HELP ME!

[JimmyJaceyMom]

Hi Holga girl. I want you to know that I never ever gave the girl an attitude or anything when she asked for the release. I wasn't mad at all. I was actually flattered that she thought my photos were that good. I will admit I was irritated when she was crappy with me from the very beginning of the phone call, like she already knew I was a thief!

But anyhow i told her that I understand and that I was actually happy, knowing that if I do get into this proffessionalyly one day that my stuff will be protected. She didn't care what I was saying. She was very stubborn and extremely rude and all I wanted to know was what does my release have to say on it.
Her anwser to that - you have to prove that you took these photographs. Well then she wouldnt tell me how to prove it. I asked her and she said Ma'ame, you need a release for those. It was just circles I was going in with her over and over. All I needed her to tell me was what should my release say. She said, If you're a photographer you should know.
I was VERY frustrated. I told her I was flattered that she was complimenting me sort of but that I really need to know how to do this because i was at a loss. I mean I even went so far as to tell her the make and model of my camera, the settings, the lighting and all about the subject, I just didnt get why she was so mad about it all.
I can see it being irritating that people often try to steal other people's stuff of course! That just sucks. But you would think with all that info I had she might think to herself hmmm, wait a minute here, maybe this time I am wrong.
All I asked her to tell me is what to include in my release form. SHe refused to help me.

I'm sorry people are so mean to you at work. I always try to be calm and levelheaded when I deal with someone in public and I have worked in retail before and had things thrown at me too (underwear! It was a clothing store. ) I understand the difference though, between policy and stubborn, bullheadedness, She was being just plain mean to me for no reason. y'know?
KATHI

 

[Remi M.]

I don't know if labs will do this or not, but I have one idea that could help someone out of this in the future.

I set up my camera to embed my full name and cell phone number in the exif data of the photo. If the issue of copyright comes up, you could ask the person to check the exif data and call the number. Of course somebody could change the exif data, but a lab technician might not know that?

 

[holga girl]

kathi,

i am so sorry that girl was so rude to you. there is certainly a difference from being a little on the defensive and being just down right mean and stubborn. like me, perhaps it is time for that person to move on to another job, one dealing less with the public!

to help you with what your copyright should say here is my suggestion...

i would type up a word document with RAD photography as a header in a cool font with your email and phone number underneath of it.

in the body of the document i would state that you are kathi rad, owner and sole shooter of rad photography. state that you are providing a blanket release for that lab to keep on file allowing them to print any images you have produced in the past or will produce in the future for your use only.

then end it with your name, company name, phone and email just like a business letter would end at the bottom and sign it. ask them to please keep the release on file with your name on it as you plan to do lots of business there.

now here is the REALLY important part. the next time, and every time thereafter you drop off pictures to be produced there, be sure to remind them that you have a copyright release on file. i have a very busy lab, and can not remember who has a release and who does not. i have about 300+ releases on file. if i don't have that release on the order when i get it, i flag that order and it does not get done until either A, someone looks up the release or B, someone calls you to ask if you have one.

and just to clarify the part about the images being on a memory card, please be aware that anyone with a card reader/writer can put any image on a memory card. i shoot professionally and i know a lot of local photographers. i have had customers come into the store with some of these photographer's images on a memory card and try to pass them off as their own.

you would not believe the great lengths that people go through to get us to print photos that don't belong to them. i have had people try to convince me that they took photographs that they are clearly in. it is insane.

the internet is another way people try to get over on us. they will scan what is clearly a school photo/ wedding photo whatever, and i guess they think we don't look at the images when we print them. how can we color correct them, if we don't look at them. and i can see the scan lines people. come on. and cutting off, marking out or placing your finger over the 'do not copy' water mark on the photo is not going to fool me either.

also, images that do not bare a copyright mark, but appear professional in nature, are still, by law copywritten. so just because there is no water mark, it is on a memory card, cd, does not mean that it does not hold a copyright.

hope that helps. sorry again about the girl with the bad attitude. i always try to help my customers obtain a release. it is not that i dont' want to help them, i just need to cover myself and the copyright holder first.

 

[Rick Waldroup]

I shoot a lot of event stuff, some headshots every now and then, and so on. When I send the customer the DVD with the shots, I include a typewritten release so that the customer can get the photos printed at whatever lab they choose. The release is signed and dated by me. I also attache one of my business cards and state that if there are any problems, the lab can call me or email me. So far, this has worked 100% of the time and my customers have never had a problem getting prints made.

 

[neea]

I set up my camera to embed my full name and cell phone number in the exif data of the photo.

How do you do that?


This stuff just seems so... strange to me.
I dont know if it's the 'cultural' difference (me being in canada) or that I'm in a smaller town.
But I have never ever had this problem.
I too would be dumbfounded as to what on earth a release should say.

When I worked at a photo lab I was only told not to print inappropriate pictures of kids and obvious stuff. And to use my own discretion for pictures that contained adults ie: college pranks etc.

And now that I think of it I got a friends picture blown up at a very professional high quality place and they never asked for anything.. hmm.

 

[Mike_E]

Business cards are easy to do and you should have some anyway in case someone wants to pay you an outrageous fee to take a snap of them.

I am sorry for your loss.

mike

 

[DeepSpring]

What she said to you wasn't right but I like the fact that they at least try not to print pictures without permission.

I want to do a little test at my local rite aid just out of curiosity. I'll set my metadata in lightroom to say do not print without release a million times with website and email and phone numbers all over the place and then include that picture in an order with a few snap shot pictures of my friends taken with my cell phone.


I suppose ritz has never asked for anything because even tho the metadata says do not print without permission and copyright stuff I have a ritz membership so I guess they see it is copyrighted to the guy whos ordering them...

 

[Remi M.]

How do you do that?

I'm not sure what type of camera you have. I would look in your manual or hunt around in the menu. On my Nikon d70s it's a option in the menu called "image comment".