Hi Everyone,

Over the past year I've become very close with an up and coming wedding coordinator. I really like her both personally and professionally and we've really been helping each other build our businesses. Well, she has been planning her first bridal fair for this March. She asked if she could use my images for her promotional material. I of course said yes. She never mentioned the cost of the booth and I thought (my fault for assuming) that I would either be getting my booth for free or very discounted. There have been several days that she has called me and asked me to "fix" pictures that she's using and I've had to drop what I was doing to work on her stuff because she needed them now.

So, she calls me today to tell me that the booth will be $1699 and that she's passing along a friends and family discount of $200. My first question is, how much do booths normally cost. And, secondly, should I be getting more of a discount since I did not charge her for the images? I should also mention that I'm giving her two albums and a huge print for her office. I don't want to sever any ties with her as she's given me a lot of business, but I feel like I've done a lot for her too.

Thanks so much in advance for your help!

Drew

One more thing. She's also throwing a free wedding on the same day as the bridal fair and I'm shooting that for free...

WOW! That's a price wedding show! You must be in...AH-HAA...Orange County. OUCH!

I'd say a 15% ("family and friends") discount on the price of your services would be appropriate, including your edits. Hmmm...better yet...make it 20%...just enough so that you can pride yourself knowing that you gave her a better deal than she gave you!

I sure hope ALL of the prints you gave her are credited with your name / URL.

Regardless of what you work out...do chalk this up to a communications lesson.

Okay...all things considered...I'd think hard about the value of your relationship with this potentially up-n-coming coordinator. If she's gonna get you TONS of business...then pay the hefty booth fee and think nothing of the promotion using your photo (as long as you are credited). If, on the other hand, she doesn't seem to have the potential that you expect from her...perhaps you can ask her (politely, matter-of-factly), where you should "send the bill for your photo usage services" or something like that. (Kinda testing the waters...if she acts miffed...then tell her your kidding...if she seems cool with it...send her a bill for a nominal amount making sure to show your normal price and her substantially discounted price.) I know it might be hard to judge her potential at the time of her first show...so you might have to evaluate your potential long-term benefits with your business relationship by determining how many other photographers she has at the show...and how she seems to treat them vs. treat you (if you can surmise this subjective information).

Good luck with it!

Thanks Dan. I do have faith in her, but it's also a new bridal fair so that makes me nervous as far as how many vendors and brides will attend. I wouldn't mind paying that and getting all that free publicity if it was an established event. And yes, I am being credited