And my response:

I’m not sure why Kirk felt he ‘had to try’.

You don’t walk into a restaurant and say to the owner ‘look, I’d like the best meal you have. I can’t pay, but I will tell all my friends about how great it was’.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am open to providing photography services pro bono, however they need to meet the criteria set down in this post I previously wrote, titled Free Photography.

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For the people that have asked me to date and the people that will ask me in the months and the years to come, the answer is NO.

I do not provide imagery to companies or organisations to help promote a product or add value to a product, without remuneration.

Why?

It is how I make a living as a photographer.

If I just license imagery for free, then I can no longer make a living as a photographer (this isn’t rocket science folks).

Here are just a few immediate problems that I have as a working photographer with giving away imagery for free:

It does not put money in my bank account.

It does not put food on my table.

It does not help me pay for this computer that I am typing this on; nor does it help me pay for my photographic equipment; nor does it help pay for my marketing costs; nor does it help me pay for…the list is almost endless.

Now that I have cleared that up, let me add this – I have heard all the ‘good’ reasons why I should license my imagery for free.

My absolute favourite is ‘we will give you a photo credit’.

Sorry to burst your bubble and state the obvious, but a photo credit – while important – does not put money in my bank account. It does not put food on my table. It does not help me pay for this computer that I am typing this on. Do I need to explain it again?

Now if you have seen one of my photos and you just know it is THE perfect photo for your product or project or what ever it is that requires some imagery and you are tempted to ask for a free license, then this is what you have to prove to me.

Prove to me that every person working on your project is doing it for free. This also includes all the service providers – printing shops; creative agency; etc – that you may be using.

If – and only if – you can prove to me that everyone is doing this project for free, will I even remotely consider your request.

After all, if everyone else is getting paid, why should I be the one that provides a service for free?

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