Collegiate Images April '05 newsletter (Scroll down to "Photographer Disclaimer Language.") (Removed from site.)
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Advertising Photographers of America Resource page
Common Cents Column On The Cost of Doing Business
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Portions of this column were originally written for the August 2005 edition of News Photographer Magazine.
Mark Loundy is a media producer and consultant based in San Jose, California. Full bio.
The opinions in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Press Photographers Association.
By Mark Loundy
"The person who knows 'how' will always have a job. The person who knows "why" will always be his boss."
— Diane Ravitch, professor, Columbia University Teachers College
The next time your friendly local college sports information director calls you with an assignment you might want to consider just how friendly he or she really is. If their school is a member of Collegiate Images, you really need to watch your pocketbook.
Collegiate Images is all about rights management. They want to be the single clearinghouse for all "copyrighted intellectual property content for colleges, universities, conferences, bowl games and broadcast rights holders." The problem is that one of the things that they advise member institutions to do is make sure that photographers sign a contract that, "clearly establishes your school/conference/bowl game as the copyright holder for all images captured by your contracted photographer."
If you want to make a living shooting sports, don't risk your future by destroying the market for sports photography. If you can't keep your copyright, you're not shooting on a professional level. No matter how good your images are you will never be more than a sophisticated hobbyist. Professionals retain their copyright. They are firm, they are businesslike and they are prepared to walk away from bad deals.
Collegiate Images recognizes the future value of your work. Make sure that you do too.
Photographer Harrison Shull for walking away from a rotten deal from Meredith Integrated Publishing.
The Chronicle of Higher Education for readily paying invoices for additional usage beyond the initial assignment. But you do have to ask.
North Jersey Media (last month's "Bad") Magazine Division PE, Michael Bocchieri for trying to get their currently lousy contract improved. If you know him, give him some moral support.
The Kansas City Star. You'll get $55 per assignment or $110 for a full day of work for them. It's enough to make Wilbert Harrison turn around and go back to North Carolina.
Orlando CityBeat for its copyright-confiscating-$30-per-assignment contract.
Please let me know of any particularly good, bad or ugly dealings that you have had with clients recently. I will use the client's name, but I won't use your name if you don't want me to. Anonymous submissions will not be considered. Please include contact information for yourself and for the client.
Leftovers