Photographers & Copyrights (Part 2)

So I know I've probably talked about this before or mentioned it in a post but I just want to reiterate that any photos taken in a photoshoot automatically belong to the photographer. When it comes to copyright, the photographer owns it unless he/she sells it to a company or an individual, such as a model.

I sometimes hear aspiring models or new models say things along the lines of, "I plan on getting the rights to my photos," or "why can't I get the rights to my images?" As stated before, they are not your images to claim the rights to. Yes, you are in the photos but as far as the intellectual or creative property of the images themselves, that belongs to the photographer.

There are rare instances when a model can request to buy the rights from a photographer (which the photographer is solely within his/her right to agree or disagree to). The majority of photographers will charge a large sum to sell the rights for the simple fact that if the model takes the photos, sells them and makes a fortunate, the photographer won't see a penny.

Because of that reason, the majority of photographers will never sell the rights to their images. This also ensures that should a model sell the images anyway without the photographer's consent, the photographer can sue the model.

So when seeking your own images, make sure you use the right terminology to avoid a bad situation. You as a model should seek "copies" of the images, whether they be on CD or from an online gallery where you can download the images. Keep the words "rights" and "own" out of the picture (no pun intended!).

Comments

ki~ki said…

Congratulations on your stock photography success!!!!!!!!!!! Well, I went to my modeling interview and it went great. I had an interview with MainLine Models, in Media, PA and she said that she loved my look. However since I told her that I never had training in this field. She said that she wasnt going to sign me yet and she told me about training that is held there. She said she wanted me to come back this thursday to start. The training is for 6 weeks at $380. At first I wondered if she was really that interested in my look or if she is trying to get money out of me. Does this sound correct to you, Dania????????????
I also have a open call today at 10am. THanks Dania for all your help!!!!!!!!!

July 2, 2008 at 5:14 AM

Dania Denise said…

Hey, Ki-Ki...you know where to find your answers lol. "Answering a Reader Question #15."

July 2, 2008 at 12:39 PM

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