By Kenneth C. Hoffman

Traditionally, the portrait and wedding photographer carefully saved his negatives for future sales and the safety of the image. Courts have decreed that the photographer owns the rights to the image and that no one else may reprint the image without his permission. But in the fast paced world we live in, times have changed and the question of image sharing must be rethought.

The cons of giving the bride and groom the digital files for their own use invite the chance that they would probably make a few wallets for their relatives. I see every picture that reaches a wider audience as a piece of priceless advertisement. If the quality of the wallet picture is not up to pro standards, the recipients of the picture is probably aware that the bride and groom cut corners making the gift and won’t blame the studio. Because the time consuming inconvenience and loss of face that accompanies the ink jet gift, a very small percentage of wedding customers would resort to this practice. One hour photo establishments customarily refuse to scan a professionally made photo and prints from a CD will not match the quality of the professional lab.

The pros of offering the digital files at no charge as part of the wedding package are: a powerful tool to book more weddings, an incentive for the bride and groom to recommend your studio to their friends and relatives, and the transfer of the responsibility of safekeeping the image files. The profit made from just one wedding recommendation far outweigh any amount that could be made from a few reprint sales.

For those more conservative photographers, the delivery of the image files could be delayed until a year after the wedding albums are delivered can be an option. This would naturally remove any benefit from handing the files over immediately. An exception could be made in the case of the image chosen for a wall sized image, retaining the rights exclusively for the studio. Of course, the master digital images will still exist on your DVD disks for normal reprint use. While you, the photographer, has the right to deny the bride and groom the use of the original image files, you also have the right to be the good Samaritan and accommodate tons of new clients at the same time.

Retired portrait and wedding photographer. Your thoughts?

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