ConDoh
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ConDohParticipantAt the end of the day your being paid to photograph their wedding. Your not being paid to create content for marketing purposes, that’s just a bonus from most weddings.
Use a contract and have them sign it, if a couple doesn’t want me to publish their photos then I remove the model release term from the contract.
Get yourself a contract, be very clear about everything in the contract and with your clients. Copyright Law is Copyright Law, put your copyright terms in the contract and then its clear for everyone. If you feel the need you could add in a charge for removing the term, or don’t. Personally I charge what I see fit and if their willing to pay then I’m happy to exclude their wedding from publication. The bulk of weddings dont mind so theirs loads of marketing material there anyway. Wedding businesses rely heavily on word of mouth and if they can trust you, they will refer you.ConDohParticipantThanks very much Tony, it was great chatting with you and enjoy the lens. I look forward to seeing your shots with it!
ConDohParticipantPersonally, when I come across the issue of unlicensed use, I invoice them for the use. I see it as offering the infringer an opportunity to legally purchase a license of use. If it’s a business clearly benefitting from using my image, they will be invoiced.
The invoice will contain the license of use cost, plus additional costs such as Removal of Watermark, altering original work, no credit to photographer etc. The additions are case dependant but if it’s an unlicensed use, you can be sure the invoice will be up to double the cost of having licensed it from me beforehand.
Your case is beyond anything I’ve experienced, it’s 3 different uses to charge for. Invoice them for what you see as fair per use. Don’t undercut yourself because they don’t value photography & imagry the way you and other informed people do. Don’t name & shame them . . . yet anyway. Give them a chance and if they refuse you, then seek legal advice. Something I experienced starting out was that I felt small, powerless, isolated & that I was causing trouble seeking what I see as rightfully mine. ( you could say copyrightfully mine :wink: ) Now I’m so tired of it I just send them a friendly message attached with an invoice. You are due payment for their use, simple as that. Only you can put a price on you’re work but have a look at getty images, you can view different pricing structures for different uses that might help.
You probably won’t know how many times you’re images are used without permission but, it is important that you seek your dues where & when you can. Not just for yourself but for the sole principle that photography is not worthless.
ConDohParticipantI’d like to hear others workflow for this too, personally I have a not so great system of backing them up manually (after cull) to my computer in organised folders of Personal & Business, each breaks down into categories. It’s just the way I started but I’ve been meaning to change it for a long time, I know a lot of people who use Lightroom Catalogue, this will probably be my choice.
As for storing, I’ve always just stored RAW and edited files as Jpeg or Tiff. My computer is pretty powerful so it has no problem flicking through Raw files but if it wasn’t I’d probably store low res jpeg previews too. (I’m fairly sure that’s what lightroom does, store a low-res preview image)ConDohParticipantThink also about what your shooting too, when I moved to full-frame one of the main reasons was for the sensors performace in low-light. If you do buy glass, take into account you may be switching to full-frame eventually but also the focal length difference between cropped & full-frame.
ConDohParticipantI’ve been using Loxley Colour for their Perfetto Albums, every client I’ve done one for has loved it. They aren’t a cheap option & you’ll have to do the layout yourself using their software but if your client is willing to pay for a quality product, I’d go with them.
ConDohParticipantI’ve never ran a Studio but would love to someday, one thing I’ve noticed about a few failed photo studios was they didn’t have their marketing plan down or they simply didn’t market themselves enough. Make sure to get the word out there, best of luck with the venture!!
ConDohParticipantI’ve shot my first few weddings over the last year, for albums I’ve been using Loxley Colour’s Perfetto Albums. You design the layout using their software, they might have an option to design the album for you for a price but I’m not sure. I found the software easy to use & something people keep mentioning about the albums (comparing them to the older style slip in album) is the layout option to have a horizontal image run across a spread. They are high quality look and feel & all my couples have been really impressed by them. They are not the cheaper option but definately worth the money in my opinion.
As for the fear you mentioned, it deminishes with experience. Every wedding I’ve shot has made the next one easier & more enjoyable. Just plan well, know what you need to get, when you need to get it & you’ll do great.
ConDohParticipantThanks so much for the info & suggestions guys, I’m going to read up & I’ll be in contact if I have any quiries.
