i work full time as a nude figure model for various schools and studios in Philadelphia.
one of the studios where i work had a guest instructor come down from New York for a week long workshop. i'm guessing the guy is kind of a big deal, because a fairly well known arts magazine sent a reporter and photographer down to whip up a profile about him.
i didn't think much of it at the time, but today i got a phone call from the studio, saying they wanted to use a picture that prominently features me in the foreground and could i please come in and review the pictures and sign a release?
also, the woman from the studio said that she had talked to the man in charge at the magazine and asked about comensation, which he agreed to.

so here's my question - what is a ballpark fair price to ask for this?

obviously, the magazine story isn't about me, it's about the artist.
i am naked in it, but it's from the back/side, and you can't see my face or anything more than a hint of buttcheek.
this isn't a huge magazine, but i'm betting they do ok and have a budget for this kind of thing.
i didn't sign a release or anything of the sort at the time, i just gave the photographer verbal permission to include me (in the background, covered, i was assuming) in pictures he took.

Whats your normal hourly rate? Use that times the number of hours involved maybe?

If it is a small magazine, my guess is that they won't have a very big budget.  They certainly aren't going to pay you a large sum for the image.  But being published is good.  Since you normally do nudes and this photo isn't particularly revealing (and aparently doesn't show your face), you shouldn't be too concerned.

I would ask them for a starting point in the negotiations and then go from there.

Let us know how much you finally get.

i don't have one?
i've only posed for a handful of photographers, and they've all been TFP/TFCD, because i'm kinda new to all this (isn't it obvious?).
also, i don't know how many hours to say it all took, because i wasn't hired to pose for the photographer, i was hired to pose for the class.
the studio was already paying me $15/hr, the usual for a class there.

it'd be kinda (but not entriely) like if i was working the register at a retail job and someone came in to take pictures for a profile of the store manager and ended up using a picture of me behind the counter as the cover of the article.

...except i'm naked, and i probably wouldn't be at a hypothetical retail job.

also, yeah,  you're right Alan. i'm not expecting too much for this. nothing to retire off of, but even a little bit of pay would be much much much appreciated.
i just don't want to cheat myself.
and i don't want to quote such a ridiculously high amount that they hang up on me.

Jon its not obvious!! I thought you knew what you were doing lol. Maybe start at $100 and see what kind of reaction you get? If the person freaks out go lower and if not you get $100? Whenever this kind of thing has happened to me its been planned ahead of time. I dont know what I would if it was after the fact!

yeah, i think that's the sticky part... it's all after the fact.

also, in case anyone's curious, this is the pose/workshop that led to the "permanently flattened buttcheek" drawing that's in my portfolio.

also, semi-side note:
the camera angle in the picture they want to use was unflattering and it makes me look like i have a beer belly roll

I work for a local paper from time to time and they usually pay me about $50 par image that I submit.  Mind you, it's not an image of me.

I think if you asked for anywhere between $50 - $250 depending on the size of the image, that should be sufficient.

Those are just my thoughts.


Wal

I work for a local paper from time to time and they usually pay me about $50 par image that I submit.  Mind you, it's not an image of me.

I think if you asked for anywhere between $50 - $250 depending on the size of the image, that should be sufficient.

Those are just my thoughts.


Wal

from what i understand, it will be a full page picture.
the cover of the article (not of the whole magazine though - although that would certainly change things too)

anyone?
any more advice?

It's unusual for a magazine of any size to pay more than $150 for a model for "editorial use".  And that includes paying for a full day of posing, plus usage.

In this case you were already being paid for posing, and the only issue is usage.  Since this is "editorial use" you can't expect much, particularly from a small magazine.  If they give you $100 you will be very lucky indeed.

i was indeed thinking somewhere around "a hundred or two", figuring they'd talk me down, but i didn't know what the usual rates were.
still, i would be superstoked for $100. any little bit counts.

I would have to agree with area291... It's nice they contacted you and even nicer if they give you some compensation. ..but truth be told, you really aren't entitled to any money. You aren't recognizable. You weren't modeling for the magazine or to sell anything. You were photographed doing your job which you were paid for. This falls more under the category of news photography or documentary photography, for which the subjects are almost never paid. And you were told you were being photographed and signed a release.

I'm all for people being paid to do what they do, but this isn't one of those cases.


peace,

bd

Also...I'm assuming there are other people in the photo, maybe students drawing, that are perhaps even more recognizable...?...are they being paid? One can't make the assumption that because they are a "model" they will be paid every time they appear in a photo.

i wasn't even the one who brought up the issue of being paid.
the woman from the studio asked the editor of the magazine (before i was even contacted), and he agreed to it.
and after posting this thread, i wrote to him to get the ball rolling. and in his response, before i could even quote a price, he suggested $200.

how happy am i?
pretty happy.