An equestrian photographer who earned £34 for a 10-hour day that cost him about £50 just in travel has introduced a charge to view his pictures – as “I had to do something to survive”.
William Evenden, of Kent-based IWill Photo, said he did not want to have to bring in the £2 charge to view images on his website, but with figures like that, and major overheads to pay let alone a living to earn, he had no choice.
Will explained that people have to log into his website to view pictures so he could see that 40 had done this after last week’s show. But this only resulted in four social media downloads bought, at £8.50 each.
Now, a £2 charge applies on login. This will sit as a credit in the customer’s account, and be deducted from the cost of any picture bought. Should the customer not buy on that occasion, the £2 will stay in the account to be taken off future orders.
“I was apprehensive about doing it as it goes against the grain but I had to do something to survive,” he told H&H. “With the mileage to get to the show, and the Dartford Crossing charge both ways, I paid more to get there than I earned, and I can’t sustain that.”
Will says it costs about £1,000 per month just to keep his business going, as well as on-the-day costs. This includes, for example, the cost of the high-speed fibre broadband he needs to ensure more than 3,000 pictures can be uploaded the evening of the show. He has recently invested in a trailer in which to print on site, and has to replace his quality cameras every few years, which costs thousands.
Will has no proof anyone is illegally screen-grabbing the pictures from his website without buying, but he and his partner Clair Prime are aware it goes on.
“I heard two girls at one venue who saw the trailer and the logo and one said ‘I never buy pictures, I just go online and screenshot them’,” Clair told H&H. “I called her out. I said that’s his living, how do you think he pays his bills?’”
Had those 40 people each bought one social media download, Will’s earnings for that day would have been over £250, deducting his expenses and the fee payable on card transactions, although not taking into account the ongoing business costs.
And although of course he understands money is tight for everyone, he believes an extra £2 to view pictures, which comes off the price, is reasonable, and will help make his business viable.
“A lot of people at the [British Showjumping] category two shows are dealers and producers, so photos are tax deductible,” he said. “But for many people, it’s easier just to screenshot.
“This is an issue across the board; it’s not just me having these issues, it’s [all show photographers].”
Will added that, as is the case for all businesses, all his costs have gone up, from fuel to get to shows, to the mounts for prints, which have more than doubled in price.
“It’s disheartening to stand there in all weathers for eight hours and not make any money; it affects your mental health,” he said. “It doesn’t sit right to charge people to look at photos but then it’s not sustainable to do what I’m doing. The genuine, regular customers won’t be affected, and the response [when he posted the scheme on Facebook] was very positive. It’s not being greedy, it’s about covering my overheads, and I’ve got to live.”
You might also be interested in:
It’s all in a day’s work for an equine portrait photographer… *H&H Plus*
Dale Wesley on his blend of patience and lunacy, and dealing with equine divas in his work as a portrait
Theft of images a ‘huge problem’ equestrian photographers agree
An equestrian photographer has spoken out about the “huge problem” of copyright theft of images, which he fears has become
Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
