SUZANNE SOMMERS, ALAN HAMEL: It's all relative!

Often fans ask me about financial dealings with celebrities. The first thing to remember when you are dealing with someone famous is to never talk about money. It makes the rich uncomfortable to talk about money with the non-rich. In my career I found that most celebrities feel they should not pay for most everything. Everything for them is supposed to be complimentary or free. Celebrities frequently feel that any association you have with them and their notoriety will benefit you in many ways. Sometimes very true. Famous rich types also feel discriminated against and victimized. The super rich often comment that the price goes up when they walk in the door. Yes, very true. The price of an item is often affected by how it is sold. Advertisement, labels and reputation often drive up the price. Old photographs, images, few and from times past have a great value. I am frequently amazed how little the famous value photos of themselves. As a photographer I can attest to how difficult it is to sell photos to celebs that expect them for free.

I heard that Suzanne Sommers and her husband Alan Hamel lost a lot of their photos when their Malibu beach house was destroyed by fire, I thought this was a good opportunity to offer them some of the unpublished and rare photos I had taken of them over 20 years ago. For years I was a still photographer at ABC-TV in Hollywood. I shot still photos to promote Sommers TV show THREE'S COMPANY and years later other projects she was promoting.



Suzanne Sommers and her husband/manager Alan Hamel are mega rich superstars. They have very smart business minds but Sommers often complains about her past deal with THREE'S COMPANY especially now when it comes to participation in the profits from the DVD sales of the show. I heard her talk about this in detail on the LARRY KING SHOW. I can understand. She did the work, the company is still profiting from her talent and she deserves to benefit as well. I felt sure they would understand that I too should benefit from photo work I did years ago.

So with the interest of immortalizing my photography and generating a little revenue I contacted Susanne Sommers and her husband Alan Hamel. From the ancient depths of my Hollywood private file, I sent them proof sheets and I emailed color scans. The material is great, fantastic shots from at least a half a dozen shoots. Portraits of Suzanne, portraits of Alan, production stills, all old in pristine condition. Alan emailed me that he liked the photos and would like to order some.

OK so now the big ugly question. How much? For reference most Hollywood portrait photographers today charge at least $100.00 per print, or per 8x10. Very famous, successful photographers charge more than $100.00 per print. What should I charge for prints made from pics in my files over 20 years? Very valuable! I write to Alan and tell him I want $110.00. We are both businessmen and I expected him to offer me a deal for the material. I really wanted Susanne Sommers and Alan Hamel to have these photos. I loved the shots and I wanted them to live forever, especially with them. I wanted the photos to be valuable to them. No they did not need the photos for free. I was asking a decent price. I am a retired still photographer lovingly trying to share the fruits of my beautiful career in Hollywood. $110 is not a lot of money to ask for a rare photo taken many years ago. Entertainers often buy photos of themselves and these photos were not expensive.

I never heard from Alan again after I wrote and told him I wanted money for the pics.
Some say Susanne Sommers and Alan Hamel only wanted the photos if they were free. Others said they probably have enough photos of themselves and my photos they just did not need. I have also been told that Sommers and Hamel are just cheap.

I say it is all relative. I don't care if Susanne Sommers and Alan Hamel do not want any of my photography. Now I will share these photos with their fans in my ebay store and on this blogsite.