![\"wedding](\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/images.theweddingsecret.co.uk\/magazine\/photography\/wedding-photography-copyright\/tom-smith-wedding-photography-copyright-image-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFind out more about the ins and outs of copyright and\nwhether it\u2019s something you need to consider when choosing your wedding photographer\nbelow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is copyright anyway?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ll keep in short and simple. Copyright is the legal right to own something, specifically the originator. It gives the owner control over the way something is used or distributed.<\/a> Essentially copyright laws protect photographers against their images being use without their permission. The creator of the work has the exclusive legal rights to it for a number of years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The type of work protected isn\u2019t limited to photographs. Books, paintings, sculptures, music, films, television, and radio broadcasts, and even computer software is all protected. Basically copyright protects the creative sector and the creators themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Copyright protection<\/a> is an automatic thing. As soon as your photographer snaps a photo of you on your big day, they technically own the legal rights to that image. Obviously this doesn\u2019t mean that the images won\u2019t be shared with you. Every photographer has their own way of allowing you access to the images. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This leads us on to the next step. Once you have found the\nperfect photographer for you, it\u2019s time to learn about your rights and requirements.\nAs we mentioned, your photographer will own the legal copyright to your images\nunless they give the rights to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s extremely unusual for photographers to hand over the\nrights to their images. A photographer owning the copyright is entirely normal\npractise and something that you shouldn\u2019t worry about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If they sell the rights to you it means they\u2019re unable to\nuse any of the images to promote their business. They are also unable to make\nany more money on the photographs through advertising. This includes displaying\nthe photographs as a representation of their work on their website or any other\nform of advertising they choose. Generally\nthey aren\u2019t readily happy to do this. It can also be very costly!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, read through your contract and have a discussion with\nyour photographer. Remember, they\u2019re an expert when it comes to weddings and\ncopyright practises, so they should be able to answer any concerning questions\nyou might have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The photographer has the freedom to use the images as they please because they own the rights to them. This could include commercial use \u2013 as we said, it\u2019s a great way to make some extra money on the photographs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the whole, it\u2019s flattering if your wedding is shared for\nthe world to see because of the beauty of the images. However, you might not\nwant the images of your special day being used without your knowing. If you\u2019re\na private person or seeking total exclusivity, it\u2019s definitely something to\ndiscuss with your photographer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Generally wedding photographers are out to capture your day\nbeautifully and ensure their images aren\u2019t manipulated in any way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrew at Light Works Photography<\/a> explains, \u201cI always ask if it\u2019s OK for me to use any of the pictures from the wedding for my personal promotion i.e. on my blog or social media. I strongly believe that you have the ethical, if not the legal rights over what happens to the photographs. They are of a personal and private time and you should have the choice for the pictures to be in the public domain or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So your wedding day is over. The honeymoon has been and\ngone, and as you shake the sand out from between your toes and moisturise your sun\nkissed skin, you realise all is not lost from that special time because it\u2019s\ntime to look through your wedding photos! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Photographers typically deliver around 500 wedding\nphotographs. This might seem like a lot but remember, they were snapping away\nduring all of the little moments even you missed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We live in a digital age and this is reflected in the way you receive your images. Every photographer is different. Some offer a locked online gallery for you to peruse and they will give you a password for exclusivity. Others provide a USB with all of your images in JPEG format. They can also offer a CD of all of your images. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding that it\u2019s your wedding day, photographers provide you with your images in these formats so that you\u2019re free to print as you will. This enables you to print multiple images to share with family and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some photographers watermark their images. This means they\ninsert their logo or company name onto the image somewhere. Generally this will\nbe discretely in a corner. Double check your contract to ensure you will be\ngiven non-watermarked versions of your photographs. If you aren\u2019t, it can be\nrestricting because you are forced to pay for non-watermarked prints by the\nphotographer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rarely, photographers will simply provide print versions of\nyour photographs. You shouldn\u2019t assume that they will always provide versions\nthat you can print yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Copyright only really becomes an issue when you are using\nyour wedding images for a more commercial purpose than previously intended (the\noriginal purpose being to keep the images for yourself and select friends and\nfamily to appreciate for years to come). <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you start using your photographs for a personal business or other potentially money-making scheme, then your photographer may raise a few issues. If you\u2019ve signed a contract that confirms your photographer owns the copyright, your images can\u2019t be sold for any purpose by yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The digital age is upon us. As a result, of course we want to share fabulous photographs of our wedding day across social media. Most photographers won\u2019t have a problem with you posting your wedding photographs on your social platform. In fact, most will assume you\u2019ll be sharing them for your loved ones to view and will provide low-res versions for social media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That being said, it shouldn\u2019t be assumed that it\u2019s okay.\nChat with your photographer and double check their preferences. They may require\nyou to credit them by tagging them in the image or in the caption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Breaking copyright law can lead to big fines. In most cases\nyour photographer isn\u2019t going to exploit you. He or she would approach you and\nask to remove any images you may be using illegally, particularly if you\u2019ve\nmade an honest mistake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the UK, we don\u2019t take copyright laws lightly. There are a\nnumber of infringement penalties that you want to avoid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shooting weddings is what these professionals do year after year. They aren\u2019t out to steal your images or restrict your access to them. Above all, they generally love what they do and simply want to tell the story of your day with their fantastic photographs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As long as you are enjoying your images for private use, you\u2019re okay! As a result, most are extremely lenient and really don\u2019t mind reuse of your photographs, so long as you talk to them about it beforehand. (Not every time you copy or reprint your pictures though of course!) Obviously they understand that you will be printing copies to share with your nearest and dearest. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"wedding](\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/images.theweddingsecret.co.uk\/magazine\/photography\/wedding-photography-copyright\/joab-smith-wedding-photography-copyright-image-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCheck your contract <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"wedding](\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/images.theweddingsecret.co.uk\/magazine\/photography\/wedding-photography-copyright\/Rockrose-wedding-photography-copyright-image-3.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nExclusivity <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"wedding](\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/images.theweddingsecret.co.uk\/magazine\/photography\/wedding-photography-copyright\/my-rural-tribe-wedding-photography-copyright-image-4.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAfter the legal stuff<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"wedding](\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/images.theweddingsecret.co.uk\/magazine\/photography\/wedding-photography-copyright\/la-belle-bella-wedding-photography-copyright-image-5.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCan I use my pictures for other purposes?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Social Media <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"wedding](\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/images.theweddingsecret.co.uk\/magazine\/photography\/wedding-photography-copyright\/milk-bottle-wedding-photography-copyright-image-6.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat are the consequences?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What does this all mean?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"wedding](\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/images.theweddingsecret.co.uk\/magazine\/photography\/wedding-photography-copyright\/him-and-her-wedding-photography-copyright-image-7.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
![\"wedding](\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/images.theweddingsecret.co.uk\/magazine\/photography\/wedding-photography-copyright\/natasha-jay-wedding-photography-copyright-image-8.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n