How to set up for Portraits and such on website....

Amberly001 · Aug 6, 2014

Right now I only have photographed one person. I plan on doing senior portraits as well and also possibly start getting into family shoots and such as well as I get better with my people skills.
How I originally plan on showing my photography is by having different sections - portraits, wedding, family, etc.
You could see the different galleries with people (no last names or with the family photos, no first names.) You could click on one and then you could see all the photographs I took on that shoot.

Is it okay to put people's photographs on my website as long as I have their permission? For my first model, I did have her sign a model release. I asked if I could do a photo shoot with her and she happily volunteered.

But when others ask me to photograph for them - do I still need them to sign a model release or just ask kindly for their permission to post the photographs on my website? Or is this not a good idea?
I have looked at other sites and many people do albums - like how I was planning. You could see the different albums with people, click on the album and view all the best photographs.

Is that okay to do or should I jsut hide my work and have people hope I am a good photographer???

For senior portraits I was going to post either all the best photographs or just the ones they ask my to print/buy.
I would only show the best photographs and at least ask them without any written proof.

What are your ideas/tips on what I should do?
Here is a link to my website as of right now.
Jocelyn Frasier Photography - Home

tirediron · Aug 6, 2014

While not strictly necessary (as I understand US law), permission is always a good thing. All of my contracts, releases and agreements, include the following phrase, "as well, the photographer retains the right to use the images for portfolio purposes, self-promotion, peer review and professional accreditation..." in some variation or other. You will occasionally have clients who don't want their images displayed, and that's fine. I simply tell them that my regular rate is predicated on that condition. If they don't wish their image displayed on my website, et cetera, then please add 15% to the total price.

KmH · Aug 6, 2014

In the USA photographers do not need permission to use self-published photos for self promotion.
Unless, those photos were made in private or under controlled circumstances.
Model and property release law varies by state. The best source for legal advice is a qualified attorney.

Out in public (on location) giving a person directions like "stand here", "pose like this", "look this way", and/or using props, reflectors, or other lighting aids would constitute 'controlled circumstances'.

I highly recommend this inexpensive book - A Digital Photographer's Guide to Model Releases: Making the Best Business Decisions with Your Photos of People, Places and Things

Though you claim to not be a professional photographer on your web site, you do sell photos and offer your services to others.
If someone were to get hurt during a shoot you are conducting you can be held legally and financially liable.

I strongly recommend you make sure you have taken the steps your city and the state of Montana require regarding liability insurance and the collection and forwarding of state sales taxes. http://revenue.mt.gov/

tirediron · Aug 6, 2014

While off-topic, I'm curious as to your pricing structure. You're asking $25.00 for a 4x6 (24 square inches), or approximately $1.05 per square inch, and $40.00 for an 11x14 (154 square inches) which equates to approximately twenty-six cents per square inch. That makes absolutely no sense to me at all.

Amberly001 · Aug 6, 2014

Thank you for the advice, its very helpful tirediron.

As for my asking prices - I look online at what other photographers sell their photographs for and I put a price as to what I thought was reasonable - and those prices are for the animals, nature, and events photographs. When I start getting clients for weddings, seniors, family, etc. I will say on my website that those prices do not apply to the portraits - as those will have their own price list.
Any tips for the asking price would be helpful too - I've been photographing for three years but that doesn't mean I know a whole lot on the subject of pricing, haha!

tirediron · Aug 6, 2014

I'm going to be very frank. There is almost zero market for this kind of photography. It's fine to use as a way to show off your skills, et cetera, but making money selling landscape imagery or other people's pet photos? Not going to happen (except for the 0.00000001% of photographers who are very, very, VERY good at it). I would remove those prices altogether, and come up with a pricing strategy that works for you. This isn't based on what others charge, or what looks good, but rather on how much you need to charge, based on your Cost of Doing Business (CODB). You need to factor in all of your hard costs: Insurance, licenses, professional dues, website, etc, etc. Anything for which there is a fixed and/or reocurring cost and total that up for a year. Next you need to figure out how much money you want in your pocket and add that to your hard costs. Lastly you need to include an amount for equipment replacment/upgrades/etc and add that. Now figure out how many shoots you're likely to do per year and divide that into your costs. That tells you how much you need to make per shoot. From that, you set your session fee and determine your mark up on product. There's a lot more to it of course, but that's the Cole's Notes version.