How much should a photographer sell her rights to photos for of my wedding photos?
Thursday, June 24th, 2010 at
10:00 pm
We ordered a wedding package for 1350 which is a standard price in our area, but after the wedding we realized we didnt get the rights to our photos. We figured we did since almost every other place we looked did so, and didnt even think about it since we booked a photographer we sort of knew, and they were just opening their studio. How much do you think would be a reasoable amount to offer for the rights to our photos?
newborn baby photography blogs
- The Wedding Planner | Island of Mauritius
- Wedding Packages – About Leitrim
- Last Minute Wedding Package in Mexico « elaine
Tagged with: photographer • photos • wedding package
Filed under: Baby Photography
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
They should be included… ask first before you offer any extra money.
you never get the rights to your photos and you couldn’t afford them if you could buy them. the artist always maintains the rights to his or her work.
even if you were to buy a painting or other work of art, you do not own the rights to that work. The artist still has the right to publish or market that piece of work. You only own the actual physical piece of art.
I do not know of ANY photographer who sells his/her rights when they take your portrait. So I believe you are mistaken or misunderstood what you were purchasing when you claim other photographers would have sold you their rights.
If they publish your portraits outside of an advertisement brochure or a magazine article about their work (say for example: a book of portraits or a coffee table book showcasing their work) then they will still need your permission to publish your portrait but by retaining their rights they are free to use your portrait as part of their portfolio and to enter it into competitions without your permission.
all that being said:
call the photographer and ask him/her how much would they sell their rights on your wedding pix to you.
The short answer: there is no set price.
The long answer: You aren’t in a position to ‘offer’ anything. Photographers are under no obligation to sell their rights to your wedding photos. Some will do so without charging a fee while others will charge in excess of a thousand dollars (US).
At this point your best bet is to call the photographer and simply ask if they are willing to sign over the rights to your photos.
I’m sorry to hear that you have found out the hard way. This is why it’s so important for couples to read the fine print on all contracts – wedding related and otherwise.
Good luck.
It all depends on the photographer…to get a better idea, you should post this question in the Photography section. There are experienced photographers there who could offer their prices so you can get an idea of what you’re willing to pay.
Your photographer may or may not be willing to sign over the copyright to you – personally, I have no problem doing that if people want it, but I’ve never had anyone request it from me. All you can do is ask. I don’t know why you’re wanting to get the copyright, but if you’re just looking to be able to print the photos from anywhere you want, then what you need is a print release — probably a lot less of a headache to obtain than the copyright.
good luck…
Nothing. You should be considerate and let her use them. We used a photographer who was just starting out, and we gave him permission to use our photos however he wants. We got such a great deal that I WANT him to get business and make money. I’m not stingy, and it’s not like my photos have my name on them anywhere, nor will he sell them to a stock photo website.
If you try to charge her royalties, chances are she’ll just stop using your photos in her advertising. Wanting her to pay for the rights is absurd.
I don’t think you mean buy her rights as in not letting her use your photos. I’m assuming you mean buy the copyrights of the photos so you can make copies on your own and not have to buy them from her.
There’s a big difference between the two and I believe people may be confused. For example my cousin took some photos for her senior year from a photographer. He used her photos on flyer’s, websites, and even on his postcards. She was devastated b/c the photos weren’t very tasteful. My fiance reviewed the contact and sure enough one of the forms she signed over her rights to the photos. She paid $7,500 to buy her rights and for him not to use the photos anymore
In my case for my wedding, my photographer is selling me a CD including copyrights. So instead of paying her $10 for a 4×6. I can take the CD to CVS and pay $1.00 for a 4×6. My wedding photographer can use my photos on her website, but i can print what I want when I want.
I hope that makes sense.
So to answer your question, it depends on how many photos you’re talking about. Also how popular the photographer is. My photographer "estimated" about 500-1000 photos. A lot will be duplicates just to make sure no one was blinking and such. My package was $850 for 6 hours of photographer at 2 locations
Here’s Bible verse, "Ye receive not because ye ask not."
Ask the photographer what he would be willing to sell the rights for.
You can haggle. Usually, the photographer is hoping that the client will order a full album or two.
Offer at least that amount and make it worth their while.
And for all the people on Y!A reading this, make sure you always ask if you can have all rights to the photos for yourself as part of the deal.
*
*
*
I am assuming you mean a CD with the photos that you have reproduction rights to. no one sells the copyrights, well, some do, but they don’t mean copyrights, they mean the right to copy, which is actually reproduction rights. With repro rights you usually get a CD of the photos.
It is all her decision. You really don’t get to make an offer on that any more than you get to make an offer on an 8×10 print. Personally I sell the rights to an event for $700 b/c I’m losing at least that in print sales. If she’s smart, she bases that price on the lost print sales.
Some photographers don’t sell the reproduction rights at all, you have to buy prints from them. In that case, you might strike a deal for low-resolution files, just so you have the images to look at.