Should I work for free?

I know, I know... there's a lot of talk going on all the time whether aspiring hobby photographers (err, that would be me) should offer their images for free (via some form of a Creative Commons license) just to get their name out, get publicity, and whatnot... and my take is: no, I'm not doing that. This infographic is not exactly new, but it illustrates my point exactly.

Why do I write this? I received an email from a company in the Ukraine that organizes outdoor events. They are interested in one of my photos and want to use it for a flyer. (Ha, I can simply recycle the photo, I used it in my previous post.:)


Selby Rocks (NIKON D700, 1/125s @ ISO 200; f/11, 58 mm (in 35mm)

There's no word in that email whether they want to license the image. They simply ask if I allow them to use it, and if so, where they could download the full resolution file. That's it. Not a word about any kind of compensation. Honestly, it's quite irritating for me to receive a request like this from people who apparently run a business. Do they offer their outdoor tours for free? I guess not.

Anything that is on Flickr can be licensed through Getty Images - which is where I friendly redirected the Ukrainian company. I do not really expect that they will license the image. Instead, they will simply move on and try their luck with the next hobby photographer.