Tim Wallace is a real hero of high-end photography. So when he was asked to provide a high-resolution free print images to a high-profile client FOR FREE, his response was a hard and definite NO.
Vote NO to Working For Exposure
Recently, Tim received an email from a ‘high-end interior designer’ based out of California. This interior designer had a ‘high-end’ client—a real big wig—who had just remodeled their $12m coastal retreat property (that means their second home), and was looking for a nice print to feature in their new front hallway.
Unfortunately, this client just didn’t have the budget for hallway artwork. But that’s ok, Tim could just send the high-resolution image to the interior designer and they’d print it out, with no extra cost to Tim! How considerate…
Check out the email for yourself:
“Hi I have a very important client that I am currently working with to remodel their $12m coastal retreat home, they love your classic car work and would like to have **** print for their hallway as you enter their home. They unfortunately don’t really have any budget for this however so I was wondering if you’d be interested in sending us the high resolution files if we did the printing so that there is no cost to yourself?”
Look, if you really can’t afford a fine-art print from a well-known photographer like Tim Wallace… maybe you shouldn’t be flaunting a $12m SECOND home in his face. Sometime’s it’s nice to do something for those who are less fortunate financially, it can be great PR and a way to just do something nice for someone. But when you’re filthy rich, don’t go asking for free stuff just because you feel you deserve it. It’s bad form. Sadly, bad form can often be lost on the world’s elite…
Tim came back with an amazing response, which you can read below:
”Hi, oh wow that’s so cool and thank you so much for the kind feedback regarding my work. It’s such a tempting offer to supply them with my work for absolutely no benefit to my business what so ever and it’s hard to know what to say.
I think the fact that they have the revenue to purchase a $12m second ‘coastal retreat’ home would suggest that they are the type of people who feel that they deserve the very best but shouldn’t have to pay for it. Unfortunately I don’t really do business with cheap people and your offer clearly shows me that whilst they love my work they do not respect the hard work that goes in to creating that. Therefore I will have to respectfully suggest that you stick some of that overpriced drift wood art that you interior designers are always so good at knocking out on the wall instead. I’m assuming that you are getting paid or do ‘they love your work too’ ?
Lucky you, it’s such a fabulous project and your so lucky to be in their presence.Good luck with it all”
Thank you for your service, Tim. True art takes time to create, it doesn’t just spring out of the artist’s mind onto the canvass or into the DSLR. A lot of work goes into crafting Tim Wallace’s incredible images. That means no freebies. If you have the means to purchase an image—which these people clearly do—then do so, and respect the artist.
Has anyone ever had experience with being asked to work for exposure? Let us know in the comments below!
