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How do I go about selling prints?
Hey everyone! So I'm very confused about the whole thing! I don't know where to begin. I have a FB following of 30k+ and have been getting a lot of requests for prints. I know I need permission from the photographer which I have no problem with. The issue is how do I go about doing it? I know we share the profit, but what is a good percentage? I'll be putting my money and time to make the prints. OR does the photographer make the prints, sell them to me and I in turn sell them for whatever price? If neither of these work please let me know what is a good way to go about doing this. I've never done this before. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! Oct 17 12 01:30 pm Link The next time you shoot, adjust the model release form to give you the rights to the photos as well as the photographer...especially if this is for TFP...also request the jpeg to be in high resolution. Then create yourself an account on sites such as smugmug and then you can set a price for your own prints. If you already have a fan base, I would suggest just creating new pieces that are done TFP where you can control the rights of the images and sell them rather than trying to negotiate with all of the photographers you have shot with before to let them give you the rights. I am sure some photographers will join this thread and say " I never give models the rights to the photos...not even for TFP and I never give them full resolution.." Just ignore them and find photographers that are more pro model "rights". Oct 17 12 01:36 pm Link It's commonplace to have the photographer make the arrangements with a lab to make the prints in whatever size and quantity that you are selling. He/she then sends them to you. Then as sales come in, you autograph the prints or send a personal note to go with them, place them in a padded secure envelope and mail them to the buyer. You reimburse the photographer for his expenses and deduct your actual shipping costs. Then, you split whatever money is left over 50/50 % Thats how it's fairly done. Make sure you price your prints high enough to make a suitable profit KM Oct 17 12 01:41 pm Link Shutterdoc Photography wrote: All the model would need is usage rights to sell the images. She doesn't need copyright transfer. However, if it was a TFP shoot, we both would split the profits - only fair both ways. If a model wants the rights to sell prints without sharing, she can pay the photographer for a shoot with that stipulated in the agreement. Oct 17 12 01:51 pm Link Ken Marcus Studios wrote: Yep, this is the way to do it. I have done this several times with models. Oct 17 12 01:52 pm Link Ken Marcus Studios wrote: Oct 17 12 01:53 pm Link Ken Marcus Studios wrote: hence the word collaboration with a win/ win scenario... Oct 17 12 01:59 pm Link THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!! That helped a great deal!  Oct 17 12 06:06 pm Link Just joined in and read all, Thanks, I'll be getting to this soon too:D Aug 17 14 02:16 pm Link The "Ken Marcus" approach is certainly fair. The photographer may want you to front the money for the lab work, and not have to wait for a sale. In this case you would be assuming more of the risk, and may want to get orders in hand before investing in stock to keep on hand. And typically, the more of something that is ordered, the less it costs. One thing to keep in mind is that while both you and the photographer created the image, it is your "good will" that is in the marketplace that is encouraging demand and hopefully sales. In this sense, you are bringing more to the table than the photographer....and as such...a case could be made where you should share more than just 50/50...so keep this as a negotiating tactic if for nothing than a reason to not accept less than 50%. The one bit of caution I would add is that as soon as money enters the picture in things like this, both parties start seeing their particiapation as being much more valuable than it really is. I've see a lot of good ideas never come to fruition just because one party saw too much "green" to keep the other party interested. Aug 17 14 04:24 pm Link I would prefer being a "wholsaler" in the sense that you order a print run at a certain price and then sell them for whatever you can get. That way, you profit whatever the market will bear, and I make some money as well. The Ken Marcus way is best in most MM situations. The popularity of the model is not just because of the model. If you saw a poorly done ad for a tube of tooth paste, you would be less likely to buy it. So the packaging and marketing of the product, in this case the model is a factor of the creativity and skill of the photographer. The better way is to pay the photographer up front and get a licensing/print agreement. In business who gets the biggest cut is the one with the biggest financial investment. The investor isn't managing the company, nor inventing anything, but they reap the lion share of the rewards. Most of the time the photographer has the most money invested in capital and expenses and hence more money to recover before actually making a profit. Aug 22 14 04:58 pm Link |
