Most couples hire a professional photographer to capture the tender moments and joyful surprises of their wedding day. Yet even in the age of digital photography, brides should be aware of the specific ownership rights to these images. The distinction between the rights of the photographer and those of the bride can be summarized simply: copyright versus usage.
“A lot of clients get confused and call asking if they can get the copyright to their photos,” says Jamie Abraham, owner of JuxtaPhotos in St. Paul. “No photographer is going to give away the copyright.”
Who owns what?
It’s the industry standard for photographers to maintain the copyright to their images, ensuring that they can use their work for publication, commercial or promotional use without asking permission of the couple.
“A photographer selling the copyrights to their photographs would be similar to Michael Jackson buying up all the Beatles’ songs,” says Amber Procaccini of Minneapolis-based Amber Procaccini Photography. The Beatles created the songs, but Michael Jackson is the only one who could use them (and make money from them).
Even though couples cannot acquire the copyrights to their wedding photographs, however, the majority of photographers offer collections that include a disk of digital images and written permission for printing and online sharing, as long as it is solely for personal use.
“I try to spell it out to people that what they’re purchasing is an unlimited personal usage license,” says Procaccini. “They can’t sell or publish the images without my permission. But for 99 percent of the people out there who want to put their pictures on Facebook or make 4-by-6 prints for albums, it works.”
To print or not to print?
Although most photographers today give couples usage rights to their digital images, brides must determine whether the package they purchase includes digital files, since policies vary among photographers.
Couples must also evaluate what they hope to achieve by hiring a professional photographer to shoot their wedding. Many low-cost photographers provide digital files so brides on a budget can make prints themselves. Photographers in middle to higher price ranges offer a more complete product and higher-quality prints, according to Jennifer Wheeler, owner of Serendipity Photography in Mound.
“We have a clientele that’s looking for a more finished product, so we provide photographs that are professionally printed and retouched, and that offer all of the finishing touches that a professional photographer can provide,” Alcorn Wheeler says.
Professional photographers emphasize the quality of their printing services, compared with basic printing at local kiosks. “Retaining the image rights boils down to the fact that it’s the skill and the time of the photographer that creates higher quality,” says Laurie Falk of in Minneapolis. “You wouldn’t go to your favorite restaurant, order your favorite dish and expect the waiter to also bring out the recipe. Similarly, you wouldn’t go to a photographer and expect them to give you everything they’ve created and tell you how they did it. If it’s an event that’s important enough to require a professional photographer, then that should carry over into being important enough to get professional prints. The value is worth the cost.”In the end, all couples should carefully read their photography contracts and make sure they’re on the same page as their photographer about digital, print and ownership expectations post-wedding. Then you can enjoy looking over the memories of your special day, worry-free.