Re: [Leica] What's a photographer worth?

["B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

Tim - It all depends upon what the book really is, who the publisher is,
whether the book is likely to make money, whether the book is likely to
make a great deal of money, and how much you want to be included in the
particular book. Assuming it really is part of what is, in effect, an
educational series from a low-budget educational publisher, and assuming
that this same series has some status attached to it, I'd say - what the
heck? Take the $40 pounds and enjoy saying you are included in the
Professional Photography series. We are, after all, talking about photos
you have already taken for another purpose, so it's gravy.

As an aside, the first photo the late William Gedney ever sold was a
beautiful shot he had taken in the kitchen of the home of a poor family
with whom he had stayed in Kentucky. The photo shows, I believe, the
family's three daughters in the kitchen, and was used in a Kodak book on
photographing children. I also believe he got paid somewhere in the
neighborhood of $60...

B. D.

Tim Spragens wrote:

> The following is an extract from a solicitation
> that I received for usage of some photos in a
> book billed as a "Professional Photography
> Series":
>
> "As an educational book, the budget is pitifully
> small and usually we do not pay pictures fees
> but 'pay' instead in complimentary copies of the
> books. However, for images we particularly need
> or want we can pay a small amount (usually
> around £40) for selected images."
>
> What would be your reaction to such a
> solicitation?
>
> Tim S.
>
> no archive