal of sense but what if your image has been already used without your permission with only a credit line?
I’m in the following position and I’m not sure what to do about it, maybe you could give me the benefit of your expertise?
In the summer I went on holiday on an organised underwater photo workshop on a diving liveaboard. At the end of the holiday they had an informal competition (to showcase the best of the weeks work). I asked (before submitting my images to the divemaster) if the images were just for the competition or if they would be used for anything else. He told me it was just for the competition.
Recently I’ve received a brochure from the holiday company in question with my images printed in the centre pages under ‘Photo of the day’ sections. Its also on their website under that section. They also sent me some printed bookmarks with their company logo and a funny-looking blend of my images on. I have a credit line against the images in all three instances but I was going to try and get accepted at a stock library so feel a little peeved that they used these images without permission.
I signed nothing in regards to the use of my images, which in retrospect was silly of me. I also could see no clauses on their website about entering ‘end-of-trip’ comps. However I didn’t plaster my copyright banner all over them (because it was for a comp). What do you think I should do?
Many thanks
Suzy
Hi Suzy,
Sorry to hear about your trouble. This one sounds like its going to depend on the written terms of the competition you entered and or possibly the terms of the holiday you took.
As with anything surrounding verbal contracts its an absolute minefield proving or disproving who said what to whom and when. You asked and they said “just for the competition” but did the competition and your participation in it grant them explicit rights to reproduce your “entries” for their own promotional activities without further payment? We would need to see the terms of entry to know for sure.
Do you have the entry terms and conditions? If you could let me see a copy of those (email to webmaster at thephotographybiz.com) I could have a go at interpreting the “photo speak” (remember I’m **not a lawyer** just a photographer) and see what was implied by entering that competition.
Tips:
1) The key thing (for the future) to remember is to never hand over images without a licence. On a licence you can stipulate exactly what uses you are granting.
See here for a licence tutorial:
http://www.thephotographybiz.com/photography-business/what-exactly-is-a-photography-license/
2) Read all competition entry forms very carefully – especially the small print. A lot of them will have clauses that grant rights in perpetuity to use; sub-licence or generally exploit your images for their commercial gain with no payment for that commercial usage to you.
The company have definitely used your images, you have the proof. what we don’t know at this stage is whether your entry allowed them to do that or perhaps your holiday itself – anything in that paperwork pertaining to images shot while on the course?
PP
[...] Why photo credit lines aren’t worth the paper they’re written on [...]
You could easily argue that a printed credit like is not worth the paper it’s written on, bit if the offer is of a web link to your website, and they will let you specify the text like “commercial photography by john smith” then that can be worth it.
1, online eyes can simply click to access your website and read more
2, it’s google gold dust, a few dozen carefully chosen links can get your site higher up in google – and you get to choose the keywords! you’d have to pay for a link on photographer listings site like that.
I throw up trash images on Flickr, just snapshots of the city live in. I am CONSTANTLY being contacted by those Schmap.com people to use images in their “travel guides”. The new shooters are wowed by their own credit lines. I just tell them “show me the money” every time.
As far as links for google, sorry but links don’t pay my utility bills.
[...] get a credit and you don’t get paid. There have been articles written about this before, like this one on photographybiz.com and another one by Harrison McClary. Everything they say is wholly true. [...]