Should I give away photos for free?

wmstumme

I know this topic has brought some real passionate commentary in the past. I just recently stumbled across an audiobook on iTunes that has been pretty interesting--all about economics; making money having things priced at $0 (think Firefox), and the impact of the internet...

The book is: FREE: The Future of a Radical Price. by Chris Anderson

It doesn't deal with photography--but the concepts clearly relate to the current evolution in photography (explosion of good quality cameras, digital images, internet distribution, piracy...) It's really caused me to think. I'd love to hear what some of you think of his ideas and how it applies to this field.

Oh--by the way--the download price is FREEEEE!!

I tried to get a link--but couldn't figure out how to do it from iTunes.

emeraldrose

wmstumme wrote:

I know this topic has brought some real passionate commentary in the past. I just recently stumbled across an audiobook on iTunes that has been pretty interesting--all about economics; making money having things priced at $0 (think Firefox), and the impact of the internet...

The book is: FREE: The Future of a Radical Price. by Chris Anderson

It doesn't deal with photography--but the concepts clearly relate to the current evolution in photography (explosion of good quality cameras, digital images, internet distribution, piracy...) It's really caused me to think. I'd love to hear what some of you think of his ideas and how it applies to this field.

Oh--by the way--the download price is FREEEEE!!

I tried to get a link--but couldn't figure out how to do it from iTunes.

I didn't read the whole thing, but I think the fact I offer free web sized watermarked images and occasional free print promotions can kinda be related.

Vycor

I like the idea of giving things away for free... i mean im not in business for photography. I make a little money off photos i sell to the local newspaper... but if someone says "i love your photos, id love to hang them on my wall" i'll be more then happy to give them the photo to frame/etc... i mean this isnt my business.. id love to see my work on someones wall in their home. It tells me "hey other people like my work"

If this was my business, then id definitly only want to charge, maybe give away a few things but not my best stuff.

Cygnus Studios

The key is knowing when and more importantly why to give a product or service away for free.
99% of businesses will use a "free" item to entice new or past customers to coming into the business.

Giving away a product or service simply because, is not the proper way. Adding some extras to a package, or giving away some time to build a relationship would be a proper way.

If you look around at the successful businesses in your area and watch how they use the "free" idea, you will see a common theme. It is a powerful tool when wielded properly.

CWSkopec

Wired Magazine | The Economy of Free

Reading your post reminded me of this article I read in Wired Magazine a while back. It deals a lot with how companies make money giving things away for free. I forget a lot of the details, but one thing I remember is that Gillette was a failing business venture until it gave soldiers free razors back in World War 2. Once they were back state-side, they needed razor blades to fit their free Gillette handles. Now-a-days, most people think of Gillette when thinking about shaving (that might be an exaggeration, but I think all my shaving accessories are branded Gillette).

I other words, if you're carefully crafting your Free Business Model with the ultimate purpose of making money, it can be very successful. I haven't yet looked into how to turn the Free Business Model into a successful one, but make sure you've got an idea of how you want to turn it into making money before you give away too much of your hard work!

Photog4Christ

Last week I heard on the radio that a new music artist made his debut project available for a free download. We're not talking one or two songs, but the complete project. People thought he was nuts, but his sales since then have been a huge success.

Unfortunately, I can not find any mention of this on the 'Net, so, I can't furnish any statistics (downloads, CD's sold, etc...).

wmstumme

CWSkopec wrote:

Wired Magazine | The Economy of Free

Reading your post reminded me of this article I read in Wired Magazine a while back. It deals a lot with how companies make money giving things away for free...

Chris: I thought the Gillette example sounded familiar. I hit your link--it is by the same guy--and the Wired article (From 2008) indicates his book is (was) coming out in 2009--which apparently it did.

The Wired article gives a good intro to what I heard in the audiobook.

I'm not pushing his book--but I it made me do some thinking. Just taking some photos and putting them on Smugmug is not going to make you instantly rich--no matter how talented you are. So, how do you make a living in such a competitive, low cost to enter the market environment? It's like newpapers vs. blogs and Craigslist... old insititutions and ways of business are going away.

Sam

Vycor wrote:

I like the idea of giving things away for free... i mean im not in business for photography. I make a little money off photos i sell to the local newspaper... but if someone says "i love your photos, id love to hang them on my wall" i'll be more then happy to give them the photo to frame/etc... i mean this isnt my business.. id love to see my work on someones wall in their home. It tells me "hey other people like my work"

If this was my business, then id definitly only want to charge, maybe give away a few things but not my best stuff.

Adam,

This post kind of struck me. First your talking about giving away free photos not as part of a marketing plan, but just for the satisfaction of having someone appreciate your work.

I can relate to that. I am always pleased and humbled when someone buys one of my images.

There is how ever a very big difference between someone saying I really like your photo and want to hang it in my living room, and actually meaning it. I contend that if they are not willing to pay for it they don't really appreciate or value your work. Should you give it to them free they might not find the time or money to frame and hang it, but they aren't going to place a priority on it, after all it didn't cost anything, so it's not worth anything. Now if they pay for it, (doesn't have to be an outrageous inflated amount, but not dirt cheap ether), they will have demonstrated a real desire for your work, and if they value your work enough to open their wallet they will probably make the effort to frame and hang it.

