Good Promo or Crazy Idea?

[Cindy]

Hi All-
I have read some discussion here in the past about NOT doing work for free in the hopes of getting your work seen. I have always felt that this is a viable alternative. I have to admit though, that the past shows that I have done for non profit businesses have not translated into actual sales for me.

I now have an opportunity that I think will do just this. The difficult part is that I do want to offer my services to this non-profit organization because I believe in their mission and want to help - at the same time, I really do want to get some sale from it.

So... I have offered to do a Photo Story for this organization which will span the organization's 40 year history. They will use this show as a marketing tool on their website, at trade shows and fundraising dinners. The show will, of course, include my contact information and my cards will be available. It will be seen by thousands of people in both business circles and at the event itself.

My proposal will be that this show be offered for sale and I receive a portion/sale. They seem to be open to this alternative.

Questions: This organization serves several thousand individuals and is affiliated with the State government.

1) Do I just make the show and ask them to handle the reproduction and ask for a per sale fee? Or... do I arrange for the reproduction and charge more? I obviously can not handle the reproduction myself - could be several hundred copies on the lowside - there must be companies who will do this for me, right?

2) How much would I charge for such a show? The original show is going to be done as a donation, so I will just charge per copy for those sold. It is going to take me FOREVER to do - including archives from the past 40 years.

3) Am I completely crazy for even thinking about this project? Okay, DON'T answer that one, I already know the answer.

I would much appreciate you comments, concerns and past experiences.

Have a great day!

[cfeather]

Whatever you do will set a precedent for future work. How hungry are you? I know it can be tempting to take on work just to have the opportunity, but unless you get great joy from making shows for free, you have to set a fee structure and stick to it.

You are going to be dealing with photos to which you do not own the copyright. Therefore, I would suggest you not charge a per DVD charge because there is only a portion of that work that is legally yours -- the assembly of those images and creation of the ISO file. You need to figure out exactly what it is you are selling them, try to come up with a time estimate (and then double it to be safe) and quote a figure. Don't be afraid to walk away from it if they can't meet your price. You will set a prececent by whatever you quote.

Don't write off producing the DVDs yourself. I turned out 300 DVDs, with printed labels on an Epson R220 (prints directly to the DVD surface) last year. I would put a DVD in the burner (I had two going, they are dirt cheap these days), fire up the lap top and desktop, go do something for 10 minutes, burn another two, etc. Kind of a pain, but at least you don't have to babysit it.

Producing a master can be very expensive, which is why I went this way.

If you feel strongly about the group's work, then you could arrange a discount, but only after you've made a clear statement of your fees for the project.

Good luck.

[Tarafrost Profile Private messageWebsite]

I follow a number of business photography sites (since that's one of the things I do).

One common theme is doing loss-leader (ie, free) work in the hopes of getting paid work down the road. This is a good blog that has been very vocal on the subject: Photo Business Forum.

In a nutshell, the perceived value of your work will be no more than what you charge for it. If you don't charge for it, it will be perceived as valueless (or close to it), in monetary terms.

There was a great post entitled: Top 10 Lies told to Naive Artists and Designers, and to summarize the complete article (reachable through the link):

1 "Do this one cheap (or free) and we'll make it up on the next one."
2 "We never pay a cent until we see the final product."
3 "Do this for us and you'll get great exposure! The jobs will just pour in!"
4 On looking at sketches or concepts: "Well, we aren't sure if we want to use you yet, but leave your material here so I can talk to my partner/investor/wife/clergy."
5 "Well, the job isn't CANCELLED, just delayed. Keep the account open and we'll continue in a month or two."
6 "Contract? We don't need no stinking contact! Aren't we friends?"
7 "Send me a bill after the work goes to press."
8 "The last guy did it for XXX dollars."
9 "Our budget is XXX dollars, firm."
10 "We are having financial problems. Give us the work, we'll make some money and we'll pay you. Simple."

Might be worth thinking/reading/taling about this topic, since it seems to be a prevalent issue amongst creative types.

Now I do understand doing work for charitable organizations. Everything I do for the Bear Creek Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary, including photography, posters, slideshows, web site, prints and more is in support of the worthy cause. But that is my choice, since I believe and support that organization. I'll also do freebies for close friends and family, as the mood strikes.

Everyone else pays cash (or cheque or Visa/MC)!

Enjoy!