Jean Marie wrote:
>I've recently had head shots done, I'm really pleased with them. Do most
>people buy the copyright to their photos? I went to get some copies of
>mine, because ordering them from the photographer would be too expensive,
>and they said they couldn't copy them without notice that I had copyrights.
>Yet I thought most people just sent their photo to some place in Florida, or
>wherever and get a hundred photos for seventy dollars. Or something like
>that. What to do?
Some photographers retain the rights when they do your headshot so
that they can be the middle-person in the photoduplication phase.
The first time I had headshots done, I wanted to send them to ABC for
the cheap reprints, but my photographer wouldn't release the
copyright. Instead I had to order the reprints from him. He ordered
them from ABC, did a major markup, and kept the profit. Mine were
still relatively cheap, and it was a beautiful shot which I used for
several years. However, when I went to that photographer to update
my headshot, I negotiated a different deal with him before we went
into the studio.
Call the photographer who did your shoot and ask him or her what the
fee is for purchasing the rights to duplicate the photo. If s/he
won't release the rights, you'll have to order your duplicates from
him/her at whatever rate is quoted.
If the shot is really good and gets you work, it will eventually pay
for itself. And of course you know for next time to ask about
copyright before you hire a photographer. They are artists, like we
are, and they want to be fairly compensated for their work. And a
good headshot is really worth a lot!
Best of luck,
Naomi Gurt Lind
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