Wedding photo copyright and amount of photos taken

How many wedding photographs should I get?

Most professional wedding photographers in Sydney now include the price of the proofs in their photography package. This will either be as low-resolution photos on a CD / DVD or a printed proof book with thumbnails of all photos available to you. This number will be dependent on the amount of photos taken. Photographers will remove all unflattering photos from the proofs. A minimum of 150 photos is typical, allowing you to select the best ones for your album and enlargements.

Remember that it is not always about the number of photos taken, but more about the variety of photos. Digital wedding photographers usually don’t limit the amount of photos taken, but will limit the amount presented to you. This is due to the fact that they take more photos when using digital cameras than using a film camera to eliminate all unflattering photos.

Who keeps the wedding photography negatives?

Some professional wedding photographers provide the film negatives or a CD with high-resolution photos (which enables you to print large photos) of the photos presented in the proof book or proof CD. This is either offered as part of the wedding package or it is available for a fee.

If you do not make use of the option to receive the negatives, the professional photographer will keep this in their possession for at least 2 years to allow you to order more photos or purchase the negatives at a later time.

Some professional wedding photographers only make the film negatives or high-resolution CD available after you have received the wedding album or a year after the wedding.

Many brides prefer to receive the high-resolution CD with photos, but you need to remember that when you order a reprint of a given photo, the photographer will ensure that the ordered photo is retouched and enhanced to provide the highest quality of print from the professional lab they use to print their photographs.

Who owns the copyright to the photos taken by your professional photographer?

According to Australian copyright laws, the professional wedding photographer is the creator of the images and therefore is the owner of the copyright. Even if the photographer hands over or sells the negatives or raw photos to the bride and groom, the copyrights still remains the property of the photographer. Ensure that you have the photographer’s written permission before making reprints, or submitting your photos to a magazine or newspaper. You may not sell any images without the photographers written permission.