Should a wedding second shooter credit the lead photographer when sharing images?
Asked 6/7/2012
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I hired a friend to second shoot a wedding with me. I’m generally okay with a second shooter using images they took for their portfolio or business, but she posted a wedding image on her business Facebook page without mentioning that she was second shooting for my company. The post made it sound like she photographed the wedding as the primary photographer.
Is this normal in wedding photography? Could it hurt my business, and how should I handle this with second shooters in the future?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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It certainly is common for this to happen if ground rules are not established. The first thing I would recommend is having at least a simple signed contract between you and your hired help. Make sure that you both know what is and is not allowed with all images that are taken while on the clock, and add that to the contract.
Part of the reason that this is more common is that many second shooters may be inexperienced in the business aspects of event photography. They do not realize what holding a reputation as a business requires and all that goes into it. Many are looking to build a portfolio and experience at more or less your expense. This is in contrast to more experienced second shooters that mostly look at it as a favor to another professional, or mutual gain by sharing in the profits.
I would be concerned with what you said was happening with the images. If you post the images on your company page, then the second shooter does the same with no disclaimer, what happens if a bride sees both displays of the image? You both could be marked as untrustworthy just due to the confusion.
My experience is that it is most common to not allow any usage of the photos by the second shooter. This might seem like a poor deal for the second shooter just starting out and trying to build a portfolio, but it's just how it works! If they want to build a portfolio, second shooting might not be a great idea. They might be better off building a portfolio from actual weddings that they undertake. The second shooting experience might just be good to get the knowledge and less so to gain the images. They also could consider second shooting for free and be allowed to use images under an arrangement prior to the event.
One option to safeguard against this beyond a contract, is to provide your own memory cards to second shooters. That way at the end of the night, you collect the memory cards and know that the images are 1.safe with you 2.unable to be posted without authorization.
Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4892
14y ago
0
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Yes, this can be a concern, and it’s common when expectations weren’t set in advance. In wedding photography, second-shooter image use varies widely, so the key is to define it clearly before the job.
The safest approach is a written agreement covering:
- who owns the copyright
- whether the second shooter may use images at all
- whether portfolio/social use is allowed
- required credit to the lead photographer or studio
- any limits on wording, watermarking, or client identification
Some photographers require full copyright transfer and prohibit any posting. Others allow portfolio use only if the lead business is credited clearly. Either approach is reasonable if agreed beforehand.
For this situation, talk to your friend directly and explain that posts from weddings booked under your business should identify her as second shooting for you, not imply she was the lead. She may simply be inexperienced with the business side.
To safeguard your business in future, use a signed second-shooter contract and make your posting/credit rules explicit.
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