I believe that the “Creator” or the “Artist” (often a starving artist) and the “Photographer” deserves to get a fair value for his or her work.
Value usually involves; an adequate payment for time and materials required for producing a piece of art.
Value is also recognized in royalties and commissions for specific uses of the art work, especially where the user expects to make a further profit from the use of this work.
A “unique” photograph or piece of artwork that has a value beyond the cost of production, deserves to be auctioned off in the marketplace to the highest bidder.
This higher bidder can pay for the exclusive use of this image… for a period of time. This “unique” image can also be “rented” for a limited use by a potential party. This “unique” image can also be given away by the artist for little or no compensation, in which case the photographer would certainly expect that his/her work is acknowledged in the form of a photo credit wherever the photograph is used.
- I most often deal with portraits of individuals and/or families.
- I must get permission to display or reuse that photograph for purposes other than for what it was initially intended (the person in the photograph may have privacy concerns).
It is illegal for an individual or a photo lab to make copies of a photograph that I have created. He is depriving me, the artist, of my right to royalties on that photograph and basically my right to make a living.
I firmly believe in the “Golden Rule” where fair value is enjoyed by all.
I often “voluntarily” give up my copyright to portraits that I have taken, giving this copyright to my clients in exchange to a “photo-credit”. If and when this photograph is published in a newspaper or magazine.
I also encourage my clients to post my photos on the internet, and on their Facebook and LinkedIn sites. In this way a satisfied client is advertising for me. I am always grateful for this!
