I gladly and joyfully gave away a few of my photos to a friend of mine for the DVD of his film
Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew. The film received critical accolades, and the DVD sales have been impressive. I have three photos in the extras part of the DVD, including this one:
I also have a credit line in the extras section of the DVD. I'm very proud to have been able to contribute to my friend's success, and to date, the inclusion of those three photos and my name on an internationally released DVD of an award winning documentary has brought me exactly no business.
Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nadda. Bupkus.
I have shot more "grip and grins" for my company than I can count. Those shots have been published in numerous hotel/motel trade publications. Each one of the photos has a mice-type credit line "photo by Ed Selby". Those publications are distributed to the movers and shakers of the hospitality industry. Thousands of industry people see those photos and can see my name associated with them. How much new business have I received based solely on those credit lines? None.
Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nadda. Bupkus.
I recently did a corporate headshot for my little sister. It has been published in a half-dozen magazines for her industry. In two of those magazines, I have a credit line next to the photo (thanks, Sister!!). How many new corporate headshots have I shot based on that credit line? You got it.
Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nadda. Bupkus.
The "monetary value of photographer credit"? Not a damn thing.