Cheers, Conor.ConDohParticipantI learnt most of what I know with a D90 & kit lens that I bought a few years ago, picking up a nikkor 50mm 1.8 after a few months. The kit lens can still get me some great results & it’s a good range to have starting out 18-105mm. Highly recommend it for a beginner, like dmg says above pick up a prime lens. I got a 50mm starting out but would prob recommend a 35mm now, prime lenses are great for learning to move yourself around while shooting rather than just zooming in & out. It will help with learning perspectives & compositions. What Murchu says is very true, forget about new gear once you have a camera & lens and focus on improving your knowledge and skill of photography. Be patient and learn how to get the best out of what you have and most of all enjoy your adventures with the camera. Best of luck.
ConDohParticipantPersonally I crop first before anything else, sharpening is the last thing I do as after editing the image I keep an eye on any grain/noise caused by the editing that might be made worse by sharpening too much.
ConDohParticipantYa I don’t really fancy buying something expensive and knowing I’ll be selling it on eventually.
I think I’m going to stick it out for the nikkor 24-70 2.8 and use it on the D700 with the 70-200 on the D90. I suppose I’m rushing for instant results with a dx lens over waiting it out for something more long-term and compatible like a 24-70 2.8. I have had the D90 for 3 years now and I don’t know how long its going to last so this seems to be the most logical thing to do.Thanks very much for the comments guys, congrats on your trilogy shutterbug, that sounds awesome.
ConDohParticipantThanks for the responses & info you guys, its much appreciated. Someone mention to me about talking to FLAC(Free Legal Advice Center) to see if its worth persuing so I might. Checking back on dates it was two years ago I gave them permission to use them on their facebook & a year ago when they appeared on their site. As for the travel sites, they are no longer up there but were a few nights ago so they may have caught wind of something or else its a big coinsidence. I have plenty of screen shots, if they are even any use.
Mick-skyline wrote:
plus you already gave permission to use them for advertising on facebook, also uploading anything onto facebook without a digital watermark to stop it from being downloaded again means its fair game to use by anyone…. (could be something in the law against it though but thats my take on things)
I have good sources who gave me some info on the facebook downloading issue, thought id share here “Facebook’s offices (for all the world, bar USA and Canada) are in Dublin so they must comply with Irish Law. It does not matter where the Company got the photographs from you still own the legal copyright.” & “Facebook can do what they want with any Intellectual Property (ie. photos) a user posts but the user still retains ownership of the IP.” They also are watermarked.
jodal1975 wrote:
was it a business in sligo …im intrigued :-)
Haha, I cant say who just yet. Their response will probably determine whether I do or not.
Ashley wrote:
The Association of Photographer’s Licence document – and why you should use it to avoid misunderstandings down the road…
Cheers Ashley.
ConDohParticipantJohn17 wrote:
I think you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill to be quite honest!
You asked permisson to shoot on their premises & they allowed you to do so.
You then gave them the images & they used them to promote their business.
Would you have preferred they said no? A little tit for tat!
It’s not afterall a multi-national company we’re talking about here.
Is is any wonder half the world is now paranoid about a guy carrying a camera.
Move on & view it as a lesson learned.Well my lack of knowledge is the reason I posted here. I didnt ask permission, it was public property I was photographing & the photo of their place was also taken from public property. I allowed them to use the images on Facebook where I could be tagged and accredited. Clearly its not a multi-national company its a Bar/B&B. I am not currently a professional so I wont be seeking anything but I believe that business’ other than multi-national companies should also have to pay for others intellectual property in order to use it for advertising and they should know this. They asked permission to use them on facebook so they were obviously aware they cant just take them and use as they want. Is it any wonder many photographers are paranoid about copyright.
ConDohParticipantThanks for the reply guys,
shutterbug Ya it seems that way, they figured if I said it was ok for facebook then it was ok in general, I will be contacting them soon to remove the images from all the sites they have uploaded. Thanks.
brianmacl The problem with proving it is that it was an old version of the facebook groups (pre the likeable pages) so the message seems to be deleted with the group. I dont think there is proof I gave them permission at all. I have come to understand the ‘only pictures’ thing over the last year or so, I no longer ‘give away’ images for a credit. I suppose it was lack of exprience & lack of confidence in photography that led me to just say ‘ya sure use them & thanks'(not a direct quote) as I didnt value my photography at all back then, even though it was good enough to use in advertising a business apparently. I don’t think I can get anything out of it, I probably have less of a chance seeing as I dont yet make a living from photography. I think I will just ask them to remove all the images as they dont have my permission & let them know the error of their ways. Thanks.
Website: http://condohphoto.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ConDoh-Photo-Sligo/262046590514069