Real satisfaction comes from someone really valuing your work. Even if I won the lottery and I was Bill Gates rich I wouldn't give my images away. That said if money is no object for you, you can always donate the sale price to a favorite chairity.

Sam

CWSkopec

OK... so I had a long rambling response written out, but it didn't make much sense...

When I get home tonight, I'm heading straight for iTunes to download the book because the Wired article really had me thinking and I imagine the book will do an even better job of it.

I have yet to upgrade my SmugMug to the Pro level so I'm not making any money off it at the moment, but I'm feeling ready to at least dip my toes in the water and see what I can make happen. Having a clear plan on how to get my name out there. I may never be able to make a living at it, but if I can make a little money to support my habit, that'd be nice. I could use a couple new filters!

Blaker

wmstumme wrote:

So, how do you make a living in such a competitive, low cost to enter the market environment? It's like newpapers vs. blogs and Craigslist... old insititutions and ways of business are going away.

The way to make a living in this market is to provide a product stands out from the rest . Competent photographers are a dime a dozen. Refine your art so that your photographs stand out from the rest.
With high quality, a unique vision, and a recognizeable style your photos will rise to the top .
Find a niche in your area and fill it.
Go the extra steps to provide a service that others are not providing.

FedererPhoto

"Free" needs to have a end goal of making money, from a business prespective.

For instance, gmail and google-search (among dozens of other really cool things) is 'free' for me to use. It's worth it to Google, the company, to provide the 'free' service in order to be able to sell ads to a larger, more targeted audience. The cost of providing the free service is less than the benefits they derive from it.

I'm not sure I see how giving your images away for free can systematically bring in more money.

The only real way I've seen it work systematically (anecdotes of giving away free images and getting a random 'break' because of it are one thing) is with -- a "free" engagement session might bring in enough customers that the ones that end up booking your wedding services because of it make up for the number that just 'walk away with the free session'. The same idea could be applied to a 'free' sitting fee (and then charge for prints) etc...

emeraldrose

FedererPhoto wrote:

"Free" needs to have a end goal of making money, from a business prespective.

For instance, gmail and google-search (among dozens of other really cool things) is 'free' for me to use. It's worth it to Google, the company, to provide the 'free' service in order to be able to sell ads to a larger, more targeted audience. The cost of providing the free service is less than the benefits they derive from it.

I'm not sure I see how giving your images away for free can systematically bring in more money.

The only real way I've seen it work systematically (anecdotes of giving away free images and getting a random 'break' because of it are one thing) is with -- a "free" engagement session might bring in enough customers that the ones that end up booking your wedding services because of it make up for the number that just 'walk away with the free session'. The same idea could be applied to a 'free' sitting fee (and then charge for prints) etc...

I am now offering a free 1 hour family portrait sitting for every paid senior photo session. thinking to go after the heart strings of mothers. to take an hour to shoot and a few hours to edit is worth it to bring in another senior shoot and additional images.

dwayne_bradley

Free and Photography...
Jim Goldstein wrote up several blog entries where he explored the "free" concept in relationship to photography. Here are the entries from his blog in the order that they appeared.

1. 7/16 - Free: Reistance is Futile or is it?

2. 7/20 - Review: "Free: the Future of a Radical Price"

3. 7/21 - Assumptions of "Free"

4. 7/22 - The Marginal Cost of Creativity & Free

5. 7/23 - The Value of Free: Where Is It

6. 7/25 - "Free Speedlinks

Enjoy,
Dwayne

orljustin

Vycor wrote:

I like the idea of giving things away for free... i mean im not in business for photography. I make a little money off photos i sell to the local newspaper... but if someone says "i love your photos, id love to hang them on my wall" i'll be more then happy to give them the photo to frame/etc... i mean this isnt my business.. id love to see my work on someones wall in their home. It tells me "hey other people like my work"

If this was my business, then id definitly only want to charge, maybe give away a few things but not my best stuff.

Perhaps you'd like it if someone came to your town, who did IT for fun on the side, and if your boss told them "I love your IT work, I'd like you to write some code", they'd be more than happy to do the work.

wmstumme

Dwayne--thanks for the links, they were great.

orljustin wrote:

Perhaps you'd like it if someone came to your town, who did IT for fun on the side, and if your boss told them "I love your IT work, I'd like you to write some code", they'd be more than happy to do the work.

Doesn't that occur on a daily basis already? Windows vs. Linux, Microsoft Office vs. Open Office, ...?

I've been really thinking about the concept of a reputation economy. Isn't that part of what goes on here at DGrin? All the posters are unpaid--heck, aren't even the mod's unpaid? However, I've noticed that some frequent posters really stand out and even seem to have a real following. Have any been able to "monetize" based on this reputation? (thru teaching, seminars, etc?)