Trouble responding to this question,,,,any ideas?

jbr13 · August 26, 2012

I got the following email two nights ago. It has really got me thinking, and I am not sure which way to go here. Any comments or opinions would be appreciated.

"My name is *******, by way of introduction, and I'm writing you to ask for permission to use one of your photos on a website I'm creating. The site is currently in draft form and before I make it public I wanted to know if I had your permission to use the photo.

As part of a group that bought the old Catamaran's restaurant, we are in the process of cleaning it up and looking for a person that wants to open a nice restaurant on the property. The purpose of the site is to showcase the property, the Solomons Island area, and just as importantly our vision on what type of restaurant we would like to see there to help keep making Solomons a great place to visit.

If you are OK with letting me use the photo, I would obviously ensure that credit was given to you and I would also make a blog entry on the site with a link back to your site to help drive visitors. We are planning on doing a pretty big marketing push over the next two months to showcase the property."

I did my research and they are simply doing a wordpress website to sell this restaurant and property that comes with it. My feeling is, pay me to use my photo as it is part of your advertising. I figure once I ask for payment, they will not use my photo and the deal will be done.
Next part is the tricky area, read on....

"Additionally, I think your photos are truly amazing and I wanted to know if you would be interested in placing some of the canvases in the property to showcase them for sale as we bring people through the facility.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request and I hope we can work something out. If you are not comfortable with this, I will clearly remove the photo immediately upon your request."

With that statement I am thinking the want canvas prints on the walls so the place doesn't look so bare, and helps show the place off to potential buys of the million dollar plus property.

I see it could work two ways. One I spend a $200-$400 to get a few more canvas prints done. I hang them in this property and when the place is sold I am stuck with a few extra canvases. The second option, I could end up selling the canvas prints to the buyer of the property.

Any advice ????

Thanks
Jason

waywardfool · August 26, 2012

Whoever looks at the building is there to think about dropping a million bucks...they won't be thinking about buying a picture off the wall, so don't even consider one might be sold.

If they buy the building with the art on the wall, chances are they'd do their own decorating to establish their own identity, and your photos might wind up in the big green box.

I'd probably just say a hunnert bucks or so for fair use fee for the website image, and take it or leave it. That's a hundred bucks or whatever that you don't have now. I doubt the seller would go that high, you might get that much, maybe not.

Sam · August 26, 2012

First off real estate people are cheap. That's spelled CHEAP! That's not a derogatory statement just a fact.

Talk to them as a business owner to business owner and let them know your are there to help them sell the property, and can be their go to person for all things photographic, but just like them you have bills to pay.

Ask if they have any budget for this. If the answer, no matter how convoluted or rationalized, is no then politely decline.

If there is room to negotiate then by all means talk.

One thing you might consider is renting your images. Maybe even offering to generate particular images for them. Also restaurants / businesses etc typically need larger prints than a small home.

Lets say you have a canvas print with a retail of $895.00 with a cost of $200.00 you could offer them a rental of say $60.00 to $85.00 per month with a two or three month min. Maybe even offer to wave the rental fee for any prints sold. Throw in a few images for web use at no charge.

They are in business, you are in business. They won't sell your house for free, why would you give them your product, skills, and knowledge for free?

Sam

M38A1 · August 27, 2012

"Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request and I hope we can work something out. If you are not comfortable with this, I will clearly remove the photo immediately upon your request."

This last line gives the impression they are currently using the image. Are they?

WillCAD · August 27, 2012

M38A1 wrote: »

"Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request and I hope we can work something out. If you are not comfortable with this, I will clearly remove the photo immediately upon your request."

This last line gives the impression they are currently using the image. Are they?

"The site is currently in draft form and before I make it public I wanted to know if I had your permission to use the photo."

So, not yet, but it's coming, unless Jason tells them otherwise.

My gut tells me you're not going to get a penny out of this guy, Jason. Whether you want to let him use your photo for free or not is up to you, but either way, you're not going to make a dime and he's going to find some way to use only free photos on his site.

I'd definitely turn down the canvas offer. Laying out hundreds on spec is a huge risk, and in this case, there doesn't seem to be much chance of getting a return. Unless you can work out some compensation so that you're not stuck with the cost of the canvases - perhaps he'd agree to pick up the printing cost? - then forget it.

jbr13 · August 27, 2012

Thanks all for the reassurance! These are the thoughts I was having as well. I replied with a fee, and terms and conditions for a one time usage on the website. I doubt I will hear back, but we will see.

Thanks again all

Jason

zoomer · August 27, 2012

they want free artwork sounds like

Trouble responding to this question,,,,any ideas?

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