Catch 22 regards payment for Photos

blue5

I was at an event last week which I was invited to whereupon one of the organisers for the event was asking how much I charged for photos and that some of the other freelancers were getting paid for photos and that they would be used in articles for local papers.

I was delighted to hear this and also interested in following it up as previously I had been doing it as a favour for this Volunteer organisation. They have been using my work for nearly two years for promotional materials for social media and News Letters etc. I realise this is the arrangement I originally entered into with them, with the hope of making contacts and getting further work. I had not met this rep before, having usually dealt with two others. One of them having failed to mention for quite a while that I could at least get re-imbursed for travel expenses until I asked about it.

Now I don't want to seem greedy but I also don't want to be taken advantage of. If other people are getting paid for the same work I'm doing which the Volunteer organisation have been very happy with, should I say something?

I sent on the photos as asked by the representative of the organisation to a deadline. And the following day a very apologetic rep suddenly had a different story, that they didn't have it in their budget to pay for the photos and that I had been providing photos previously for the organisation on a volunteer basis.

But I'm wondering where the conversation came from the previous day, where she was saying that the photographers would be paid for some of the photos.

I'm not looking for abuse for asking a question here, what you may think is obvious etc. I have pointed out all the facts, volunteer organisation, original agreements in an attempt to be as straight as possible.

But after hearing that other people were being paid for the same work, maybe only special events, not all events should I ask what is the story with reimbursement?

If this is an unsuitable topic I apologise, just looking for a little guidance where I stand, I don't want to be taken advantage of and neither do I want to upset the apple cart as it were. I'm sure there have been points in your lives where you would have appreciated some guidance.

So any helpful replies would be very much appreciated!

Thank you

DaireQuinlan

Firstly, not a catch 22 situation.


Secondly, it seems quite simple. If you want to get paid then insist on getting paid or don't submit your photographs. If you're happy to do the work without being paid then do just that, and don't gripe about it.

magicbastarder

it's important to note that the other freelancers are working for local newspapers, which would almost certainly be commercial enterprises, but you are working for a not-for-profit organisation.
what determines the value of the shots is not what the photographer would charge for them, but what value they provide to the customer.
if you can get a gig with the local papers, and take the shots - and charge for them - and provide them to the other organisation for free, that'd probably be the ideal solution, if you were able to engineer it.

poundhound

If you work for nothing, you'll never be out of work.

CabanSail

While I understand your issue here, the fact remains that you negotiated to work as a volunteer. You cannot really blame the organisation for assuming that this will continue if you have not said anything.

If you want to change the basis of this relationship then that needs to be negotiated. The work done by others may guide you but you will have to establish the worth of your own product. Beware that there may be another tog who is willing to do the work for free and you could get pushed out.

Beano

CabanSail wrote: »

While I understand your issue here, the fact remains that you negotiated to work as a volunteer. You cannot really blame the organisation for assuming that this will continue if you have not said anything.

If you want to change the basis of this relationship then that needs to be negotiated. The work done by others may guide you but you will have to establish the worth of your own product. Beware that there may be another tog who is willing to do the work for free and you could get pushed out.

He still owns the copyright on his pics so he has the right to tell them that they cant use them.

Splinters

I suppose the question you need to ask yourself is would you continue to do it if they didnt pay you?

If not, then simply tell them due to time, financial or other circumstances you can no longer justify the time and expense of working for them for free.

Presumably they like your work so if they any way reasonable they'll offer you a small fee to continue working for them, and if not, then no loss.

PCPhoto

like everyone else has said :
(but I'll phrase it differently)

if you didn't find out that others were getting paid would it have made a difference to you ?

(I'm guessing no)

in that case, you opted for working for free - you cant complain.

has the volunteer organisation allowed you to build contacts ? have you earned money through those contacts ?

I have no problem with doing a job for free* (if its a charity that I like and feel deserves free work) - but you have to realise that there is always someone else who will be at the same event and will be earning money or earning more money than you.