This Photograph Is Not Free

John Mueller · Jan 10, 2012

So this was the first sunset I captured in 2012. It cost me $6,612 to take this photo.

$12 in gas to go from work to this spot and then home. The camera I took this with cost $2500. The lens was another $1600. The Singh Ray Reverse Neutral Density filter was $210. The Lee Wide-Angle Adapter and Foundation kit was another $200. The Slik Tripod was another $130. The shutter-release was another $60. When I got home, I uploaded it to a computer that cost me $1200, and then I used Lightroom 3 which I got for $200. I then exported it and tinkered with it in Photoshop which costs about $500.

12+2500+1600+210+200+130+60+1200+200+500= $6,612

So if you’re a magazine, website, corporation, sports team, or advertiser who wishes to use this photo, please don’t come and ask to use it for free, or in exchange for credit or “exposure”. You found my photo so obviously I have “exposure”. You have an advertising budget, and this is what it’s for. You obviously don’t expect your writers to work for free, or your secretary, or your boss. No one is going to publish it for free. Just because the picture is digital doesn’t mean it was free to make.

As someone mentioned, THIS single photo didn’t cost me $6,612, but if you wanted to create it, from scratch, that is what is involved. So I consider it the replacement value if it’s stolen, or how much my lawyer will send you a bill for if it’s found being used without my permission.

If you give your photo away for “credit” then the best possible scenario for you is someone will see your photo, contact you, and ask if they could borrow one of your photos… for credit. Try this… next time you’re at dinner, tell your waiter you’ll tell all your friends how good the service was if he gives you dinner for free.

About the author: John B. Mueller is a photographer based in Ventura County, California. Visit his website here.

Thanks for the tip, Morts!

angie497

He’s not talking about the difference in selling a great photo when someone wants one that’s good enough, or having someone buy a cheaper photo instead of his. He’s talking about people expecting something for nothing – or worse, acting like they’re doing you a favor in the process.
angie497

‘There are so many people getting into photography because it is easy.’ And then you list a whole bunch of things that are far from easy, and which end up costing a whole lot of money. Just because a whole lot of people are doing it, doesn’t mean that a whole lot of people are doing it well, or at a professional level. A whole lot of people play baseball, but I don’t see all of them getting paid 7-figure incomes for it, do you?

Owning a camera, no matter how expensive or ‘professional,’ doe snot make you a photographer. It makes you the owner of an expensive camera.
http://www.mirchevphotography.com/ Nikolay Mirchev

Well said John!!! I really wish there to be more people like you to rise awareness among the ignorant ones that photography (any art activities) doesn’t come for free. In matter of fact it is very expensive practice. By the way you forgot to mention about the insurance you are paying on your photography equipment ;)
http://www.product-shot.co.uk/ Product Shot UK

Really I honor to your thinking and salute to A great photography . Hope every people realized that beneath of every photograph has many steps to show a better performance.
http://www.facebook.com/farrukh.zafar.10 Farrukh Zafar

i agree with U brother… because i m also a photographer…. :)
Becs

Smoly beautiful. Thank you for sharing the scene.
Shemus O’Toole

You’re a bitter, jaded photographer that knows nothing about business. Do you also shoot weddings?
Chris Pickrell

To all the people saying that no one would charge for this one photo, or that he doesn’t understand the industry, or depreciation, and blah blah blah, you’ve all missed the point.

The point of this article is that there is an innate and inherent value to this photo, because of the cost that went into making it. For whatever reason it was made, it didn’t just come from nothing. Time, energy, money, etc all went into making this. So for companies to want it for free to use for their benefit are ignoring the fact that this photo did not come from nothing, and therefore costs more than nothing.

I’m also amazed at how many “professionals” are questioning whether the author knows the business. Because if you can read this and think he doesn’t understand the “business,” then I wonder if you do in fact know the business yourself.
Chris Pickrell

I do. I’m curious if you know about business.

PetaPixel

This Photograph Is Not Free