organizations who only seek 'FREE' stock photography?

By PJAMES on June 18, 2007 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/125s f/5 at 54.0mm iso400

Usel photographed at home on Bantayan Island, which is depicted in the lower image - a very small & simple bamboo & coco wood dwelling with no electricity, running water or amenities whatsoever, as the children must sleep outside under a bamboo covering.
...I spend a LOT of time here with her family daily, helping as much as I possibly can.

Good Sunday Evening,

I haven't been feeling well this week, and really couldn't get to edit images & write much, and the week prior I'd been working overnights, so I again was trying to get my body back on regular day/night hours, so I appologise for the lack of posts.

Last week I did receive an interesting email from a children's charity org that wanted "to use my photographs on their website AND also the same images in a hi-resolution format, in a few different types of printed materials, in exchange for a photo credit".

They also invited me to participate in a Gallery auction to take place in Austria this coming December 2007, by donating prints to raise funds to benefit their charity.

I won't name the .org and embarrass them, but I did check out their website and it looked to be a total mess (unorganized, ambiguous; nearly impossible to navigate)

...usually when a business contacts you after finding your work online and only offers a "photo credit" and nothing else, they're simply looking for free stock photography, and are hoping you're so excited about getting published that you'll just give away your work for nothing.

Whenever I'm contacted by orgs wanting my images to benefit their organization, I only have one simple request, and I've never been turned down in the last few times it's happened.

I simply state that I've had real-world relationships since 2003 with the very people & children I've shot & published here, and I also state that I'd be willing to forgo a professional licensing fee for multiple images (that can get expensive when talking about them wanting to use your work both online AND in print), in exchange for them donating a small fee equal to 4 or 5 50kg sacks of rice for these Families who's images they are interested in, to promote their own causes.

I've always believed it's only fair that I should be able to have something to directly benefit the KIDS (FOOD, etc) whose images they want to use, since using their images will directly benefit THEIR organization, and each & every time I explain my position, it has always turned out positive...and my kids get rice &/or clothing, instead of me going to their Families and saying "...look what a good photographer I be - your images were published by ABC.org & I gave my work away in exchange for this lovely little photo credit...I don't have much to give you this week, but aren't I a great photographer???"

Their email response came back a flat out NO (which they are entitled to say) but truth is, I was still surprised because they'd asked for so many images from me....they never offered so much as a dollar for a single meal, or a small box of clothes, something - anything.....if they had, I surely would have tried to at least work with them on some level in donating one of my prints, or giving them a few images for web use only, etc.

Seems they were just out to service themselves trying to get free stock photography off the web - they've obviously been to the stock agencies online and have seen what those costs are.

The text of the emails is below on the link; makes an interesting read.

(first email contact)

Hi,

I just came by chance to your website. I wonder if you can provide us some photos of street children in the Philippines for free cost as donation to our program to help the increasing rate of street children in the Philippines.

We need photos of street children to publish in our website www.pggxxxxxx.com
we will be printing broschures and leaflets. We guarantee to credit your name everytime we use your photographs in all kinds of publications. You will received free copies of the broschures. We can insert a LINK to your personal website for international promotion of your photographs.

We are organizing a charity exhibition in december 2007 participation of different international artists the exhibition will take place in corporate office "Sonory", sister company of Alcatel. We would like to invite you to join the exhibition. All participating artist will donate an artwork for auction, the said auction will be broadcasting in Austrian TV.

Just to give you a short introduction i am Filipina international renowned gallery based in Vienna, Austria.
you may visit my gallery website.
http://www.xxxxxxxgallery.com
http://www.xxxxxxxxxx.org
i am running an international art organization with over 50 international artists members from 13 different countries.

Should you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me.

Hope to hear from you shortly.

Sincerely,
jackie
-----------------------------------

(second email contact, my reply)

Hello Jackie,

Thank you for your email, and for expressing interest in my images of the Children in Need I work with in Manila, Cebu & Bantayan Island Philippines.

Were you specifically looking at www.projectrice.org or my pbase website?
www.pbase.com/pauljames ?

* when an org. or individual wishes
to use images of my kids, to promote another cause, I do say yes after forgoing the usual licensing fees (starting at $100 per image for web based commercial content [printed material licensing fees are of course higher]
asking for a simple donation to Project RICE - as it's only fair the
children in my images who I've known & helped since 2003 are also helped by
your own usage of my images of them, promoting your
cause, and this way I'm able to have specific funds in-hand to benefit them right after arriving in Manila, buying rice & clothing, necessities and occasionally medical visits to local clinics.

How much is left up to you, as this way I'm able to physically provide rice, clothing and other needs, and a few have even sent a bit more than the cost of 4 to 6 50KG sacks of rice at $25 per, when they've requested multiple images for print OR web usage, and that allows me to personally purchase necessities for the Families that I work with as soon as I arrive.

I believe that's a very fair request, and there's a donation button on the
project rice website that uses PayPal, so it's quite easy.

I would very like to participate in your Dec.2007 exhibition of a donated print for your auction; please tell me the requirements as to image size, etc. you would require.

I sometimes find it quite difficult to address the needs of the Families in Manila I've known over the past few years with the limited funds I have at my disposal for them - maybe your Foundation would lend its assistance to me on the ground there in Manila, so that I would no longer have to "pick & choose" who gets 50kg sacks of rice, who gets needed clothing, and who needs to see a Doctor? (as I am not able to currently provide all these things to all who are currently asking for them)

I'm looking forward to opening a discussion with you on these matters, as I believe we can easily help each others Children-Specific causes.

Best Regards,
Paul James
==============

(the final email where they say 'no way' but wish me good luck) I've left the syntax & spelling errors in.

Thank you very much for your immediate reply. we have got replies from som other interested photographers. We will contact you in case we have sellected your photographs.

i sent you an e-mail as i was not informed the organization has already received offers from other photographers, they got permission of copyright to use the photos to support the program.

Besides, I personally, do not support private organization.

Good luck to your charity program.
jackie
===========================

Thanks for reading today, and thanks for your patience!
PJAMES