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HUUUUGE opportunity ...

I'm guessing that John isn't currently a member of a Professional Photographer's association, even if he may have held such a membership in the past.
If he is currently a member, I'd suggest that his membership may give him access to information about what current rate structures are.
Even if he was formerly a member, I'd suggest he reference his past connections when he negotiates.
 
Based on the prices over here it would be hard to gain a 4-digit figure.
 
So far I have not heard of billboard ads made up on a non-commissioned photo. On the other hand, if this is a scam to get bank informations, why not offering a higher price?
 
It sounds like a scam. What major company has an intern doing negotiations. What legitimate request would not include a sample contract. The significant typographical error is also worrisome.

On the other hand, if it is legitimate, then I have a whole lot of photos I am willing to unload for $149.
 
It may very well be a scam. Scammers can get real creative these days, so you always have to be on guard. But it's not unusual to deal with an intern or some other middle person for the first while and right up until the end. Not these days anyway. I have on several occasions done work for a company, got the contracts all sorted out and autographed, did the work and rework, thought everything was approved and done, only to find out the person I was dealing with wasn't the decision maker. Then you have to start the process all over again.
 
I hope the OP has not been totally confused and discouraged by some of the wacky replies so far.

Here are some observations from my real-world, major ad agency experience over many decades:

1. It is entirely possible that an intern might contact a photographer about an image. However, it is most likely that someone has downloaded or made a screen capture of the image and put it in a layout to present to the client. A major agency would usually not show something to a client if the did not know if the image is available for advertising use. So the intern has made contact, including what he or she thinks is a reasonable offer. I would wager this is not a high-priority, big budget project since the intern is contacting you. Most big agencies have art buyers who take care of the actually purchase.

2. Stock photos are used all the time for billboards by major advertisers.

3. I doubt this is a scam to access your banking info. Agencies usually pay by check unless the supplier insists otherwise. And that check will probably take 180 days to arrive. Agencies don't like to shell out money the client hasn't paid yet.

4. I have contacted hundreds of photographers, never once including a contract. In most cases, the only contract has been the invoice from the photographer stating the usage that has been agreed on.

If by some chance the client has already seen the layout and fallen in love with the image, your chances of getting more money are much better.

Good luck.
 
pbromaghin said:
I doubt jnanian believes any of his images to be worth high thousands. He's not quite the dumbass you might think he is.
Click to expand...

This has got to be the best back-handed compliment I have seen in quite some time (sorry Jon, it was at your expense!). Reminds me of college, where we excelled at back-handed compliments. In fact, they became so ingrained that one good friend couldn't find anything better to say to a crush of his than: "You smell good today, what's the occasion?" Needless to say that went nowhere.

*golf clap*

btw it's most certainly a scam.
 
My wife was contacted in a similar fashion about the use of an image for a luxury hotel branding. They were happy to pay $4,000 (split between my wife and her model) and comp one week stay at the hotel, which was in Florence Italy. When we finally went to claim our week it was odd to see her image, inverted and stylized, on everything from soap and shampoo bottles, bathrobes and menus, etc. I wouldn't believe that part about using more of your work, that's just BS, but $150 for what they described way too low. The imaging is the central feature of whatever they are doing and the price should reflect that. 4k minimum.
 
Just driving down the highway, I'd say few professional photographers' images are used for billboards. Most of them are a blight. (John's prospective billboard excluded, of course.)
 
the guy wrote back and said they couldn't afford to pay me more than $150 ..
i think the whole thing was a scam LOL
thanks for your posts and ideas &c ...
i used to have a usage fee page bookmarked
and seems it vanished ... but even 15 years ago
the media blitz he said he wanted my work for
would have been thousands not less than 200...
 
The C.O.N.S.P.I.R.A.C.Y. is at it again! Trying to make you hand over your slack for monkey change, but they can't fool us.
 
