Selling RAW files

[E M P I R E]

How much should you charge per file?

Usually I’d never sell a RAW file. But I have a big commercial client with their own in-house retouching department and marketing team who need RAW files for production reasons.

So what would you price a RAW file at bearing in mind the above?

 

[Roger]

I have only been asked for RAW photos on a couple of occasions and they were comissioned jobs via agencies, so a bit different, charging for the job rather than per photo which made it easy to price.

I actually wish more jobs were like that as I much prefer getting out and taking the photos to sitting at home doing the post-processing!

Just be prepared to see your work get butchered by over processing - doesn’t matter too much if your name doesn’t end up on it and you still get the money.

Are these photos you have already taken?

 

[E M P I R E]

I have only been asked for RAW photos on a couple of occasions and they were comissioned jobs via agencies, so a bit different, charging for the job rather than per photo which made it easy to price.

I actually wish more jobs were like that as I much prefer getting out and taking the photos to sitting at home doing the post-processing!

Just be prepared to see your work get butchered by over processing - doesn’t matter too much if your name doesn’t end up on it and you still get the money.

Are these photos you have already taken?

I haven't shot it yet but had a meeting with their marketing department today, haven't even got the job yet so they need a quote. I actually reckon they're going to be surprised how much it'll cost and an even bigger surprise at how much RAW files cost because they seem like a pretty inexperienced team.

I'd hope they wouldn't butcher it due to them having a design team so hopefully they know what they're doing, but having said that a shoot I did recently is on a billboard and the retouchers made a big error on it and I see it every day when I drive past and it kills me.

 

[XK120]

Does this mean you're selling your copyright?

 

[Roger]

I have never given up the copyright on any of my images. I do however licence people to use them for a specific purpose (which always excludes re-selling and normally restricts use to certain media types/places)