The Difference Between Copyright and Print Release
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Copyright? Print release? What is the difference?
So, you are researching photographers for your wedding day and are noticing the phrases “print release” and “copyright” being tossed around but it isn’t clear what that means and what the difference is between them. Let me help out.
When a copyright is purchased for images, that means the photographer no longer owns any right to those images. The photographer can not reproduce the image in any way, they can not display that image on their website or on their social media, among a list of other things.
Most professional wedding photographers will have wording in their contract that allows them to retain the copyright of the images, but allow their clients a print release for those images. Photographers retain the copyright to prevent clients from editing our work, using the images for advertising, selling our images for profit, and other uses that are non-personal. Images that are used for personal reasons are inherently less expensive because they are not meant to turn a profit for another person.
With each of my clients, I offer a print release.
A print release is actually what most people mean when they ask for copyright of their photographs. They want to be sure that they will have access to their digital images after their session or wedding day to download them and print them for their own personal use or to place images on their social media to share with friends and family. A print release will give the client the ability to have the images for personal use while the photographer retains the copyright.
However, some people do actually want a copyright versus print release. Those people are typically celebrities or other wise among the rich or famous. They want to be able to sell the images for publication, or don’t want the photographer building their brand off of images of them. Those clients expect a quote that is close to four or five times the price of a wedding quote with a just a simple print release.
