I need to find out if there are any recommendations for a Basic Photo Release Form that I can use. ; The local Independent Baseball Team as well as the League Office would like to use some of my photos on their website (and the Team may use some for a Baseball Card Night). ; I am not planning on charging them for the photos but would like to get credit for taking the photos (as I offer the download of photos to the players for free). ; Any information is greatly appreciated.
Sounds like you need some sort of contractual agreement on usage with the team, not exactly a model release form. And your work has merit, you should get paid something.
Thanks for the distinction. ; As for getting paid, I really don't mind at this point as I would rather have the recognition. ; So then, do you have any recommendations on what type of wording this "contract" would need?
Agreed, you need the leagues approval. I shoot little league and girls softball and have exclusive rights with the league. The board for the field had to approve and vote on the exclusive rights. From there, a simple legal contract was drawn up. There are a few good books on Amazon about photography legal rights and contracts. Business and Legal Forms for Photographers, Legal Handbook for Photographers: The Rights and Liabilities of Making Images, and The Professional Photographer's Legal Handbook are three books that I am aware of. On a side note, once you get league rights you will be able to make money from your shots. The parents, especially of younger children, are always looking for great pics. Actions shots are especially welcomed and are a great avenue for secondary income of a few days or weeks worth of work.
You should get paid. ; They are going to pay to get those cards produced. ; Payment to you for those photos on those cards should be part of it. ; Besides, payments go to fund your next lens so you can take even better photos of their games and players. ;
I also think you should get paid for your work. ; If they are going to make money off of your work even if that money comes from additional ticket sales generated by giving away baseball cards with your photos on them you should get something for your efforts.
I guess the next step is... how much do you charge for a photo? ; Like I said prior I don't mind that the players get them for free to send to friends and family and for kids to use for autographs. ; As for permission from the League, since I am not taking photos on the field (I just sit in my season ticket seats) nor profiting from them, do I still need permission? ; Also, would you have a contract for each photo or a blanket contract for "x" # of photos? brought to you by an (HTC) "Incredible" Guy.
Well , the good news is that I don't have to worry about Contracts/Agreements and Prices. ; The second I mentioned that a Contract would be needed they came back and said they didn't really need the photos. ; The okay news is that they said they do carry all the necessary paperwork at their offices if they decide to use any of the photos in the future (for press packets and such). ; Funny thing is, I have seen the photos on the website and aside from being closer to the action (due to field passes) the photos do not look any different from the ones I take.
It really is a shame a lot of people seem to think photos should be free these days. It is not like you would charge them a lot for their use. Geesh!
Scott, I've been hearing frustrated chatter about such arguments a lot of Facebook and photography blogs. ; The biggest things I'm hearing is complaints that models are taking the pictures of their photoshoots and putting them in facebook and cropping out the copyright and logo and not attributing the photo to the photographer. ; The models state that they paid for the photos so they can scan and post all the pictures they want and alter them any way they want. ; Plus, it is The photographers state that their craft is art and they are merely the subject. ; The models then turn around and say that since they are the subject of the photo they can do whatever they want with the proofs or any pictures they find online of themselves and the photographer will reply that if they are the only thing that makes the photo so darn good, let them see a photo taken with a point and shoot straight out of the camera. It's an interesting debate, but the jist of it is that the subjects of photos feel they shouldn't have to pay more than the standard cost to get a photo printed at Walmart
I had someone approach me to do a photo for a full page Ad for a bank in an Atlanta Area Magazine that would run in 4 issues (one year). ; They wanted it for free, I quoted $1,000 - which is a very fair price based on market and usage. People have no concept or value of photography these days.
@ Harra... ; I think that it would depend on who pays who, but the photographer should still get credit. ; If the baseball team hired me to take photos and then the photos are theirs. ; However, if I hire the team to play so I can take photos then the photos are mine. ; Really, it would all come down to the wording in a contract. brought to you by an (HTC) "Incredible" Guy.
Now we're getting into "work-for-hire" and freelance discussions. ; If someone hires me for an assignment and wants to pay a flat free and wants to buy all the images from the shoot, thats agreed upon beforetime. ; If they want to buy out all the rights, then they can pay for that. Otherwise, I just try to license usage & rights.
you are right, that is a different discussion. ; Of which would all be covered in the proper contracts or agreements.
at the risk of going off-topic, this comment by dave is so true. ; traditional professional photo studios are losing lots of business to the "i have a rebel, that makes me a professional" guy who advertises on craigslist that he will shoot your wedding and give you a disc full of jpegs all for the low price of $500 (disclaimer- if you are a relative or good friend of the couple getting married and want to do them a favor, i have no issue with that). ; while the job from a studio may cost 6-7 times that, what people don't realize there is a value for the photographer(s)'s expertise, experience, knowledge, savvy, professionalism, and skill. ; i have shot close to 50 weddings over the past few years with a particular school and can attest that no two jobs are ever alike and none ever goes completely smoothly. ; this is where skills, savvy, experience, and training all kick in and it's the photographer's job to make the hiccups as invisible as possible. ; there is a value for that. ; i have learned that there is an intrinsic value to the price that someone pays; if you chage someone next to nothing for something, the buyer will think that said item is not worth anything. ; charging a reasonable price for a quality item shows that you are confident in your work and shows that you are saying your work has value. ; that said, there are a lot of things that are overpriced, overhyped garbage out there so you need to not fall into that trap either. there is also a difference between a professionally printed photograph and the one that the kid at the local store printed in 20 seconds for you (paper quality, color correction, retouching, etc). ; there is a reason why a professionally shot, printed, and mounted 16x20 costs $200+ from the studio and not $7.99 from some kiosk that happened to be having a sale that day. it's the same in all professions: ; lawyers, doctors, landscapers, etc. ; the good ones all charge more than the lower ones and still get the business because people are willing to pay more (most times) for quality. ; the way a typical wedding day goes is this: 1200pm - muster at the studio, secure gear, equipment, game plan 100pm - 215pm - shoot at bride's house (dress, flowers, parents, bridesmaids, etc) 300pm - 400pm - wedding ceremony 400pm - 600pm - formals at church, other locations 600pm - 700pm - cocktail hour 700pm - 1100pm - reception ------------------------ 11 hour day * 2 photographers = 22 man-hours at the shoot after the shoot, you have a photoshot artist to review all of the pics, pull the duds, proof the keepers, then retouch the photos selected for the album and prints, and order the prints themselves. ; THEN you have another person actually build the album. ; there is a TON of work that goes into each event. ; there is a value for that and that needs to be respected.
