I took some photos last summer of a competitive bike ride and have been asked to photograph the event again this year. I've been approached by the promoters about using a few of the photos for promotional purposes. I am kind of at a loss as to how much to ask per photo. This is a small community and the ride drew about 60 to 80 riders. I don't want to sell myself short nor do I want to insult the promoters by asking too much. I'm looking for some input as to what some of you might consider reasonable.
I can't tell who asked you to shoot and or if it's a paid assignment, but it usually pays off to be nice to the event promoters. Think good will, easy to get along with, someone who the promoters will think positively about and perhaps hire or recommend to others.
Figure out your hourly rate plus expenses and charge them that and let them know you are giving them a break and just covering you time and expenses, but, also make sure you can sell to the individual riders and that is where you make your money. I used to offer free photos upon request for them to use and sell to the participates to make my money but after a while they had must of the photos they wanted so selling got harder and harder so I quit when I had some health problems but if I was going back to event photography I would make sure my time and expenses were covered before the first sale.
