2 min readfrom Photography

Usage/rights fee confusion from clients

Our take

Navigating usage and rights fees can be challenging, especially in a smaller Midwest market where clients may not fully grasp the intricacies of image licensing. As a dedicated commercial photographer, you’ve encountered confusion when introducing usage fees alongside your day rates. Despite your efforts to limit image distribution in contracts, some clients express surprise at this additional charge, often unaware of its significance. This conversation is crucial for establishing your professional value and ensuring fair compensation for the exposure your work receives across various platforms.

I shoot commercial work in a relatively small Midwest market, like brand lifestyle shoots, events, your typical advertising photography array.

After having a few clients go a little overboard distributing my images on countless marketing channels and to potentially hundreds of thousands of impressions, I’m really trying to hone in pricing for usage rights. I haven’t charged for usage thus far but certainly limit how and where they can distribute my images in my contracts, but now I’m running into confusion from clients when I include a “usage” fee in my quotes.

These businesses are small (but definitely have money) and have only ever worked with freelancers that do creative work as a side gig and not as a serious full-time career, so when they see me include $500 or $1000 for usage licensing they are dumbfounded.

“Usage? Aren’t we already paying you a day rate to shoot for us?”

“So after a year we have to take these photos off our website?”

It’s like they don’t understand the concept of getting compensated for usage, likely because it’s a small market and they’ve never had a photographer with the self respect to think of charging for that. It’s an awkward conversation when it comes up, and I’ve lost a gig because of it recently.

Wondering how you all navigate pricing for usage? And also, how do you structure getting paid for it? Is it a one time flat fee?

As an example, I have a client in the tourism industry who uses my images on their website with 8 million annual visitors, social media accounts with roughly 500k followers, and print marketing. How would you charge for this?

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