what do boudoir photographers do with archives if they quit the business?

1. We do whatever we want with them. Some of us archive forever, some of us purge images after a year. Those of us running a legal business would never sell them to a 3rd party (at least not without explicit permission.

2. Expect? No. There's no rule that says we have to sell the rest of the images back to a client when we quit.
 
I would not worry about them if I were you. If they haven't surfaced yet then I think your in the clear. I keep my files for so long and then I dump them. (Except my favorites) This is stated in my contract to my clients. I keep mine on an external hard drive and through an online backup service.
 
This post is useless without photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Maybe working lots of overtime to get $$$ to buy the copyrights?
 
Thanks all for the replies. It does ease my mind quite a bit since I know nothing about your business.

I do want to clarify one thing though. I didn't say the guy had vanished 5 years ago. I was able to reach him 5 years ago and he did some reprints for me. It wasn't until this past December of 2012 that I learned he had vanished.

To answer a few questions, no my wife isn't famous, at least not outside our region where she is somewhat well known in the local business community -- one reason why we had the photos taken by an out of state photographer.

Some asked about the original model release. I dug it out and not knowing what is standard in your business, I do wonder a bit about how many rights we gave him. The model release mostly discusses the photographer's rights, although one clause does read, "Photographer has no usage or reproduction rights." I'm not sure how absolute that is or what it even means -- no usage or reproduction rights to do what?

It also reads in part, "These assigned rights will and do extend to the photographer, his licensees and/or assignees, successors in interest, legal representatives, heirs, anyone acting in his behalf or in the behalf of his licensees and/or assignees." That is potentially a lot of people. The phrase "successors in interest" does concern me a bit -- does that mean if he sells his business the new owner has possession and rights to those photos? However, in the section about what the model gets (# of proofs, # of 8x10's etc.) it also reads, "There are no transfer of rights or resale" but I am not sure if that refers to the model or the photographer.

There is one other clause I don't fully understand. It reads that the model, "waives any claim he/she may have based on usage of the photographs or works derived there from, including but not limited to claims of invasion of privacy or libel." Does that mean we have no legal recourse if he were to sell them? I honestly have no idea whether these types of clauses are standard in this type of contract.

He did give me his verbal word that the photographs would never be released on his web site, any other web site or to any other person. I put a lot of trust in a man I don't know.

I think what makes me feel most relieved is the comment that is hardly any monetary worth for these types of photos. Money is the root of .. well, you know.

As for those of you who said I need to post the pictures for you to make an informed decision, you are exactly right. How foolish of me not to do so.
 
Probably sold them to some Porn site...
 

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