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How would you answer this question?
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Feb 25, 2018 07:05:07   #
Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts
 
“Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own child?”
I take pictures of my sons hockey games. I have been doing it for many years now and I post all of the pictures on my website. I take pictures of all of the players. The low resolution watermarked images are free to download so the boys can post them to social media. If someone wants a full resolution image without a watermark it’s $15 for the digital file. Every year I do a shoot with just the seniors where we get creative and do something special for their Senior poster which gets put up in the rink in senior night. This year I did a low key shot of each senior stopping and spraying snow. The shoot involved renting a sheet of ice for $200 for an hour and about 2 hours total set up and shooting time. Post processing was about 1/2 hour per image. I also took 4 additional poses of each senior. The seniors will get a 24x36 poster of the “stopping” shot as well as an 8x10 of each additional pose. Those are my gift to the seniors. The stopping shots came out very good. One mother asked me to email her the picture so she could have it printed for friends and relatives. When I told her she could download the full resolution image from my website. Her respnse was “Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own child?” My initial inclination is to repond with sarcasm. How ever I am curious how others would repond tactfully.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:15:50   #
Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.
 
I would ask her if she pays for pizza.

Do you know how to get a professional photographer off your doorstep? Pay him or her for the pizza!

What's the difference between a professional photographer and a 14" pizza? A 14" pizza can feed a family of four!

Go tell her to take the pictures herself. There's no free lunch.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:17:20   #
Terry
 
This doesn!t surprise me people always want something for nothing, if she can get it from your website that is good enough. Don!t give in, your time is valuable.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:23:34   #
Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts
 
Peterff wrote:
I would ask her if she pays for pizza.

Do you know how to get a professional photographer off your doorstep? Pay him or her for the pizza!

What's the difference between a professional photographer and a 14" pizza? A 14" pizza can feed a family of four!

Go tell her to take the pictures herself. There's no free lunch.

Those are good. My initial thought was You don’t have to pay no one is forcing you to pay anything but if you want the image it is $15. Or. The image is free but there is a $15 download fee. Or Your kid is so ugly I have to charge you $15. But remember I said I am curious what someone with more tact than I have would say.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:24:04   #
LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America
 
Because the file isn’t her property.

If she wishes to invest thousands of dollars in equipment and software and years learning its proper use she won’t have to pay further for a photo of her own child.

Plain and simple.

That type of person will never get it.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:26:15   #
rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
 
I would tactically explain to her that every child received their free prints and anything after that comes at a cost. The fact that it is her child or someone else's child is irrelevant. The Digital image file fee is $15 for everyone.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:27:38   #
suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ
 
Jaackil wrote:
“Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own child?”
I take pictures of my sons hockey games. I have been doing it for many years now and I post all of the pictures on my website. I take pictures of all of the players. The low resolution watermarked images are free to download so the boys can post them to social media. If someone wants a full resolution image without a watermark it’s $15 for the digital file. Every year I do a shoot with just the seniors where we get creative and do something special for their Senior poster which gets put up in the rink in senior night. This year I did a low key shot of each senior stopping and spraying snow. The shoot involved renting a sheet of ice for $200 for an hour and about 2 hours total set up and shooting time. Post processing was about 1/2 hour per image. I also took 4 additional poses of each senior. The seniors will get a 24x36 poster of the “stopping” shot as well as an 8x10 of each additional pose. Those are my gift to the seniors. The stopping shots came out very good. One mother asked me to email her the picture so she could have it printed for friends and relatives. When I told her she could download the full resolution image from my website. Her respnse was “Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own child?” My initial inclination is to repond with sarcasm. How ever I am curious how others would repond tactfully.
“Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own ... (show quote)

I am speechless! If it wasn't for your efforts that picture would not exist. That seems like reason enough.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:32:10   #
Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
 
Jaackil wrote:
“Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own child?”
I take pictures of my sons hockey games. I have been doing it for many years now and I post all of the pictures on my website. I take pictures of all of the players. The low resolution watermarked images are free to download so the boys can post them to social media. If someone wants a full resolution image without a watermark it’s $15 for the digital file. Every year I do a shoot with just the seniors where we get creative and do something special for their Senior poster which gets put up in the rink in senior night. This year I did a low key shot of each senior stopping and spraying snow. The shoot involved renting a sheet of ice for $200 for an hour and about 2 hours total set up and shooting time. Post processing was about 1/2 hour per image. I also took 4 additional poses of each senior. The seniors will get a 24x36 poster of the “stopping” shot as well as an 8x10 of each additional pose. Those are my gift to the seniors. The stopping shots came out very good. One mother asked me to email her the picture so she could have it printed for friends and relatives. When I told her she could download the full resolution image from my website. Her respnse was “Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own child?” My initial inclination is to repond with sarcasm. How ever I am curious how others would repond tactfully.
“Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own ... (show quote)


