COPYRIGHT VS. PRINTING RIGHT

“Do you provide a copyright release with my wedding photos?”

It is one of many questions that couples ask me when inquiring about wedding photos - specifically the use of theIR wedding photos. It’s a fair question, but is often rooted from a misunderstanding of the term. 

Whenever couples ask me if they will receive the copyrights to their wedding photos, they are actually inquiring about printing rights. Printing rights (or print release) gives couples the freedom to have their wedding photos printed, either from their home printer or at a nearby store like Walgreens and CVS. The photos can even be put together into an album or photobook, as well as be posted and shared on social media. 

We can also understand print rights in the same way we buy movies and music. Whenever someone purchases a song or movie, they have a copy of it for personal entertainment whenever they want. However they cannot copy and distribute it to other people, and the original artist/studios that created the song or movie can continue to use it however they like. The same kinds of rules govern the use of wedding photos under a print release.

So in regards to whether or not I provide a print release with all the wedding photos, the answer is absolutely YES! It would be unreasonable for me (or any other wedding photographer) to prohibit my couples from reproducing their wedding images for personal use.

But now let’s talk about copyright. 

What’s the difference?

Simply put, copyright automatically defaults to the creator of the work, thereby granting legal ownership to the work as the author. In the context of photography, the author of the photos is the person who presses the shutter button on the camera. Even when you take a photo from your smartphone, you own the copyright to that photo, no matter how the photo turns out. Whoever presses the shutter owns the copyright. 

By law, only the ones who own the copyright to images can modify their work in any way including cropping, retouching, color correction, and so on. They can even sell the photos and enter them in competitions. The most common use is marketing which includes but isn’t limited to: displaying the photos on their website (including blogs and social media posts) and marketing materials such as brochures and business cards. 

Disallowing third parties from altering, selling, or using others’ work for their own gain without permission protects the original photographer from misrepresentation of their brand and style. It is why many photographers do not sell their copyrights, while the few that do will sell them only for a large sum of money.  Generally a print release is what couples want, and many photographers happily offer a print release to all their couples, either separately or as part of the full wedding agreement. 

With a print release, you can:

• Print the wedding photos as often as you like, in any form such as canvas prints or albums

• Share the photos online, tag people, and add them to galleries

• Enjoy the photos as much as you like

With a print release, you cannot:

• Alter the photos in any way (including cropping and Instagram filters)

• Submit them for personal gain or publication

• Take credit for the photos and claim to have snapped them on your own

• Sell or distribute them in a commercial capacity

A print release offers a win-win situation for both the photographer and client. The photographer can continue to build their portfolio and brand, while their client can enjoy and share their photos for personal use.