Reporter asked to use my shots

[TomMurphy]

So someone from the Plymouth Herald has just asked to use my Bovisand shots on the website.
Is it Urbex social-suicide to agree to this? It's a well known site and I'm not getting anything from it, but I thought I'd ask anyway!

Tom.

 

[krela]

Well social suicide aside you're giving them free content to make money from... not the best idea imo. If they want it they can pay for it, as all businesses should!

 

[UrbanX]

I guess you've got to ask yourself how you'd feel if you saw it absolutely trashed within a week? I'm guessing a lot of the local youth / taggers aren't really aware of the extents of it, or that it was accessible: but after seeing your fantastic photos would be desperate to access it by whatever means. That's my opinion - But then again this hobby is all about documenting places not normally seen!

 

[TomMurphy]

We've agreed that he can use them, but no photos anything which looks expensive or like property.
He's putting together a gallery that I can approve before it goes live.

Sounds like a reasonable man. It's all shut up now apparently. They're planning development.

 

[krela]

Outcast, outcast! Ban! Ban!

No but seriously, that's fair enough. But be aware that by giving away content that should be paid for, for free, you are essentially eroding people's ability to make a living. Particularly professional staff/freelance photographers most of whom no longer have jobs because so many people give their photos away just to see their name in the papers. Local papers are scumbbuckets both editorially and commercially and don't deserve free support.

Hi to all you cheap ass "journalists" reading this.

Totally not taking a pop at you Tom, I'm pretty sure this will have no effect on your urbex social standing whatsoever, I'm just raising a few issues to consider about our lovely press.

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

Just because photographs have appeared on the internet on a personal site or forum such as this, why should a 'for profit' organisation get them for free? As a person who still makes the occasional buck from my endeavours of past years - there is a 'going rate' for photographs and digital images, so ask for it and if the answer is no, tell them to bugger off!

 

[Rubex]

I recently had someone contact me as well. They were asking about me taking them to look around Houghton Grange (an explore I'd recently done), so I did a little bit of digging on their name and it turns out that they were a journalist even though they assured me they weren't! The whole thing freaked me out actually because I had no idea why they would lie about it.

 

[URBANMYTH]

People will lie about anything to get/gain what they want least you had your wits about you rubex

 

[Sam Haltin]

In my view you should have charged them. Because they used 40 images. If you want a look here's the link.
Exclusive look inside Fort Bovisand - urban explorer's pictures capture prime Plymouth site | Plymouth Herald

 

[HughieD]

Somebody getting something for nothing which then brings a profit is wrong. Doesn't matter whether it's music or pictures or any other art form. Pay your dues...

 

[krela]

Haha Localworld are such ********. Formerly owned by the Daily Mail, and now owned by Trinity Mirror, the UK's largest newspaper group. They made a profit of £81M last year, and all you got was your name mentioned, not even a link.

Most of their "news" comes from centrally employed mugs scouring the web and social media and other news outlets for cheap content to blag for free, they hardly have any actual local journalists or photographers any-more if you look closely a lot of their content is lifted from Google news and local independent news websites, and most of their photos are sourced from Google Earth, Facebook and other "free" sources.

 

[Sam Haltin]

Well, Tom you've learned your first lesson in photography. Do not let anyone post your pictures without charging them a fee, or better still, just say no! If you've clicked on the link you'll see that there isn't even a thank you from the paper. There are links to Facebook, Tweets, Pin-It so your pictures will now be spread over the globe.

 

[freeclimb]

When's it in the paper or is it just the online? It's my Local and it would be good to see your shots in there. By coincidence I got kicked out after about 30mins inside the Glass Ship in Plymouth a couple of weeks ago, which was until recently the offices and printers of the Herald.

 

[TomMurphy]

Blimey, I didn't expect this to get such a response. To be honest I didn't think much of the images, they were just point and shoot ones. I didn't even take a tripod. That's why I didn't care much!

I messaged him after reading this and he's paying me £40 for the shots. It just about covers the fuel to get there. Money wasn't an issue to me but the comment Krela made about taking work from others was somthing I hadn't even thought about.

I don't have a website of my own with any shots on, so I'm not really bothered about the lack of links or anything. I see photos in papers of abandoned houses and such sometimes, and I think that's horrendous, but the shots he used I was happy with.

After this, if it happens again I think I'll point them in the direction of one of the professionals (or at least start taking it more seriously myself!).

Thanks to everyone who replied. Quite an eye-opening event really.

 

[Sam Haltin]

That's good Tom. I would agree to that fee. As the saying goes "When the going gets tough - the tough get going", it can be a cruel world out there.

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

After this, if it happens again I think I'll point them in the direction of one of the professionals (or at least start taking it more seriously myself!)

If you have problems coming up with a fee - charge them the fuel costs plus something for your effort/research. Adding a tenner for your time and effort is a very small cost - remember these people have huge expense accounts for things like this!

 

[Crazywolf]

I agree with most, if he wanted the photos bad enough, he should have paid for them, if he refused to pay then tell him to go in and get them himself. im sure you would have got an offer if he was that keen to run the story.
although personally, I would be dubious about giving picture unless it was now sealed up as it looks quite UN-Chaved at the moment. hopefully it is now sealed.

 

[ironsky]

If the person has the ability to pay for them and intends to make a profit out of them yes they should pay for them its only fair. Some of my pub photos are in libraries collections but they are copies of my originals and the agreement is I still hold the copyright and they are not for commercial use unless I'm contacted first and a agreement is reached. Iv also done a couple of booklets on lost pubs but they done for a charity I support but the copyright still belongs to me. Iv had people contact me over the years anyone from university students to local radio and press about my work as people have become aware of what's been lost.