Re: [Leica] High School track meet long

[Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>]

Doug Herr wrote:
snip

> Several of the kids asked for photos of themselves in their events and I'll
> gladly give them the machine prints after the head coach scans them for the
> web page.  If the parents want larger prints, I thought I'd charge them for
> my time and effort, as well as for a donation to the team.  I've read the
> numerous posts about not selling your work cheap and I'd like to hear what
> other LUGgers think is an appropriate price for prints in this context.
> Doug Herr
> Sacramento
This is way longer than it should be and if you are quick to take
offence you might find it presumptuous, but you got me going and
thinking and it is done in good spirit.
You are in the awkward position of not wanting to appear to be or in any
level be a ripoff  of your stepdaughters friends so you are going to end
up being a poorly paid errand boy on this one IMO. You've got to have
your price lists printed up well in advance and hanging on the wall
before the coach starts thinking pennies when it should be dollars and
having to pass the bad news unto the parents.
First of all IMO you made a mistake letting the negs out of your
sight/possession letting the client borrow the negs. Unless the client
is a magazine that would be my only exception to this rule.
I would make the prints first and let him scan from the prints or better
yet charge him per scan that you do or have done just a you would charge
him per print. As you say or imply, you're not doing this to make a
bundle but you NEVER want to loose control of your work.
Any exact figure on what amount per print would feel too presumptuous on
my part. How much would a courier get to go back and forth to the
processors and so on. 
Maybe you don't mind doing endless errands for the benefit of the team
and maybe you won't feel taken advantage of. You've got to work these
things out in your own head and on paper in advance or you will feel
like an errand boy and that you are being taken advantage of especially
if you think there is going to be a correlation in the pricing to a
professional photographers prints. 
The parents could easily revolt. 
They want to give you the honor of doing something special for the team
with their money?  You are going to be the one paying for everyones
contributions to appear fair or make the least waves. 
The logistics of controlling your negs/slides comes from experience and
reading all the better "how to be a photographer" books and those red
AMPS Guide books and forms.
There is a million areas where stressful misunderstandings can take
place on a deal like this where you are having part of the print prices
go to the team. Who is your client? The Coach? The parents? The Team? 
Where you have multiple clients you have multiple sets of conflicting expectations.
The unpleasant misunderstandings that happen in up in the air deals like
this is what convinces people to maintain their strict amateur standing.
I guess I am being pretty negative on this one, but you should hold on
to yours. They are your copywrite.
If you did this regularly for the team you would establish a pattern and
iron the bugs out but getting through the first one will be a dilly.
Mark Rabiner