Don’t shoot the messenger, but from what I’ve heard from local photographers, the clients they are working with that even ask about a “buyout” don’t want to pay anything additionally for them. Despite the “renting not owning” argument, with pinched budgets, clients have a hard time understanding that they paid for all the inputs but do not have all rights to do what they wish with the images. These photographers have tried everything to educate the clients, but with the market the way it is, the client will have no problem finding someone to shoot it without charging additional usage.
This is may be one of the bigger problems facing photographers in the future. It seems to be harder and harder to get around the "buy out" and there is a lot of market pressure to go to a leaner system.
That means leaner for the photographer, we're afraid. And it brings us to issues that are confronting the very fabric of what we do... make images and charge for their use.
This will be an area of contention among photographers who will begin to play the blame game and try to duck the responsibility, but in essence we need to decide what to do with this problem. Now.
Do we continue to push hard against a tide that seems unbreakable, or simply give up, lick our wounds and cede yet another part of our income - one that will NOT be made up by higher fees?
The choices are not easy, and I personally come down on the fight to the bitter end side, but there are incomes and families and established businesses on the line.
It is a tough question, for sure. Read more at Rob's blog, A Photo Editor.
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