Reply To: Charging Customers!!!

[Thomas]

I understand where you are coming from. The problem is, you can give a client the full res copies with an “Online-only” license but they will still go and get them printed. That fault lies with Asda (walmart), Boots, whoever for not checking who created the images. I’m all for this digital age idea, hence the reason I let the client use the selected images on FB. I have kept them watermarked and low res specifically because I know that otherwise you lose out on print profit. I charged £40, minus the £6 it will cost me for their free print, minus fuel, minus my tax contribution, minus class 4 national insurance here in Britain, minus cost of electricity for editing, my public liability, my monthly website hosting fees  etc etc. I worked around 9 hours for the client and have made less than £2 per hour!!! Or less than $3 an hour. I’m trying to build and run a successful business. Why do people bother contacting photographers if they don’t want to pay for the work? They clearly know the images are better than something they can produce, otherwise they wouldn’t use photographers at all. The kick in the nuts comes when they realise that the photographer actually has to CHARGE for the work. I’m sure some people think that they could go out, spend $6000 on a camera, set it to auto and produce the same stuff we are charging for. They seem to think they are paying to rent your equipment, not for an actual service. I feel like telling them to go buy a really expensive hammer, a bag of screws and some wood and build a house! You have the most expensive hammer right? Then you must be able to do it….