What happens when you receive your photos?

After your photo session, wedding or other event is over, you will soon receive your photos. Some photographers do not provide the digital images but rather sell product – prints, wall art or albums. Others provide the digital images for an additional fee.

In my case, I provide the digital images as part of my wedding package without a requirement that prints, wall art or albums are purchased. Many photographers think providing digital images only is bad for business, but the reason I do it is because I know that’s what the typical wedding couples wants. And I want to provide what they want. For portrait sessions, I provide a combination of digital images and prints.

Here are some things to know about the product received after your session or event:

The photographer keeps the copyright

I keep the copyright to my images, which allows me to use the photos to market my business. Only once have I had a bride ask that I not use any of her images on social media or on my website and I complied. However I find that most clients have no problem with this – which is appreciated because it continues to supply me with fresh material to post.

The type of images you receive

I do not turn over the unedited photos or the raw images. All images I turn over have been cropped and edited. I do not want any unedited photos I take to be passed around and posted online. It is unrepresentative of what I do. The images you will receive are the jpeg images – which is the standard format for digital images.

No image altering or selling when you receive your photos

Photographers typically will require that you do not sell or alter the images they provide to you. This includes no adding of filters or editing of the photos in Photoshop. Many will say you are not allowed to remove their logo or studio name (however in my case I don’t put this on my photos). When the final photos are sent to you, they have been through the editing process and do not require any further changes. However, if you want something changed, please ask me or your photographer to do it. Photographers may ask for an additional fee to do any further editing.