Sharing the expense of photography between multiple clients

While photography of a project for several clients can be less expensive per client than if the work were done only for a single firm, there are several considerations before making such a decision. Due to licensing the photography to multiple clients, the photography of a building for more than one client will be somewhat more, in total, than it would be if photographed for only a single client. But this total cost will be divided between the two clients, so the cost will be considerably less for each client. In the same way that architects charge more for their creative services if another client wants to use an existing design, photographers charge additional licensing fees if another user is to be included in the photography.

If an architect wants to photograph a building for promotional and advertising purposes, it is worth considering who else you would like to have access to the same photography. Some architects also do construction management work. If a competitor is working as the construction management firm on a particular project, do you want them to be able to show the same photographs in their advertising, trade show booths, and award submittals as your firm will be showing? The more exclusive your use of the photography, the more impact it has. Sometimes the short term benefit of saving some of the photography cost is mitigated by several firms using the photography.

Usage rights can be restricted – such as the primary architect has full usage rights for all of the photography, while an associate firm, for a smaller portion of the cost, may use a limited number of photographs for limited uses. The reality of this situation is that in a digital world, limiting the use of a photograph is a difficult or impossible task. Often once the photograph is on someone’s computer, it will be used and reused wherever it is needed. The difficulty of policing the use of a “limited-use” photo make this type of agreement very complicated and, therefore, not recommended.

It is important that any parties interested in sharing the photography get “on board” with the agreement before the photography begins. Adding an additional party to the agreement after the photography is completed is typically much more expensive than if the new party is included in the original contract.

We are happy to share the photography expense between several clients but it is important that the clients involved understand the possible conflict between each other.

For more information on controlling the cost of a photography assignment, sharing the photography cost with others, and the licensing of photography please see AIA's "Controlling the Cost of a Photography Assignment".