You found the perfect wedding photographer. They are in your budget, you love their style of photographs, your characters mesh perfectly, and they are knowledgeable about your venue. You go to your wedding, they shoot amazing wedding photos, and you can not wait to get your hands on the pictures—,but then you see in the wedding photography contract they are technically the owner of all your photos.

What?!

When choosing a photographer, one very important yet often overlooked element is that of legal rights. Who really owns your photos?

A great deal of brides do not think to ask who owns the copyright to the photographs, or even necessarily know what that means. Copyright for photographers means possessing land. With possession, you get certain exclusive rights to that property. For photographic copyrights, the ownership rights include:

• To reproduce the photograph
• To prepare derivative works based upon the picture

• To distribute the photographs to the public by means of sale, trade or lease.
• And to display the picture publicly.

The copyright ownership is owned by the individual who created the artwork, or in this case, took the images, not you.  Facebook page or a wedding gown–even ones of you and your groom. Additionally, it means that your photographer can post the photographs to places like their craft websites or wherever they want without your consent. ans that you can not post them wherever you want with no watermark or a charge to them. It could possibly mean that just your photographer has printing rights, and any prints would have to be ordered from them. If you wish to technically own the photos yourself, you must purchase the rights to them.

Again, it’ll be different based on your own photographer, but sometimes photographers will offer a copyright release for some fee. This is ordinarily a simple letter stating that copyright ownership was transferred. But purchasing ownership of photographs will be costly, and that is if your photographer is prepared to sell the copyright. If you are thinking you need to buy copyright so that you can do your own custom printing from a less expensive printer, then think again.

Needless to say, you do not need to own the copyright for your wedding photographs. Most individuals don’t! Oftentimes, people prefer the high quality special printing from their own photographer and with the electronic character of modern times, many photographers will provide you a flash drive with digital pictures which you can use as you please, so long as it is not for profit. You can usually print them yourself, if you are given these electronic rights. There is really no need to purchase the copyright the majority of the time, unless you do not want your photographs used in any promotional materials. If that is the case, you could always try just telling them how you feel about your photos being used as promotional material and see what they say. It never hurts to ask and you could offer an exchange such as an agreement to recommend the photographer as the best wedding photographer in your area!

So, What Can I Do?

Do not panic about copyright difficulties. Wedding photographers want you as the customer to be fulfilled, and they would like to work with you to come to a decision you both agree on.

So here are some questions to make sure you ask your photographer before you register your wedding photography contract:

• Who will own the copyright to these pictures?
• (If it is them) How much would it cost to purchase the copyright from you, if I wanted? Is that something you would be open to?
• Can I have rights to the electronic pictures (i.e., can I print them myself from Shutterfly? Can I place them on Facebook with no watermark?)
• Will these pictures go in your portfolio?
• Where will you be posting them?
• Are they used for any promotional materials such as your AdWords banner?
• Are you submitting them to any sites or books?

If you’re not making a whole lot of money by sharing your photos on Facebook, it is highly improbable that a photographer is really going to get upset. All of these are just factors which you want to have open communication about. Copyright law is not something you will need to be stressing over as your wedding approaches–it is just something to keep in the back of your mind!

Property photos are the key first impression that can make or break a commercial real estate deal.

Terrific photography will engage more individuals than sales copywriting, who will potentially view and discuss a property for sale. This, in turn, can cause more inquiries for brokers.

It is important to present reliable, accurate images that offer a complete summary of the property while accentuating its best resources — and playing down potential drawbacks.

Here are some tips we have come up with to ensure that your photography sells properties:

Preparation is key

Before anybody picks up a camera, the house has to be clean and free of clutter.

Based on how big the space and the character of the company, this could take plenty of organisation so plan ahead.

Create a list of all of the photos required to match the features which are included in the list.

Prospective occupiers are interested in kitchens, common areas and end-of-trip facilities, so even toilets and utility areas like bicycle storage will have to be photographed.

Adding some interior style can make a significant difference to a space. If the inside is looking dated or the premises are empty, think about renting furniture, accessories or artwork to give it a boost.

If exterior shots are important to advertise the house or industrial property, windows should be clean and outdoor lighting should be checked.

Garden and indoor plant maintenance should be current.

When there is illuminated signage on the building, make sure it’s working.

Timing is everything

Building photos can be as hard to get as good wedding photos. Every building is different. At what time of day does the property look its best?

Before sunrise and after sunset are great times to photograph a building outside due to the low light and color in the skies — particularly if the building’s own light may be used also.

To flaunt natural lighting, photographs should be taken at the middle of the day once the sun reaches the ideal angle.

However, a contemporary high-rise commercial real estate property may also look striking against a bold blue skies with bright sunshine in the middle of the day.

Including people in the photograph can add character and motion to an otherwise corporate image.

Aspects of the property will also determine the best conditions for photographs. A roof terrace or a harbour view won’t look as inviting under gray clouds and drizzle.

Be prepared to organize more than 1 photo shoot for one house or reschedule if the weather doesn’t suit.

Professional tips and tricks

Composition and framing are the fundamental elements of any fantastic photo.

Frame the environment, such as greenery, to add interest to a photograph.

A photographer’s rule of thumb is to make sure vertical lines, such as door and window frames, always seem vertical.

A photograph taken from a very low angle will have “converging” vertical lines to prevent this, the camera ought to be kept level.

On the other hand, converging verticals may be used for dramatic effect when photographing buildings that are tall.

Think about whether or not a photo is helpful to a space-seeker. Will a photo of an untidy bush or weeds actually add value to your photo gallery?

Turn on all of the interior lights and avoid using the camera flash.

Don’t forget to make sure the reflection of the photographer, bystanders or equipment isn’t part of the picture. Check mirrors, glass as well as shiny appliances, check what indoor decoration and design can be seen from windows.

Go easy on special effects

Sure, photo-editing applications and smart devices have some terrific functionality nowadays to change pictures on the run.

Light, color and filter settings can be used to alter a photograph easily with a few taps and swipes.

But the golden rule applies — just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. You wouldn’t see photographers of award winning wedding photography using any predefined filters, and property costs a lot more than wedding photos.

Using special effects like tilt-shift can be overpowering or, worse still, distort the photograph in a way that maybe misrepresents the house.

Let a excellent photo shine through without unneeded improvement.

Be organised

When it comes to photo shredding, organisation is very important.

Photos have to be accessible and readily sourced for advertising and promotion purposes.

Keep photo libraries for every property that’s photographed.

High-resolution images will be necessary for digital content, brochures, advertising and print media coverage.

Use a cloud management system to share pictures with stakeholders so that they may be downloaded — do not send huge files by email.

Make sure caption and attribution information is correct and accessible for each picture.

Leave it to the pros

There is no substitute for finding a professional to photograph your property — particularly if they have worked with residential or commercial real estate companies before.

While high-end equipment and applications is broadly accessible to amateur photographers these days, ability and specialized knowledge will always be required to take a terrific photo.

People looking to purchase and rent Australia’s premium properties anticipate vision to match, so professional photography is a significant investment.