An important question for photoeditors

I would be grateful for the photoeditors advise on that important question for me, but others who have comments, are also welcome.

Developing my website I plan to install there DigitalRailRoad or PhotoShelter or the equal engine developed personally for me – I want to have it to be paid immediately by the new clients. But then question appears – the standard magazine and newspaper procedure of payment takes time. You have your pix published, then send the invoice to the photo department, then it is passed over to the finance dept and only afterwords the money goes to my account. In the case of asking people pay immediately – how will they have to act? As far as I understand, there must be a kind of immediate payment system dealing with agencies like AP and AFP, but I’m not really sure how it will work with individual freelance photographer. I’m doubtful that the photoeditor would rush to finance dept saying he has a deadline and I must be paid immediately in order he can download the hi res.

So to decide finally on my website, I need a word of photoeditors – how would you act if photographer asks to be paid immediately, would you do that or find another photographer instead and your general view on digital archives – do you use them to buy pix from photographers or prefer to deal traditionally?

Many thanks,
Olga

by Olga Kravets at Thu May 22 11:13:18 UTC 2008 (ed. May 24 2008) Moscow, Russia | Bookmark this | Digg this |

Hi Olga,

personally I would try to make it the easiest way possible for clients to publish your work so immediate payment I think would not work so well. Maybe using the sales system on PS or DDR might work better but I do not know if they need to pay straight away in this case as I only use PS to give them hi-res downloads when needed.

If it is first-time customers you might be able to ask for payment beforehand as a stock agency i worked for did, but this complicates the things…e.g. credid cards and so on.

Best,

Alex

by M | 22 May 2008 12:05 | Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India |

thanks, Alex. Why do you use PS to give hi res? Why not just send them via email or FTP?

by Olga Kravets | 22 May 2008 19:05 | Moscow, Russia |

Pre-payment is a nuisance for magazines. The invoice system works best. Also, it allows you and publication to actually figure out a proper space rate for the picture as it’s actually used. Most pre-payments tend to be cheap use-it-any-size-you-want deals. Not the preference.

by John Robert Fulton Jr. | 23 May 2008 11:05 | Chicago, Illinois, United States |

Hi Olga, cos I just need an email invitation, and not being sit in front of a slow unstable connection everytime I need to send hi-res. I do it a one off when uploading and then they can download it quickly from their fast connection with me only sending a light email…(and for whoever needs the images now or in the future)

Much of my stock is with an agency anyway so I tend not to do small deals. I am talking about new bodies of work regarding my use of PS.

by M | 24 May 2008 01:05 | Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India |