Images

[Babeslady]

I am looking for some good quality photographs or other images to go with an anthology of short stories I would like to self publish. My question(s);

1) Where do I look for such things? Obviously I want stuff I can purchase or otherwise legally obtain the rights to.

2) What sort of payment arrangement is the standard / norm for such things? How much is it reasonable to pay for the rights to images? If the artist wants a royalty what is reasonable.

Obviously I don't want to rip people off and also want to give credit where credit is due. I am also a complete noob and don't want to get ripped off myself.

 

[SweetErika]

I'd suggest asking this in the Visual Artists forum and/or Authors' Hangout. Who knows, maybe you'll even find yourself an artist who can produce the images you want at a reasonable cost right here!

 

[RAddams]

Do a Google search for stock images. I have used a site called istock before.

 

[Babeslady]

Do a Google search for stock images. I have used a site called istock before.

I have used Istock and Fotolia as well. Problem being with images posted on these sites is that they are just a bit meh.

I want something SEXY like the kind of stuff that you see posted all over Tumblr and the like. Those images of course are unsourced and I won't use them in a publication because I cannot name the artist nor compensate them for their work.

 

[themilf]

Enlighten Me!

You said:

II want something SEXY like the kind of stuff that you see posted all over Tumblr and the like. Those images of course are unsourced and I won't use them in a publication because I cannot name the artist nor compensate them for their work.

Oh My, Enlighten me, fill me in, please!
I found the "dark side" of Flickr, what can you tell me about Tumblr?

 

[EdwardMidweston]

I am looking for some good quality photographs or other images to go with an anthology of short stories I would like to self publish. My question(s);

1) Where do I look for such things? Obviously I want stuff I can purchase or otherwise legally obtain the rights to.

2) What sort of payment arrangement is the standard / norm for such things? How much is it reasonable to pay for the rights to images? If the artist wants a royalty what is reasonable.

Obviously I don't want to rip people off and also want to give credit where credit is due. I am also a complete noob and don't want to get ripped off myself.

I’ve never sold images in Australia so I don’t have the familiarity with Australian publishing laws as I do with U.S./Canadian laws and practices, but I strongly suspect they’re very similar in content if not in wording. My answers to your questions:

1) SweetErika’s advice is excellent. The Visual Artists' forum is home to some quite talented photographers/graphic artists who are giving their work away free. Some of them might well be interested in working with you for a relatively small fee or even for artwork credit and some free copies they could use to build their portfolios. You could post a notice in that forum or—what I’d do—scan through their images and contact those who are producing work with a quality and content similar to what you envision for your book. This would eliminate the need to send many “no thanks” messages to eager but untrained artists who would probably respond to an open call in the forum. Another possibility is to mine talent from a local art or photography school. There are probably many talented students who would be happy to work with you for quite low rates in order to gain a professional credit and expand the portfolios they show future clients.
2) Essentially, there are few standards or norms for payment. A few publishers—usually those at the top or the bottom of the quality/circulation continuum—have fixed take-it-or-leave it rates, but the vast majority of publishers I’ve worked with seem to believe that all things are negotiable. They make ridiculously lowball offers, the photographer makes a ridiculously high counter-offer, and eventually they meet in somewhere in the middle. It’s a disagreeable, time-wasting, and essentially stupid process but it seems to be the norm in these days of corporate takeovers of publishers, with words-and-pictures people replaced by CPAs and MBAs. I’d strongly suggest you avoid as much of this as possible by explaining the scope of your project and budget up front, and that you can’t pay Hefner-like rates. Also, emphasize that you are willing to formally acknowledge the artist’s work and stress the value of pro credits and sample copies. Many “unknowns” will value the credits/samples more highly than money, and will produce good work for minimal payment.

As for royalties, I strongly advise against opening that can of worms. Since royalties are almost inevitably based on circulation, you would need to keep careful watch on your distribution, issue checks quarterly, and document the entire process with reams of verifiable paperwork. It is a huge headache for small that don’t have staffs of accountants and attorneys. Simply buying one-time rights to the photos or artwork is infinitely simpler and, almost always, cheaper than all this paper-shuffling.
Although you didn’t mention them, there are three other points that need to be stressed:

First, get EVERYTHING in writing. Verbal contracts are legally binding, of course, but they are extremely difficult to prove if someone tries to sue you after the fact. If you have signed paperwork, it’s game over in your favor.
Secondly, be sure you get signed releases from both the photographer or artist and from the model(s) if the latter are identifiable. (One is almost worthless without the other.) A working pro photographer or artist will already have a release from the model and can give you a copy for your records, but noobs may not have such legal documents, or they may be amateurly-worded releases that don’t have legal standing. Be absolutely certain you have bulletproof releases from both the artist and the model, and be absolutely certain that the photographer/model truly have the right to execute the release. (Sadly, the world is full of low-lifes who rip off copyrighted images from the Internet or from books and magazines and then pass them off as their own work). A good model release invariably contains a clause that renders you blameless if this should happen and directs the full fury of the law upon the ripoff artist.If you’re not familiar with releases, you can get “boilerplate” release forms from camera shops or art supply shops for only a dollar or two. Some are better than others for specific purposes, especially nude/erotic work, but almost all form releases will give you substantial protection.
Thirdly, grab a couple reference books, available at most larger libraries, and familiarize yourself with the basics of publication rights. This will spare you from paying for rights you don’t need or, worse, from having your completed book pulled off the market because you need a right you don’t have. The subject matter seems like a bag of worms to the beginner, but an hour or so of reading will teach you the huge difference between all rights, one-time rights, second (as opposed to secondary) rights, etc. Believe me, it’s very worthwhile to make this small effort, which will save you headaches in the end.

I hope some of this helps. It doesn’t begin to cover all details but I've already been v-e-r-y long-winded. If you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to give me a shout. I may not know the answer, but I probably will.

 

[Babeslady]

Oh My, Enlighten me, fill me in, please!
I found the "dark side" of Flickr, what can you tell me about Tumblr?[/QUOTE]

Well Tumblr is basically a blogging website. There is, like wordpress, every interest imaginable. But I have found some AWESOME images from following this guy;

http://kinkygent.tumblr.com/

and a few others. This one was my first and still is my favourite

 

[Babeslady]

To Edward, thanks for your advice. I will definitely be doing some more research before embarking on this project. Also some networks in Australia to source a local who is starting out as well.

To Sweet Erika. Thanks for the suggestion. I will be following it up as well.

 

[themilf]

Well Tumblr is basically a blogging website. There is, like wordpress, every interest imaginable. But I have found some AWESOME images from following this guy;

http://kinkygent.tumblr.com/

and a few others. This one was my first and still is my favourite

Wow, AWESOME seems like an understatement! Wish I'd found this at the beginning of the winter! Thanks for the tip, GORGEOUS!