Ah, semantics. Who cares? When it comes to talking about photography, it matters to me. Last week I went to Albuquerque to speak on editorial and educational photo licensing trends and terms. I also reviewed the portfolios of some twenty photographers at the North American Nature Photography Association’s (NANPA) Annual Summit.
In many conversations I heard phrases such as, “I’m not sure how or where to sell my work,” or “Who do you think will buy my photos?”
What I teach is what I learned when I started in this business, circa 1988. We don’t sell and clients don’t buy; we license and they license the rights to use our creations. Even if your work is in the form of a product (such as prints or DVDs with per unit pricing), inherent in that product pricing is an intellectual property value. Like any property, the value calculations have fixed and variable components. Whatever the transaction is all about, using the word license in our dealings helps this business become less like commodity trading and more like talent acquiring.