how do I protect my self

I've done a wedding and asked the client to pick 40 images from the 750 images that where taken on the day (for general distribution and a wedding book) all is good but, now the client wants an extra 78 images for a picture viewer for there home on a SD card

the question is how do I stop/prevent the SD card from being copied and printed from this wedding was done for a friend but I don't want to be ripped off as I've all ready done this on the cheap.They have requested that no watermark be applied to their images.

I worked from 10.00am to 9.30pm for free ( only asked for a token fee )client to pay for ink and paper for their images.

James

Ps
not doing this again for free or a wedding

You can't protect yourself really

All you can do is put very low resolution images on the SD card, or watermark them with a copyright notice. e.g. 600x400 pixels (fine for slideshow, rubbish for printing... but that doesn't necessarily stop them!).

Perhaps they don't want a watermark so they can rip you off
Still, you are within your rights to enforce that, or ask for a suitable payment

Matt

Most wedding photographers these days that I know of, give their clients their shots on compact disk so they are free to choose what to do after they have chosen images to be printed offered as part of a service. If they pay for the sd card I don't see the problem. Just make your own copy before hand

lowest resolution possible, with a watermark. for a fee.
first clear up the issue of who's images they are... you said thiers... I retain copyright on all my images.
If they are buying your images then you can set reasonable prices and conditions for end usage.

ok you all have valuable points
How ever I really feel that I am been ripped off.

worked all those hours for free worked hard all day and not to mention the sleepless nights and all the hours getting the images right and on to disc
with watermarks to stop people copying the images.

I also had a lens broken by one of the wedding guests ( they didn't even offer to have it replaced/repaired not even a sorry)

I'm even giving them a wedding book for free as this was what i said i would do as a wedding gift.

but their is only so much I want to give

as they have not paid for the event or final images do I retain copyrights can I refuse to release to images

James

Looks like your first wedding as a 'tog has been a bit of a baptism of fire, but useful lessons can be learned for the subsequent events.

1: Insure your gear against clumsy/drunk wedding guests.
2: Commit your services and prices to a paper agreement so there can be no argument afterwards. Any future orders will be based on this agreement and the prices therein.
3: Always retain copyright, forever.

Hope that helps for the next time.

For this time, as Don says, low-res images + watermark + charge for the SD card and include a written copyright notice.

time for some hard knocks learning:
get out of this one as fast as you can, even if at a loss .

chalk it up to a learning experience.

Then write a business plan, make up some contracts, get a business licence and some forms.
Get a proper gear bag and NEVER set your gear down anywhere.. if it comes out of the bag, get your shot, back in the bag it goes... I recommend a pelican case, a small backpack and a hip pack...
Never work for free or for friends that want free....

We pros charge what we do for good reasons...

I say sit down with them, explain what you'd like from them and what you are willing to give and see where they are at... be prepared to bend.
Good luck.

I'm not clear what the issue is, here.

You refer to them sometimes as friends, sometimes as clients.

You did the work for free (apart from the printing costs), yet you think you're being ripped off.

If you had no intention of making money out of the work, you'll make no less, even in the rather unlikely event of them selling the pictures without your permission, rather than giving them away, as you imply in your reference to "general distribution". If you're happy for 40 images to be generally distributed, why not another 78?

So you're not being ripped off as far as I can see.

The lens breakage is unfortunate, but irrelevant - it's not reasonable to include your irritation from that in your feelings towards your friends/clients, since that is between you and the culprit.

You may think you're being asked to give more time to the project than is reasonable, but that's not the same thing at all - all you need to do is refuse, or at least explain the enormous amount of time and effort required to edit the pictures to a level suitable for distribution, which you don't really want to do for free.

Either of which will be difficult, of course, because the root problem is that their expectations are different from yours, and it's too late to fix that without the risk of bad feeling.

I don't really know what the answer is, but I suspect at the root of it will be to decide whether, in this respect, they're friends or clients. I don't think they can be both.

I think my inclination would be (if you like them enough, maybe you don't) to give them the pictures they want (possibly at low res, as Matt suggests), as an extra present. Ask them not to sell them, though, since the copyright is still yours. If they're friends, I hardly think it's likely they'll sell them without permission.

That's not very nice if it's really the generalisation it seems.

I've done two weddings in my time. Each time it was for good friends who were very hard up, and couldn't afford a pro. They couldn't afford a reception either, which was held in a church hall with food prepared for free by other friends, and music played live for free by yet more friends.

I was pleased to work for them for nothing, and their pleasure in the pictures was payment enough.

Sorry to hear about this. My preferred course of action would be to talk to them and explain the situation. Perhaps if you tell them what the cost of the lens replacement has been they will be a little more understanding.

You do own the copyright and you are perfectly entitled to put a very conspicuous watermark on the images. However it ultimately comes down to whether the friendship is important to you. Perhaps it might be better to put this one down to experience?

What people don't pay for they don't respect. Since it's free it has no perceived value or cost in their eyes so that asking for more adds no more cost to you.

You set the value of your time when you agreed to do the shoot for nothing. Two times nothing is nothing.

I never work for nothing. I may give a reduction but they'll know the real cost and how generous I am in the reduction. I hasten to add this is not photographic work which I don't do but I am full time self employed.

Keep the friends and just do what they want! Friendship is valuable.

Mike

since you're not getting anything for the pictures anyway, I don't see what you loose if they copy them?

What I would do:

explain to them that you have already spent a lot of time and effort on your wedding present to them, and you can't afford the time to bring the others up to full print standard. Offer them the images as they currently exist.

When I did my Uncles wedding as a wedding gift, I spent a great deal of time on the 40 or so shots which went in the album. I then did cursory batch processing on the remaining shots which went on a CD for the happy couple and they were deleriously happy. The looks on their faces when they saw the pictures were more than enough payment, and TBH they can wallpaper their house with prints of them and nothing would make me happier.

I can see how you might feel hard done by but since you weren't working as a professional and weren't expecting to make any money from it I cant see how giving them all the pictures on a disc is costing you anything other than a little time. Why did you shoot 750 pictures? What are you going to do with them anyway?

So, either you were doing it for free or you were hoping to make money from re-prints and so for profit; which is it?

Don't mix business and pleasure.

Sadly, if your gear got damaged it was your fault for leaving it in a vulnerable situation and I dont think you can really expect the 'culprit' to contribute to the cost of replacement or repair.

Perhaps professional photography is best left to professionals.

I hope chris a reads this post and understands that in tune with what I said earlier.

I have given gift certificates ( with an actual dollar amount on them) to friends and when they see the dollar amount on the gift certificate, and the regular price list, they never ask for extra freebies and they appreciate the work I do for them.

I said I would do the shoot for free but would appreciate a token fee due to the expense of extra lens and spare body.

I said I would give them a wedding book of around 40 images this gives me the opportunity to have a extra one for my portfolio/studio

I've leant them a laptop(old one)to view there images on.

but where dose free stop and can it be stopped

James

don I like that idea a lot

James

has anyone got a example of a contract I can read and alter for my needs