Usage Explained

We don't sell photography, we license it.

Photography is copyrighted intellectual property, just like books, music and software. Like musicians, authors and software publishers, photographers are paid a fee for creating the work and then residuals or royalties for the subsequent use of those works.

Our fees are based on two main factors, the first being time involved. In addition to the actual shooting time there is also pre production time (set building, prop hunting, location scouting, etc.) and post production. These fees are either based on the day or in the case of post, hourly.

The second factor involved is usage. Many clients new to the field don't fully understand the usage concept and often have the idea that "I paid for it, it's mine." Generally our response is "We're happy to sell you unlimited rights, however that will cost you more than limited rights." The usage fee is based on how the client will use the images created. Images created for a national ad campaign that will run in 10 major consumer magazines will have a higher usage fee than those created for a local campaign.

Often clients simply don't know how they intend to use the images created, or for how long. If that's the case then we can grant an unlimited license, but as stated above, it's always better to plan out the usage so we can craft a license that gets you what you need, but doesn't have you paying more than necessary. Many times clients are also concerned that at the end of the license period that they will not be able to use the images any more. Not so, we'll be happy to re-license the images at the same rate as they were originally licensed.

At the end of the day usage saves the client money by allowing the client to pay for only what they need.