Without getting into the details of what you do in order to produce the image, it is really a very simple answer. She doesn't have to pay for a picture of her kid. But if she wants YOUR picture of her kid, she has to pay $15 for it. If she is still listening, you may remind her that copyright ownership, as well as the decision as to how the work is to be used, always remains with the photographer, unless a different arrangement is made. By allowing digital download, you are in essence, but not explicitly, sharing copyright - and at $15 per image, that's really cheap.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:32:33   #
BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA
 
Jaackil wrote:
“Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own child?”
I take pictures of my sons hockey games. I have been doing it for many years now and I post all of the pictures on my website. I take pictures of all of the players. The low resolution watermarked images are free to download so the boys can post them to social media. If someone wants a full resolution image without a watermark it’s $15 for the digital file. Every year I do a shoot with just the seniors where we get creative and do something special for their Senior poster which gets put up in the rink in senior night. This year I did a low key shot of each senior stopping and spraying snow. The shoot involved renting a sheet of ice for $200 for an hour and about 2 hours total set up and shooting time. Post processing was about 1/2 hour per image. I also took 4 additional poses of each senior. The seniors will get a 24x36 poster of the “stopping” shot as well as an 8x10 of each additional pose. Those are my gift to the seniors. The stopping shots came out very good. One mother asked me to email her the picture so she could have it printed for friends and relatives. When I told her she could download the full resolution image from my website. Her respnse was “Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own child?” My initial inclination is to repond with sarcasm. How ever I am curious how others would repond tactfully.
“Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own ... (show quote)


I think most have the same opinion. Invite her to take her own pictures of her son. She is not forced to pay you for the image.

Personally I think you are grossly undercharging; not may places allow you do download a file. You seem to do this out of either love of just plain support for the team and the players. You do not state whether you are connected to the team in any official capacity, other than as parent of a player, which could muddy the waters.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:33:36   #
Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.
 
Jaackil wrote:
Those are good. My initial thought was You don’t have to pay no one is forcing you to pay anything but if you want the image it is $15. Or. The image is free but there is a $15 download fee. Or Your kid is so ugly I have to charge you $15. But remember I said I am curious what someone with more tact than I have would say.



And $15 is above minimum wage. Photography is a skilled profession.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:41:00   #
sb Loc: Florida's East Coast
 
We live in an age of vanity and narcissism. Many people want everything for nothing. People play the welfare system for all it's worth. SOME veterans play the VA system for all it's worth. People bring back dirty, worn clothes for a refund at the store. When I was in private practice many patients seemed to feel that they shouldn't have to pay for my services or pay their insurance copayment. LL Bean has stopped their "return it anytime for a replacement" policy because, among other things, some people were returning their children's school clothes at the end of the school year and wanting a replacement of all of them for the next school season.

You provided a service that cost you time and money and required considerable training and skill. You can explain that to people, but they won't be interested...

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Feb 25, 2018 07:43:20   #
lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA
 
Jaackil wrote:
“Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own child?”
I take pictures of my sons hockey games. I have been doing it for many years now and I post all of the pictures on my website. I take pictures of all of the players. The low resolution watermarked images are free to download so the boys can post them to social media. If someone wants a full resolution image without a watermark it’s $15 for the digital file. Every year I do a shoot with just the seniors where we get creative and do something special for their Senior poster which gets put up in the rink in senior night. This year I did a low key shot of each senior stopping and spraying snow. The shoot involved renting a sheet of ice for $200 for an hour and about 2 hours total set up and shooting time. Post processing was about 1/2 hour per image. I also took 4 additional poses of each senior. The seniors will get a 24x36 poster of the “stopping” shot as well as an 8x10 of each additional pose. Those are my gift to the seniors. The stopping shots came out very good. One mother asked me to email her the picture so she could have it printed for friends and relatives. When I told her she could download the full resolution image from my website. Her respnse was “Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own child?” My initial inclination is to repond with sarcasm. How ever I am curious how others would repond tactfully.
“Why should I have to pay for a picture of my own ... (show quote)


ANSWER NASTY. The new non-thinking norm of the day in this age of vanity and narcissism. Therefore, "Why should I have to pay the doctor for delivering my own child"? So propose that rebuttal question and then tell her she can deliver it on her own (that will be fun) and not pay the doctor or midwife and take her own damn pictures of her kids for free.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:44:53   #
Brent Rowlett Loc: Atlanta, GA
 
My whole take on the situation is that if your photography only commands $15, it isn't worth charging her for it. Give her the photo and move on.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:45:39   #
Rongnongno Loc: FL
 
I had a similar case with a MWR director in 1989. I gave him a free print with a large red stamp over it: DO NOT REPRODUCE.

He was furious, everyone else was laughing.

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Feb 25, 2018 07:46:24   #
ToBoldlyGo Loc: London U.K.
 
As well as reminding her about the low res version she has for free, you could remind her that it is a professionally shot photo. You could add that you're not in it for profit, but have to charge something for overheads and time. She may not take this on board, at which point you may choose to part ways.

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