Commercial and creative image-making.
WHAT REVENUE SOURCES EXIST
Commissioned shoots: events, portraits, products, weddings
Licensing of existing images Stock photography Prints and sales Teaching
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ON EVERY COMMISSION
What is being photographed How many images are delivered In what form What rights are granted Fee and payment terms Timescale for delivery
WHY IMAGE COUNT MATTERS
Expectations differ enormously and it is the commonest dispute.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT EDITING
How much is included, and what additional editing costs.
WHY
Retouching is time-consuming and it is assumed to be included.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT RAW FILES
Whether they are provided.
WHY
Most photographers do not provide them, and it must be stated.
WHAT EVENT WORK REQUIRES
Clarity on hours covered Backup equipment Backup of images, immediately A second photographer, for events that cannot be repeated
WHY BACKUP IMMEDIATELY
Card failure at a wedding is unrecoverable and it is a serious matter.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Duplicate capture where possible, and copying to separate media before leaving.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT PEOPLE
Consent for use, particularly for commercial purposes.
WHY
Using someone's likeness commercially without permission creates exposure.
WHAT TO OBTAIN
Model releases for commercial work.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT PROPERTY AND LOCATIONS
Permission to photograph and to use the images.
WHAT TO PROTECT
Your images online: watermarking where appropriate, and low resolution for previews.
WHY
Unauthorised use is constant.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
What you do when you find infringement.
