Classic lines when clients want you to work for free

It is rarely a good idea to work for free. Typically if the client doesn't pay they won't value the work and it will be hard to get paid decently from them in the future. When you start out you might be eager enough to do it and it might work out but do not count on it. When I was starting out 10 years ago I did some free and some heavily discounted work and none of those clients became well paying clients. You have to learn to walk away from work or you will not progress and get paid well for what you do.

Still get this every now and then. I always let these folks know I don't work for free, and license images for specific usage. New prospective clients are told that I'll work with them for normal rates for the first two jobs and if we do well together I'll see about a discount for the third job as a bonus for a good working relationship.

Those that take me up on it have become good clients while learning the work is not free.

My photography customers aren't looking for the lowest price. They want an excellent product delivered on time, by a photographer who understands what they are trying to accomplish, who understands their product and produces photos their customers respond to. They want someone who is easy to work with, who is friendly, and someone who will help them in the inevitable emergency. They don't want any surprises except getting more and better than they expected.

If every once and a while they disregard my copyrights – I look the other way. Why? Because, I make my money on upfront. Provide that kind of service and you don't have to cut your prices.

For a new customer I'll often offer 25% off on their first shoot. After that first shoot it's full boat. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to my other customers.

When I'm asked to provide photos at no charge, I'll ask one question:

"Is everyone else working on this project volunteering their time?"

If the answer is an honest "yes", and it's for a good cause, I'll usually help them out. If the answer is "no", then it's business as usual.

I do the occasional pro bono job, but under my conditions:
* only for good causes that I support and know don't have the budget
* editorial and creative control
* no fees, but expenses reimbursed
* copyright remains with me: only a licence for a well specified use that is exclusively for the good cause (all commercial use excluded)
* guaranteed exposure (no images for internal use : they must be used for specified publicly distributed ends (book, brochure, exhibition, ...)

Approached like that, pro bono work can open doors and be a win-win.

These pick-up lines are tantamount to slurring "heey gorgeous, wa-wanna have sex with me?" at a woman.

If she's halfway sane, she'll not even look where that noise came from, much less dignify that noise with a response. And two seconds later, she'll have forgotten that it happened.

The photography business is really in dire straits if there are discussions about how to come up with a witty retort.

From an email exchange from earlier this year between a part of my university's administration and me (an amateur who sells the odd print), about an event that they knew I was going to go to (but not specifically to shoot) anyway:

Office: "I am emailing on behalf of X with a request for photos from the Y event. We would be incredibly grateful if you could email us perhaps a selection of 10 of your photos. We would of course accredit them to you."
Me: "I would of course be very happy to [sell] copies of my photos. I can offer you the pictures at [details of pricing]"
Office: "I’m afraid we don’t have any budget to buy photographs and so most of ours rely on goodwill."

- and this from an office that really should have a budget (and an interest in keeping me happy), the Alumni Relations Office!

They don't have any good pictures of the event at all as a result (particularly since professional prices were rather higher than mine). They sent someone from the office with a compact...!

If you are a professional photographer know where you stand, you should tell all this great people say : Thank you, but due to our schedule we unable to accept your offer. Walk away with smile & confident, delete their contact & block their call. Without fear. I do,did, done that.

Years ago, I got shafted by a "friend" who asked me to take photos for his jazz band that was going on tour. He said that he was putting an addition on his house, so he didn't have money to pay me--he offered me lunch instead. I was naive enough to agree to that. In the following months he kept gushing about how my photos were being posted all over the country and really helping his tour (which he was making money on, of course). :P

I take photographs as a hobby, and do not charge for it. If I need a photograph with professional lighting, composition, and posing, then I will hire someone who has studied those things. And I would negotiate a rate, and then pay it.

Similarly, if a photographer called me up and asked me to do his accounting for free, I would suggest that they buy an accounting program off-the-shelf, and see if they can get a friend or relative to do it "for the exposure". If they want a professional to do it, I would certainly not be offended if they tried to negotiate a rate.

After all, photography is an art and accounting is merely a trade.

Negotiation is a skill, and if you want to survive as an artist, you need to get good at one or two skills besides just taking great photos.

???

