The age-old question – who actually owns the photos, the photographer or the couple? This one’s a bit tricky, but let’s cut through the legalese.
Generally speaking, in the eyes of the law, the copyright of an image belongs to the person who clicked the shutter – that’s us, the photographers. Yep, surprising, isn’t it? When we take a snap at your wedding, technically, we’re the owners of that photo.
But hold on, don’t panic! This doesn’t mean we’re going to run off and sell your wedding photos or use them without your consent. As part of the contract you sign with your wedding photographer, you’ll usually be granted a license to use the photos for personal use. This means you can print them, share them on social media, and send them to Aunt Sally who couldn’t make it to the wedding.
Here’s the important bit, though. Even though you have a license to use the images, the photographer still holds the copyright. This means you can’t use the photos for commercial purposes – like if you suddenly decide to launch a career as a wedding dress model and want to use your wedding photos in a billboard campaign. In that case, you’d need to chat with your photographer and potentially arrange an additional license agreement.
As always, this is something that will be clearly laid out in the contract you sign with your photographer. So, grab a cuppa, give it a thorough read, and don’t be afraid to ask questions if there’s anything you’re not quite clear on. We photographers aren’t just here to take great photos, we’re also here to make sure you’re comfortable with all aspects of the process! Another questions that gets asked alongside this one is whether or not photographers can use your photographs for advertising without permission, as well as querying if they give all the photographs? I’ve written more on this topic, here’s an article dedicated to things you should ask your wedding photographer before booking.