IT IS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE to keep the lines of communication open with your photo agency.

Everything we have talked about in this document has to do with the business aspects of your relationship (and, yes, it should be just that: a relationship) with your photo agency of choice.

But you didn't get into the design field because you were attracted by the business aspects, and, believe it or not, most agencies didn't either. They are in business primarily because they love working with stock images and providing them to great designers who do wondrous things with them. They want you to use their stock images -- and not only because you are willing to pay for them, not even primarily for that reason. That want you to use their stock images because that's what they do and who they are.

The job of the agency, and your job when negotiating prices with them, is to get the pricing issues out of the way so that the fun stuff can happen: using images. Most photo agencies -- certainly the better ones -- do not want the pricing issues to prevent you from using an image you want to use. You can talk to them. And you should do just that.

If pricing issues are preventing you from using an image that you would like to use, talk to your agency. Be armed with all the "factors" we describe in this document, and use them. You should not be in a battle; you should be in a conversation. The better agencies do not view this process as "negotiating", they view it as "Customer Service".

Can these issues always be worked out?

No. Sometimes clients will force you into a budget that is, frankly, unreasonable. Sometimes you'll be dealing with an inexperienced customer representative at a photo agency, and they simply don't "get it". (If that's the case, ask to speak to the Sales Manager. Keep the lines of communication open.)

If your goal is real fairness -- a fair and reasonable price for the usage you have in mind -- and if you're willing to listen to the agency's point of view, too, while at the same time being diligent in communicating to them all the factors that should be taken into consideration, then pricing should never be the barrier to your using an image that you think is best for your project.

In order for this to happen, you need to communicate with them, and they with you. It is, or should be, a relationship. Don't settle for anything less...