'It will mean great exposure for you.' I am open to negotiating out a fare price for services would you like to have a chat?

'If you don't want to do it for free, I know other photographers who will.' Let me know when you want to stop being rude.

'We could just find a stock photo if you're not interested.' Ok I am sure that that would be the best choice for what you need than.

'My cousin has a DSLR and I think I can get him to do it if you don't want to.' And what will the results be like if you do that? Would you be as happy with them can you trust that he will provide what your looking for?

'If all goes well, it could lead to paid opportunities with our company.' reply: LOL no you didn't.

???

I think that the best line, is: (photographer to nickel-and-dimer) "while you keep my competition busy, your competition will be get better quality (paid) work from me"

The one I always hear, especially from enthusiast magazines like the BMW Owners Club is "We can't pay you, but you will get photo credit." To which I reply, "When GMAC, AT&T, SCE and USAA start accepting photo credits as payment, I will come shoot for you."

As a marketer in my day job I am often buy creative services such as graphic design and less frequently, photography, so my perspective comes from the buying side of the transaction.

It would never occur to me to ask for free services and if someone were willing to offer that I would worry about the quality.

However, it is common to negotiate prices and it’s often expected by my employers, especially for a large project. Good creative professionals never act offended or defensive in such a negotiation (assuming I initiate it politely). They might hold to their price with some explanation; they might offer a small discount as a gesture of good will, or they might suggest a way to scale down the project to meet my budget. All are legitimate responses that keep open the possibility of business now and in the future.

reminds me of this.......... https://rajasandhu.com/lolz/design_for_free.gif

Older news - but well done summary.
At the same time manufacturers of the cameras and lenses increase prices of the equipment which has no chance to pay back.
Also the photography departments of the higher educations system still are recruiting new students who would never have chance to pay off their loans.
Somewhere must be a reason for that ....

Enjoyed reading and seeing this post! I have fallen prey to this bullsh*t myself and feel like a fool for thinking there may have been a chance at real money in the future. I've since smartened up and now pass on these "great opportunities" even when they offer "all I can pay you is $150 dollars this time but I'll make sure we take care of you on the next job." Thank you but I have a job that day.

Unfortunately, most people think that if you own a DSLR, you're a photographer and anyone can make nice images.

As a side note the value of money is being quite deliberately destroyed and relatively soon everybody will be working for free.

The power structure is changing. It used to be that if you could make money you could have a good life. In the "everything for free model " somebody decides whether you have a good life. This is a inevitable consequence of fewer and fewer people controlling more and more and our shift to a service economy where eventually every service will be saturated and the value of work devalued to a bare minimum.

Career opportunity and not money will be the prime determinant of success by the next or next next generation.

The new loaded word is "donation"... amounts to the same with the same arguments:
- Good exposure, good marketing
- Networking, etc.
My answer is "not interested", if you donate or work for free you are marketing yourself as cheap/no cost resource. Your work will be appreciated as such.

Well, such clients can always have fun from testing of any among the versions in their favorite restaurant, like:

'It will mean great exposure for you.'
'If you don't want to do it for free, I know other cooks who will.'
'We could just find a fast food if you're not interested.'
'My cousin has a pot and I think I can get him to do it if you don't want to.'
'If all goes well, it could lead to paid opportunities from other guests.'

Oh, and it is always a good idea to have some tuna cans in the fridge. Nice for reducement of swollen blackeye, and also as a quick meal.

If this is going to make you feel better, in Italy it's exactly the same, I could just translate!
Anyway I simply refuse with kindnes.

Umberto - Milan

Best one yet - in my opinion of course: Relates to film reviews but same happens in graphic design.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE

Technology has created a commodity culture for products. Service industries are beginning to offer deep discounts to lure new clients, not considering the way aggressive pricing offends personal relationships individually. From these comments, most would seem to agree.

Going forward, I hope the service sector professionals adapt by differentiating our skill sets and venturing into new areas of demand. I don't see this shift stabilizing yet.

Just maybe the demise of the paid professional photographer is imminent. Could it be that it is coming to be irrelevant? It is after all a business model from days long past and certainly not current. If you expect to bounce around and just 'take photos' and be paid for it well you are doomed to fail, because every man, and his digital savvy dog is out to do that, because every man, and the dog, can have a go at it. If you can not take up the complete process from preparation, planning, capture to output, ie, edit, print, frame, sell, display, diversify to all sorts of income making avenues then suffer the consequences.

