what to charge for image use in museum display

A museum in Canada has asked about licensing one of my images for their exhibits. I know size and duration of use affect what I should charge for a licensing fee, but I wondering what sort of range of fees is reasonable.

This image is a once in a lifetime one of a red fox eating an Arctic fox. Would that factor affect price?

Thanks for your input.

Roberta Olenick
www.neverspook.com

In my mind the uniqueness of an image is most certainly the biggest factor in determining price. The more unique the image is the higher the price. But on the other hand if the image is not published, then only people visiting the museum will see it (a relatively small number of people). So the image's value is not diminished the way a widely published image loses value. So I would place a lower use price for museum only viewing (no photos/selfies allowed). A higher price if they print a photo of the exhibit in publications promoting the exhibit. The bottom line is the more people that see the photo the higher the use price. An example that would create the highest price is say a billboard with your image prominently displayed in a high traffic area (foot and/or car).

I would provide them with a fee schedule based on the number of people who will see the photo. This is not set in stone. You need to know their budget and be willing to "bargain" and they must understand, the more exposure the image gets the lower its value becomes to you. In any case however they use it you should maintain all rights to the image, the museum is ONLY licensing the use of this image for "ONE time use" and you spell out exactly how the image can and can NOT be used. Sorry I can't provide pricing as I'd need much more knowledge about where the museum is located etc. One thing you can do is look up "Stock Photos" and see what the licensing fees are for billboards and print use are. The fees vary by the number people who pass the billboard and by how many thousand are printed. It should give you a starting point.

Pricing art really comes down to what you are comfortable with and what your name demands. An image such as this for example would demand vast different pricing between different photographers. For example if it had my name associated with it or someone such as Art Wolfes name associated with it.

Even though this may be a once in a lifetime image for you that really has no bearing on pricing it. If no other pictures of a red fox eating an artic fox existed then maybe you would have leverage, but that isn't the case.

Personally I have had an image purchased for use in the Kansas Museum of Natural History 5 or 6 years ago. It was used for a wall mural and printed 38 feet by 12 feet (which really didn't matter when it came to usage rights at that point. I quoted the museum $800 and they came back and said their budget was only $700 when it came to the mural. I agreed to the $700 and was good with it. That was just their way of trying to get me to come down which I expected.

I would not ask for their budget for purchasing this. Very likely they will low ball an offer to you. If anything pick your price and double it and make that your first offer to them. In other words, pick your price with some room to negotiate and be done.

Do what you are comfortable with and just go for it. There is no right or wrong here.

Thanks for the advice.