View Single Post
Old 12-17-2004, 08:44 AM   #4
Leslie Ficcaglia Leslie Ficcaglia is offline
Associate Member
 
Leslie Ficcaglia's Avatar
 
Joined: Aug 2002
Location: Port Elizabeth, NJ
Posts: 534
Beth, I agree with Marvin. I make it clear that the reference photo(s) aren't up for grabs. I also don't release any of the other photos because I want to make it clear that I am not a photographer but a painter, and my camera skills are only a tool for my art work. That said, if I am doing a portrait for a friend rather than a stranger I will sometimes give them copies of the photos I've taken as a courtesy, but they don't make any other use of them. Once, very early on, a friend/client wanted to have one of the photos to use for her Christmas cards. Because it took me by surprise I allowed it despite feeling considerable resentment about it, but I don't think I'd let myself be trapped that way again.

I used to make two copies of the photos so that if the client changed his or her mind about the expression and so forth right after we made those choices they could tell me about it. However, that doesn't seem to happen, and so to avoid those issues about use of photos for some other purpose I normally make just one copy now.

Don't forget that places like Sears and Olan Mills charge a fortune for their photos and people shouldn't expect freebies - or even cheapies - as a byproduct of a portrait process.
__________________
Leslie M. Ficcaglia
Minnamuska Creek Studio
LeslieFiccaglia.org
  Reply With Quote