How about "That's a beautiful 13x19" photo, can you lower your fee?"

My reply

"Sure, here is an 8x10 of the same image"

Speaking from experience from the world of art photography sales....

C

Have not seen this one mentioned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2a8TRSgzZY

my usual reply... go fuk yourself.

My favorite, although not a quote asking images for free:

"Wow, great cameras, sure they have to take good pictures!"
-- "Yes, of course, we've taught them everything we know..."

"It will mean great exposure for you."

You're asking me, so I already have exposure.

I have experienced such behavior before; it changes with good image and seriousness of approach. When you meet with client, he must be perfectly clear on what the positions are, without any additional input.

If you need to say that you won't do something for free, than you need to change the approach. People who want free stuff won't call you then at all, which saves time.

I guess most photograpers posting here are really great at it, but from a client's point of view, I see much more lousy photographers that just don't realize they have to be really great to earn their wages these days, as you can get technically competent photos for free (or almost) from lots of amateurs.

My company does not need that many photo jobs, but all the latest have been covered by me or any other colleague, with better results than our previous "professional" experiences.

On a personal level, I hired professionals for my wedding, but at the end, only the photos from moments we were alone with them were really not replaceable by the photos from the attendants. With the important caveat that we got their photos much later than anyone elses.

I know there are really great photographers out there. It's just really hard to find them among so much mediocre ones (many of which are really convinced they are top notch, just because thay can focus).

"but would be perfect punchline setups in an Aaron Johnson 'What The Duck' comic strip. Do any of these sound familiar? "

yes, they're very familiar, from WhatTheDuck. repeated at least twice.

I'm self employed.... and yes I've heard them all ;) countless times.

people come up with the weirdest reasons why they should be worthy to get work for free or next-to-nothing.
Usual answer: no, but no thanks.

In the beginning 15+ years ago I would try to explain, try to reason, spend the time... these days I just politely, but quickly tell them that they don't get anything for free from me.
otherwise: waste of time.

I have had many instances of clients asking for freebies or reduced rates over the years. Being a professional means its your profession, a means of supporting yourself and your family as well as maintaining a level of quality that people can trust, just like a solicitor, architect or accountant.
I never work for free, it is unprofessional, especially to my bank balance and to others in the industry. It never ceases to amaze me when you have a multimillion pound company quibbiling over the cost of a courier or the props bill. Can I go into a supermarket and then negotiate the bill at the checkout?
I occasionally offer my services free of charge to charities or friends and family but that's a whole different ball game. At the end of the day I would rather appoligie once for the fees that i charge than forever for the quality.

I think the big misunderstanding here is that digital photography has created many more photographers that there used to be. And are desperate to become rich and famous like many aspiring models are. :-(

Also people mistake a photographer for an artist. Most photographers are in business to document events not create art. That's not to say they don't add artistic flourishes to their documentation work where allowed and where it makes sense and that they don't create artwork independently of their paying jobs.

Photographers are not starving artists trying to get-rich-quick. Artists imagined as rich are few and far between, and those almost always have had a special relation with a patron, certainly not because they were pop-culture popular in their own lifetimes.

I say this as a non-photographer with no interest in becoming a professional for money, fame, or work.

I've heard all of those, and more than once!!!! Hilarious!!!... or sad. Funny thing is, is that no matter how far along you are in your photography career, you still get these.

It reminds me of a saying from the dot com bust era: "We're losing money on each item, but we will make up for it in volume".

I work as a freelancer on computers and photography, at the beginning I have done some works for free, but not for much time, I think all good work should be well payed. I think the digital times make things a bit more difficult to photographers because almost every one have a digital camera or friends with them and they think they can do the work properly without asking it to a professional.

All photographers should be payed for the work done.

The only thing I do for free now is being a moderator at Dpreview, but that is different and it is made for free will.

I really don't understand why some people underestimate the photographers and try to get the work for free. It is a thing that we photographers must fight , and explain why a professional work is better and should be payed.