Copy rights of Photos???????

Not sure--the point of giving you electronic copies is that you can get prints made. If you don't have the copyright, then you're supposed to depend on the photographer for prints.

What resolution are the photos you're getting on CD? They might be low-res so you can't actually make your own prints, but could upload to Facebook or something.

If you have copy rights, you can LEGALLY post pics on the internet or make copies and give them away. If you don't have the copy right, the photographer could technically sue you if you do those things because it's revenue that you're taking away from them. Kind of like pirating music. You have to pay for it unless you have "permission" to use them however you want.

I saw you posted this as a vendors-only thread, and I just wanted to note that it's not the case that no photographer will give you copyright. Ours did. He does purely electronic copies; that's his business model. A lot of people want the whole print package, and photographers who use that model are highly unlikely to give you copyright (although I've seen higher-priced packages that do), but for someone who doesn't do prints, it makes sense.

Not sure why put you got double posted, so from my other response:

You can't print the images without a print release, and yes, places DO ask for a document from your photographer. You're never going to get full rights to your images. A keen photographer is going to give you personal printing rights only. You won't be able to enter it into competitions, use it for monetary gain, etc.

Shannon it absolutely right! If you can, it is always better to have the copy right to avoid problems.

Sorry! I know I double-posted this...I mistakingly did vendors only.. I am also new to this post process on this site. I just want to have the ability to make my own prints, album, whatever. I do not have any intention to enter a competition, monetary gain, etc. So i just want to make sure of what I should ask/ want when looking for a photog... Also is anyone has any recommendations of a good photog, I am all ears. I am in the norther jersey/nyc area.

Brian Cesario - who responded in the other thread!

Lol you guys, and again sorry for the confusion!

I give my clients a personal reproduction release. If a photographer gives you the full copyright release he/she really gives up the right to use the images in marketing, compititions, etc. My contract also states that my clients may not give the images to a third party (ie other vendors from the wedding). If the vendor asks for images, I like to be included, that way I can create a relationship with the vendor.

If you go with a photographer that does not offer prints in the package be sure to get a refference on what print labs to use. After all, these are your wedding photos, you don't go to Walmart to print!

Congrats on your engagement!!

Many places will not develop your photos without the copy right release to the pictures. So if you plan on getting them printed it is a good idea to obtain the copy right release! :-)

I think it's important to have some rights to the photos- I understand not letting the customer sell them or let other vendors use them. You shouldn't be able to do this, but if you want to make your own album to give to grandma you should be able to do so. Also, you should be able to make prints wherever you want. Personally, I would not use a photographer who wouldn't let me do this.

Actually there are two types of rights to know, copy rights and printing rights. Copyright of the images is not given up at all by a professional photographer unless it's for an outrageous price because then he can't post those same images to their website or blog or whatever w/o permission from the clients he gave that right up to.

Printing rights is what we all want from our photographer, because this gives us permission to print out the images from the cd/dvd to any photo lab that we may use, may it be walmart or target. From what I understand is that we don't own the photos, the photographer does and he/she is just giving us permission to print them. The sizes of the print vary between photographers aswell, so make sure that ya'll check out how big you can print them..

=)

My photographer provides you with a CD with all the proofs but they are low res so you can post them on Facebook. They do not print out well. For an additional fee (I think I am paying around $200) I am getting a high-res CD and I own the copyright to all of my photos. Definately ask for a High -Res CD that will allow you to print your own photos.

All of my collections come with a disc.... They are high res so you can print them, or post them on facebook. But they are limited release.... Which means you can only use them for personal use.If you want to use the photos on your website to promote your business, that's no longer personal use. If you give the disc to a friend to make prints, that's copyright infringement. The disc is mostly for archival purposes anyway. The prints I sell are designed to last a long time: over 100 years. The prints you make yourself at costco or wallmart will last 5-10 years before fading.

Make sure you order the prints you want to last forever from your photographer. They'll have access to pro labs that do not cater to the public.

We are photographers in the US Virgin Islands and we offer our clients a joint rights to their finished photos. It's standard with us. If coules purchase the original high resolution digital images too, they have joint rights to all photos. For those requiring a higher level of discretion, we offer a sole ownership rights for a price and sign non-disclosures when asked. Photographers should provide the services their clients want.

Thanks guys for all of the information... I find it interesting that there are all of these in betweens, yet all I want are my pictures! I will definately keep all of this in mind when I interview photographers.

Jessica... The reason there are so many different policies and ways to deal with Photo Copyrights, is that with digital images the biz of photography has become a bit more complicated... Some photographers make a lot of money by selling prints, and if clients are able to do prints themselves, why buy them?

I'll give you an example... I give all my clients (brides, sweet 16s, HS seniors, etc) a couple of photos (already processed and touched up) no later than 48 hours after the event... I do this, because I know most of them want to have nice images to put up in facebook, myspace, etc. However, the catch is that these up front images come with my studio logo on the corner... Once in a blue moon, there is a client who decides to crop the image, in order to keep the logo out...

In the end, great clients must go through hoops because of those who did something wrong in the past.

Hope you resolve everything, and are able to get the photos you want from your photographer.

By the way, I'm also an attorney who deals mostly with Intellectual Property issues, so if you have any questions regarding your photographer's contract, just let me know and I'll do my best to give you a hand...