smoopie (8/14/2008)

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Wow. Interesting that a vendor enjoys lurking through these boards.
It also begs the question: is this really necessary to post? Implying that the ladies of these boards are ignorant or oblivious about copyrights is not only pretentious but pretty offensive. FYI, many of the photos that I am editing are NOT professionally taken. In fact, most are from family member's & friends cameras. Scary how a few simple edits can make uncle Bob's photos look professional isn't it?

This is EXACTLY why I started learning how to edit photos. Some "professional" photographers not only know how to take great (and NOT so great) pictures, but also how to collect$. With digital technology being what it is today, there is NO REASON why a photographer should hold onto the digital negatives which essentially holds the bride&groom hostage to paying outrageous prices for enlargements and coffee table books. When a freelance photographer is hired by a business to do a photoshoot, he does the job, is paid, and goes home. The business then OWNS those images and can do with them what they like. When a photographer takes photographs for his own collection or for resale, he owns the rights to those photos then can SELL THE RIGHTS to use and reuse each image as he/she feels fit. If I'm paying a photographer $2000 to shoot my wedding, as far as I'm concerned he's being fairly compensated for his work and, I OWN THOSE IMAGES.

If nothing else comes from this whole thread but this, I will be happy:

LADIES: please know that there ARE PLENTY of photographers out there that WILL shoot your wedding, shoot it well, AND give you the digital negatives to own. FIND THESE PHOTOGRAPHERS AND HIRE THEM!! My advice to you if you encounter a photographer that says otherwise: STEER CLEAR!! Go to someone else who isn't looking to fleece you because you want to own your memories. And if they give you the typical "Intellectual/Artistic property" schpeel, just know that YOU ARE PAYING FOR THEIR SERVICES...if they were shooting your wedding for free then selling you one image at a time, FINE! But I'll be damned if I see another bride spend thousands of dollars up front only to be bled dry for her photographs later.
The most infuriating thing is that A LOT of these photographers not only charge extra for the "rights" to reprint but they either DON'T edit the photographs or they charge EVEN MORE for this service.

For those ladies that haven't heard from me yet, I have received your e-mails and will get to them as soon as I can.

brilee1 (8/18/2008)

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As a person who got married abroad and can not have my photos edited by my photographer from my wedding, I truly appreciate smoopie and her work. And my photographer in Cuba charged me no where near what my at-home reception photgrapher charged me and on top of that my Cuban photographer followed through on all his promises. Unlike my AHR photographer.

Let me tell you Ladies, if you have even a funny feeling about your photographer DO NOT book them. My photographer has been caught lying to me (She promised me that my engagement photo disc had been mailed out at the end of May and I am still waiting for it). She has promised me prints and that I would have them by the begining of this month. I am still waiting. She won't respond to my emails and she won't answer her phone or return my voicemails. I paid for four hours of her time and recieved a disc from my reception with 110 pictures, of which 20 are duplicates that she has edited (to sepia or B&W). She told me on July 9, she told me that my prints would be no more then 7 to 10 business days andthat she would put all of the photographs on a DVD andcreate aslideshow. Again, I am still waiting.

Ladies, research your photographer. Ask for references. I wish I had.