Thanks everyone for the advice and info. I am going to offer them the image for $250, or does anyone think this is too little or too much? I don't have much experience of selling images, I have only sold a couple through Photographers Direct. The latest I am waiting to hear about is $70 for single use. I wouldn't know where to start as far as licensing an image goes. If AMEX don't use the image, so be it.The more I think about it, the less I feel comfortable with the idea of such a large organisation trying to get the use of peoples images for free; it's not like they cannot afford to pay the going rate. I have no doubt some other people on flickr will grant them full rights for free, but after consideration and the replies to my post, I think there is something decidedly wrong with a company like this trying to obtain free rights to other peoples work.

Two images I gave away for free I didn't mind: one image is in a geology textbook, which I doubt made much money, and another is in the Wavewatchers Companion by Gavin Pretor Pinney, the eccentric founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society (I am a member), who I don't think makes very much money from his books and is a great guy anyway. He also gave me a signed copy of his book and a free membership renewal, both without prompting. So I got paid for that one I guess.

AMEX is a completely different kettle of fishiness.

I suppose I could always get some free publicity by publicising this email I got....

I was thinking more along the lines of a minimum of $250, which is about what I would expect for unlimited use of a web image from Photographers Direct, who are the only agency I have ever dealt with.

Excellent, well done!

Hmm, a few more posts while I was writing that, thanks for the input, and very good advice. As John says, they can certainly afford to pay to use a photograph!

I will tell them I expect payment for anything beyond inclusion in their gallery. Any ideas as to what I should quote them? I certainly don't need any air miles!

Not short of a few bob is right!

The wording of the email seems to try and give the impression that they would be using the image for a web gallery on "The world's most beautiful museums". If that is all they wanted to do with it, I would have no hesitation in letting them use it in return for publicity. However, I am a bit suspicious of the further wording that they can then basically use the picture for anything they want. I am thinking of agreeing to it's use in their web gallery on condition I get paid if it is used for any commercial purpose. However, I would probably rather they use it for free than not at all, as I never have thought this particular picture had any commercial value. Saying that, a lot of work went into it; it was not very sharp when I took it, as it was hand-held from a boat (the original was criticised for lack of sharpness in the gallery on here), and it took about 5 hours work to get it as it is now.

I am also wondering if they will still want to use the image if i want money for it, or if they'll just trawl more peoples Flickr accounts?

I have just been asked for the free use of one of my pictures for advertising, and I am not sure whether to go ahead or not. On the plus side, there's some free publicity involved, and the picture is not one I ever expected to sell anyway. On the negative side, a large corporation are getting to use my picture for nothing. Here's most of the message (I haven't included name or email) which I received on Flickr mail.


"Hello!

I'm the Assistant Photo Editor for TravelandLeisure.com. We're doing a photo gallery feature titled the "World's Most Beautiful Museums" and may like to include your photo (in the link below) of the view of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.

www.flickr.com/photos/aliengrove/4484080289/

If this is OK with you, please let me know how you would like to be credited (full name and/or website URL).

In addition to possible publication on TravelandLeisure.com, American Express Publishing (and its affiliates and licensees) may reproduce, distribute, display and publish the images taken in and via webpages, websites and other publications, products and services that contain, exhibit, or are branded with the name or logo of the Magazine or Website, and use the Photographs for the promotion of the foregoing.

By providing the images to TravelandLeisure.com you thereby confirm that you grant American Express Publishing the rights to use the Photographs as described above, you have those rights to grant, you represent that such use will not violate the rights of any third party, and you agree to take full responsibility for same.Please provide the appropriate credit information by replying to this email. We would be more than happy to provide a link to your site.

We look forward to receiving your swift confirmation by a simple response to this email.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks in advance for your time and have a great day!"



Should I go ahead and let them use my picture, try and get some money off them, or just not reply? I have already let Schmap use 3 of my images without payment (free publicity supposedly), also one in a geology textbook (I have a credit in the back of the book), and I am starting to wonder when it will stop and someone actually pay me for an image they want to use?

Well done Glyn, Mark and northgrain! A shame there weren't more entires, hopefully the number of entiies in this and the weekly comp will pck up again once all the kids are back at school!

My picture could not be taken with the ornate square centrally place as the area directly underneath it was roped off. I quite like it with the pillars on the side, though.

Spivery is merely a distilled form of capitalism...

Nice set, and varied too.. 4, 9 and 12 are my favourites: I like the clocks shot too but my OCD nature is offended by the sides of the outermost clocks being missing.

4000 shots from one stock car meet? Did you have a K5 glued to each eye?

Great start with your new camera, I like the first shot best.