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Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Wedding Photos - whose copyright? The photographer's.

If you are going to a wedding, note that the official photographer's photographs are his or her copyright. If you want to edit photos and cut out Great Aunt Jemima and gatecrashers, you might like to have a second unofficial family member photographer as a backup.

What could go wrong?
1 The photographer fails to turn up.
2 The photographer's equipment fails.
3 You want your wedding photos for another use, such as your own website or blog.
4 At my wedding the charming man who sold me the wedding package was in effect the extravert and obliging salesman; and chief photographer of a group; the photographer who arrived at the wedding was a complete stranger, not familiar, no rapport, no record of anything I had previously requested and agreed, just following his standard format, a photo of the bride and parents at the house, the couple with the wedding car, the signing, the top table, the bride and groom and their parents. The photographer took no photos of any guests at tables because 'we don't take photos of eating - never look elegant'. As a result I had no or few pictures of beloved relatives and friends.

He then rushed off to the next wedding.

The cost of the photos was in additional to the original fee and higher than expected and nothing special.

That said, the photographer will take in focus pictures, or focus on the foreground with the background hazy, will pose you  (bride and groom) in good positions, such as back to back on a piano stool, with the bride seated and groom behind, with the bride's train flowing down a staircase, or with all the bridesmaids together, all the ushers together, and all right arms forward in mirror image poses, or under a tree as an arch, or on a bridge reflected in water, or ushers lifting their hats int he air. Understandably the photographer who makes his living selling photos wants to keep copyright.

Another way to get extra photos out of copyright is to give a one trip camera to every guest, then they are sure to take extra pictures of the bride and groom and each other.

Now I want to publish a family history. I have several family photos of different weddings. Even when I have the name of the photographer on the cover of an old picture, the original company seems to have moved or gone out of business.

Over in Singapore brides and grooms can have wonderful photos taken the day before of bride and groom in costumes at the studio. I saw this used as a life-size freestanding 'statue at the top of the stairs in the entrance hall to the reception.

Another set in good weather can be by a waterfall over in Malaysia or in a Botanical Garden. A set of photos from the previous day can be displayed on a table, for family and friends to choose one to order from the professional photographer as a souvenir.

My favourite wedding photo was a big photo blown up like a oil painting in a frame for the new home's living room or bedroom.

http://www.prime-photographers.co.uk/copyright-for-wedding-photographs/

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer


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