What rights to use your photos do you give your bride and groom?

Dee

I was wandering around a photo stamp site, and one of them stated, "make sure you have permission from your photographer to use their photo on your stamp."

That led me to wonder what uses of your photos do you give your clients? This question is with the assumption that you are giving them digital copies of course. (I won't even mention the clients that scan in your pictures and use them.)

Can they make their own photo book (on blurb, lulu, shutterfly, etc.)? Perhaps they want to make a book of photos for Uncle Charlie who couldn't make the trip, etc.

Can they use their engagement photo to make photo stamps for their Save the Date invitations?

The digital age has sure changed the way we do business. :-)

cj99si

I give full rights to the photos as part of the price. Making money off prints for weddings doesnt make sense to me.

Dee

When I was shooting weddings back in the film days I quickly decided to charge a flat fee and handed over the negatives. Way too much work with the back and forth over prints, cropping and albums. Not that I was in any way, shape or form a pro.

mmmatt

I give personal use only. they can print, share, put online, make an album... anything but sell them or autorize use in publication. I on the other hand can sell them and use them for personal or business use.

matt

Dee

mmmatt wrote:

I give personal use only. they can print, share, put online, make an album... anything but sell them or autorize use in publication. I on the other hand can sell them and use them for personal or business use.

matt

Do you get model releases?

That sounds like good usage terms.

mmmatt

"

Dee wrote:

Do you get model releases?

That sounds like good usage terms.

I put it into my contract. I have yet to have anyone question it and I go through and explain every paragraph of my contract before signing it with them. This is the actual wording in my wedding contract:

"If client is to receive personal use copyright for images from the event, then the client may print and distribute images free of charge to friends, family, and attendees of the event. Client may give prints, copy DVD image data, email images, or use images on their personal web pages. Client may also direct friends or family to the image gallery on the photographer’s website to view or purchase prints. At no time may images or prints of images be sold or made available through mass publication by the client. Photographer maintains the sole right to sell images through his website or otherwise, for either personal or commercial use. Images may also be used by photographer for general display, including marketing, contest submission, or educational purposes."

To explain this I tell them that I want them to plaster these images all over their facebook page ( I give them full res and low res with a watermark), and I want everyone they know to have a print from their wedding on a wall in their home. "However if Bride magazine calls, you have to direct them to me because I have the sole right to approve any use of these photographs other than for your personal use. "

This covers my use of the images here or on any forum, showing and sharing with other photographers in any way, printing and displaying in a gallery or contest, selling through my smugmug site or to commercial publications, using in my ads, using on my webpage. I can't think of any other use I would ever have for them.

Now, if I had the opportunity to photograph anyone who was famous, or who held political office or something like that I'm sure this statement would have to be modified, but so far it has worked.

I have shot for bands, and for wana-be models and the like and I take out the verbage about selling the images but put in a statement that we both own the images and any use other than personal or self/band promotion must be approved and agreed uppon by both parties. Any use of the images on the internet or in publication must be acompanied with a photography credit stating my name and my business name.


Matt
<o:p></o:p>

cj99si

^ yes this is how I have it set up as well, personal use only not commercial.

dangin

mmmatt wrote:

I give personal use only. they can print, share, put online, make an album... anything but sell them or autorize use in publication. I on the other hand can sell them and use them for personal or business use.

matt

+1
personal usage only. no secondary sales or commercial usage.