Gobsmacked!

I've had a short email conservation with an editorial designer whose identity, for obvious reasons, I'll keep as 'ANON'.

ANON:
Hi
Would it be possible for you to supply us with the image attached at
hi-res, we are working on an interiors article for Du¢¢¢¢¢¢ and G••••••••
L∞¢# magazine and [Interior Designer] is mentioned. Obviously we will credit the photograph to yourself.

Thanks
















I replied, presuming that no budget was being offered.

ANON:
Yes, sorry no budget, it is a dps by one of our freelance writers and we
source images from various places but would have liked to use that pic
credited to you if possible.

I ignored the email and went about my business.

Anon:
Hi Brendan,

In light of us having no budget for this piece, was your final answer
no?

We would only use it as a one off, with your credit on it and not back
it up to our archive system if that helps towards my case at all......

plus I personally would be eternally grateful as I could stop ploughing
through numerous stock images to find something that comes up to the
same standard!

I replied:
Hi ANON,

Where on my website or anywhere else does it say "FREE"?
This is my business and income. Can I ask if you or any of your colleagues work for nothing? Do you get your gas and electricity for free?

Sorry but in the light of you wanting an easier option than "ploughing
through numerous stock images to find something that comes up to the
same standard" you might just need to pay!

Regards
Brendan MacNeill

ANON:
Ok, thanks anyway..... was a bit cheeky and by no means was I
downgrading anything you do by suggesting you allow us to use your image
but it was only because our writer had directed us to the interior
designer who's images were taken by yourself. I thank you for your time
and will continue with my ploughing.

Have a good weekend.
ANON

Yes you said it - 'CHEEKY'. And being pedantic they're not his images. He has low res versions that I've licensed to him. The images remain mine at all times.

Sean goes Dutch.

I suspect I've blogged this image before but as it's just been sold by Trevillion Images to the Netherlands as a book cover I thought it worthy of another spin.
Shot as a favour for friends visiting from Australia it's been a constant cause of "ahs" and  "oohs". At the time of shooting Sean was very concious of his freckles but as soon as I included it on my website and he could show it to his friends he became at ease with his appearance. So some good there.
And once again I'm reminded of the need to think of your images as business assets that over time will realise income for you.
Boring as it may sound and unfashionable as it might be you've got to raise your voice and shout out "long live copyright".

St Andrew's Day - step aside Mr Salmond.

Well it's traditional to wish everyone all the very best for St Andrew's Day. And may I do so now?
And no doubt by the end of the day we will have had no end of reports of the success of the Homecoming campaign. I'll take the experts' opinion on its monetary and cultural value as I suspect I'll have little access to any data with which to argue one way or the other. But no doubt it's the SNP's White Paper on a proposed independence referendum that will steal all the headlines. Good or bad we'll be chewing it over for the coming months.
And to kick it off can I cheekily offer an outlandish thought? That the Chairman of Harrods, Mr al Fayed, might become the President of a Scottish Republic. He's even got the gear and the throne ready .. so why not?
Shot a few years ago for Scotland on Sunday this portrait is a consistent seller for me and proves the argument that even small creators should retain their copyright and control their IP.