RattyMouse said:
That's why I gave my image away for free. I knew it wasnt worth anything.
Click to expand...
you should never sell yourself short --
it was obviously worth something, they used it
on the cover of a magazine .... !
and it was pretty rotten of them not ot give you
a by line or mention you took the image on
the inside cover/masthead where they have the info..
=
seth resinck, a well known and respected commerical photographer
has a series of tables on his website that have pricing info for usage
i've used his handiwork in the past to price out jobs and its pretty much spot on..
(he's the person i couldn't remember / find .. you can gooooogle his name and photography pricing
to see what i should have been offered )
==
the problem with accepting extreme low ball offers that some may find offensive
is that it lowers the bar for EVERYONE. its like the person down the street who
shoots weddings for like $50- 100$ .. or the retiree who would travel 4 hours from CT to shoot
a habs job in VT and only charge for gas people who aren't doing it for a hobby or
just to get out of the house can't compete ...
not saying non profits or people who cant' afford the usage or service &c should
be screwed over and charged what a large corp should be charged, but
its a known fact that ad agencies send interns out to troll for work on instagram and flickr &c
and make pitiful offers to people who are just happy to have their photographs or drawings used
and get some self recognition .. it ruins the market for everyone.... there is a corporate art company
that leases artwrok (large, prints, matted and framed and canvases ) to corporate spaces/
office buildings &c... i was marketed pretty hard by them about a year or 2 ago .. turns out
the person who made the artwork makes a tiny amount / month ( less than 5bucks / image ) and
the company itself makes massive coin in comparison .. i pressed the person who i audienced with hard
to find out exactly what the prices were and she didn't want to tell me cause it sounded like such
a sweet deal the way they pitched it ... yup sweet deal for them ...
 

It was a mistake. I let it go since getting angry would solve nothing.

I got a photo on a magazine cover. I'm happy with that. Far more than money would have given me.
 
RattyMouse said:
It was a mistake. I let it go since getting angry would solve nothing.

I got a photo on a magazine cover. I'm happy with that. Far more than money would have given me.
Click to expand...

If you want to pursue professional photography you might want to contact the photo editor at a solid (long-lived) education-oriented magazine, show your photo, offer one-time use for no charge (don't say "free"), requiring them only to give you credit for this particular photo, ask if they want more education-oriented photography at appropriate ASMP fees (which may be very low depending on the type of publication). Start with one lower circulation magazine to start getting comfortable with this process.

Regarding professional ethics and respect for professionals, this Photrio discussion should mention ASMP. https://www.asmp.org/join/membership-categories/ I'm not a member because it doesn't address my type of work, but I recall that ASMP recognizes that some small publications cannot afford to pay photographers at all.

.. if ASMP was mentioned in this thread, I apologize for missing it.
 
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jnanian said:
in last month
intern
beautiful
excluding [sic]
Billboards
perhaps you have heard of them?
$150.00
will have "follow up" opportunities
as soon as possible
Click to expand...

each of the above on its own sceams scam
 
Vilk said:
each of the above on its own sceams scam
Click to expand...

IDK
a photrio and LFinfo member a few years ago
was contacted similarly on flickrrr
for a campaign for cocacola or maybe it was mcD's
and im guessing iphone users are contacted
by appple for their "shot on an iPphone" campaign ..
except for saying excluding instead of exclusive
seemed real to me LOL
but then again, im an egoist, just fell off the turnip truck
and i know that i am the best ... maybe, just maybe if the
image was made with a hassey or a ULF camera, instead of
a pentax k1000 .. it would have been
worth even more than150$
 
John.
I disagree with all the posts in this thread. Including the ones I haven't read.
Turn down that $150 (it's generous, sure, but read on); if you grant me permanent and exclusive rights to your image, i will absolutely guarantee you as much exposure as will put food on your table, money in your bank and gas in your tank for the foreseeable future*.












* terms and conditions apply. this is not an offer or guarantee of any kind.
 
@pdeeh and @markjwyatt
i appreciate your inputs !
pdeeh when you say food on my table
that's good i coudln't ask for anything more !
but im a raman-noodle-a-tarian i hope its a lifetime supply ...
markjwyatt
even if the ad agency that wrote me
was real ( i think it was fake ) i wouldn't do that.
usage for the things they needed range from
$2000+ much more for other uses by allowing them to
only give me $150 ( for even 1 use ) ... it sets a precedence and gives power tothe low-baller
and unfortunately its the low-ballers who have really hurt freelancers as a whole !
 
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