A Guide to Maximizing Marketing Opportunities Through Image Licensing
Understanding Architectural Photographer Licensing Agreements
If a photographer you hire asks you point blank, how much do you know about image licensing, how confident would you be in your response? While hiring photographers can be a little like Goldie Locks looking for things to be just right, once you find the “just right” professional photographer it’s hard to imagine documenting a project without one.
The Importance of using a commercial photographer in the architecture and design industry is not the purpose of this post. It is, However, to provide an overview of image licensing, its impact and untapped potential on marketing efforts from the client side. Read more after this giant shameless self-promotional image.
Understanding Image Licensing
A quick look google search for photography licensing will provide you with a plethora of results geared towards photographers educating other photographers on how image licensing works. But what about everyone else? What about the client who was just told they can’t share the beautiful images made of their work with other contributors to the project?
I usually try to explain to clients that image licensing grants the them permission to use the image for a specific purpose and duration. It is different from a creative fee, which covers the photographer’s time and expertise in creating the image. That licensing ensures that the client has legal permission to use the image in accordance with the agreed terms which, for me, are outlined in our contract.
Typically, licensing ought to be discussed before an estimate is made or a contract is signed. This is because it plays a role in what is called a licensing fee. Pricing for licensing fees for commercial photography vary depending on the specific usage rights needed for the images. Therefore, how much licensing is needed will dictate the price of the fee.
Image Licensing and Its Purpose
For whatever reason most people are fully aware of how licensing works, they’ve just not mentally connected it to images and photography. Photographs are no different than trademarks, logos, patents, software or movies. You wouldn’t steal a car.. anyone old enough to remember this gem? Still confused? Read this.
In practical terms, if I photograph a custom home for a builder and the architect, interior designer and cabinet maker all want to use the images to promote themselves, each would have to license the photographs individually. The silver lining to this is cost-sharing which gives everyone involved license to use the images and a discount.
Common Licensing Terms and Agreements
This one is important despite the super boring subtitle. The terms and agreements are so dull that many people just sign off on “standard” licensing agreements. While there is nothing wrong with them per se, they just often includes a lot of confusing most people don’t read. When is the last time you read a software agreement?.. Exactly my point.
Common language will include things like: Term, Copyright, Limited License, and Attribution. Further you might encounter language such as: Client Publications, Outside Publications, Proof Images, Transfer of Rights and Duties, Extension / Additional Fees, Infringement and or Expiration. Yikes right? It’s no wonder standard licensing is a thing – these agreements can get complicated fast.
But if you are hiring an architectural photographer to take pictures with the intent of only using them for your website and for a publication, you might be missing out.
Leveraging Licensing Contracts as Marketing Opportunities
Within your contract and licensing agreement lies the potential of additional platforms for image usage. Consider this, if your contract allows the use of images for:
“editorial usage, trade show displays, corporate collateral, website usage, social media, professional competitions, trade magazines, promotional videos and wall displays”
..and you only planned on using it for editorial usage and website. You’ve just stumbled on a road map to reaching new audiences through diverse media channels. And the best part is, your images are already licensed to cover the use!
Showcasing Brand Identity and Expertise
By leveraging pre-existing image licensing to expand visual branding across additional platforms, you can highlight your brand’s identity and expertise to gain a competitive edge. Most clients are going to use images to enhance website visuals and engage their audience through social media. But what about lesser used licensing like showcasing project success stories through printed media, in case studies or even a trade display?
Maximizing Return on Investment (ROI)
Additionally, by leveraging the marketing opportunities embedded within your photography licensing agreement, you can ensure that your investment in professional photography extends far beyond its initial purpose.
Moreover, harnessing the marketing potential of your licensing agreement enables you to showcase your brand identity and expertise in the most captivating way. Every image you license presents an opportunity to reinforce your unique design aesthetic, highlight exceptional craftsmanship, and communicate your distinct architectural or interior design approach.
By strategically maximizing image use of your most successful projects, you can expand the reach of your brand. Each avenue is an opportunity to speak about your expertise and track record. Your licensing agreement becomes a gateway to using professionally made images to narrate your achievements, solidify your position in the market, and attract high-profile clients seeking the caliber of work exemplified in your licensed images.
TL:DR (Too Long: Didn’t Read)
To sum it all up. If you are an: architect, interior designer, builder, and luxury real estate agent, commercial real estate developer, stylist or home staging company, furniture or building materials manufacturer or even work in civic planning and development, take a good look at your photographer’s licensing agreement to find a road map to new image use and marketing avenues to elevate your brand and open doors to new opportunities.
Hi! I'm Bradley Phillips
I am a commercial photographer specializing in architecture and interiors, with a meticulous attention to detail and compositional design. Together with architects, builders, and designers, I connect the narrative and character of their work to future clients. I work out of the greater Mid-South region – St. Louis, Nashville and Memphis. If you have a project that needs a fresh perspective, let’s have a collaborative conversation to understand your vision and plan a shoot to take the most captivating images possible.
Hi! I'm Bradley Phillips
I am a commercial photographer specializing in architecture and interiors. Together with architects, builders, and designers, I connect the narrative and character of their work to future clients. I work out of the greater Mid-South region – St. Louis, Nashville and Memphis. If you have a project that needs a fresh perspective, let’s have a collaborative conversation to understand your vision and plan a shoot to take the most captivating images possible.