Copyright Confusion? You're in the right place!
Here is your guide to everything you need to know copyright of photos.
Here's something you might not know: In the UK, copyright last for 70 years from the date the photo was taken, if the work is not published! Interesting, right?
But what am I actually talking about when I say 'copyright'? It's a hot topic of conversation amongst photographers, and here is everything you need to know about it:
Copyright for wedding or family photography means that I, as the photographer own the rights to the images I have taken and can grant permission for others to use them. This is something that protects me from people stealing my photos and claiming them to be their work instead of mine. It also means that I can grant permission for photo use to, in theory, whoever I like, be it the couple/family, magazines, or other vendors.
In reality, this means that when I send over your final gallery for your wedding or family photos, I am granting you license to print your photos, make albums, print them on canvases or mugs, share them with your family and friends, and use them as you please on social media. Some printing shops will actually ask for a personal print license to show that you have permission to print the photos.
Copyright also means that you can't alter the images with filters or the like, without my permission, therefore ensuring that all the work 'out there' on social media and printed, represents what my photography actually looks like. For example, it would be bad for someone to book me based off of an image with a heavy sepia filter, when my actual photographs don't look like that at all. It would be a misrepresentation of my photography brand.
Copyright also means that I can submit my photographs to magazines and for awards, etc, that align with my brand. If you wanted to submit your wedding photos to a magazine, you and the magazine would need to ask for my permission first.
In reality, I would never share photos on my blog or social media, or submit photos to a magazine, or use them in any way for marketing, etc, without the express permission of the couples and families I work with.
There is a section in my contract that talks about sharing photos, and permission for use, and I am more than happy to change that section of my contract to say that I will not share photos on certain platforms, or at all if that is what the client wishes.
I wrote a whole blog post on what a model release is, and why it is part of my contract, which overlaps with this post about copyright. You can read about model releases here; https://www.fayesphotos.com/blog/what-is-a-model-release-and-why-is-it-in-my-contract/