PHOTO CREDITS

PHOTO CREDITS. 
How does the quote go. "I will gladly pay you today with PHOTO CREDITS for a Hamburger." Maybe not, but it is close. David Sanger gave me this years ago in a quote from the late great Stock Artists Alliance newletter. Photographers are always expected to be grateful for requests and be given PHOTO CREDITS. 
Check out David's site, he is VERY GOOD.

FOLKS, WE CAN'T EAT THOSE PHOTO CREDITS or PAY THE RENT!  Here is the text of a mail sent to him by a friend that was asked for free photography (naturally) for a church.  These days it is likey to be a freelance author or a 501(c)3 NGO Non-profit with highly paid CEOs.

"Just a question ... are you paying for printing of the brochures and bulletins? Do you pay someone to host (and/or set up) your website? We photographers often are asked for the free use of our work. Non- profit organizations generally view it as normal to pay printers or software developers or web hosts, and yet at the same time expect that photographers should bear the cost of producing images and donate their images without compensation. Photography incurs costs, just as printing and other services do. I'm the owner of a business and businesses that don't produce income don't stay in business. Being acknowledged as the producer of an image doesn't pay my bills, although it remains a necessary condition for copyright protection.

I appreciate what you're doing and that you need to keep your costs at a minimum. If all of the above are being donated for you, then I'm willing to donate the use of my image without a fee, as well. If not, then the use of my image requires us to negotiate a license fee, which I can keep to a minimum."

I think I am going to start carrying copies of this for aspiring authors who approach requesting free images. Remember: If it can be downloaded, it is worthless.

Visit the Cat Gallery.  Too damn adorable.
JA