Many photographers enjoy taking photos in their spare time and long to make a living from their pictures. If you didn't have to work then you could spend all of your time putting your energies into perfecting your photography skills and broadening your knowledge. Many well known photographers have had to work day jobs before making their big break. To help you realise your potential we have provided a brief rundown on some issues many photographers face when trying to distribute their work.
Ownership IssuesMany people are concerned by the implications of copyrighting their images and how to go about doing it.
Photography as a profession is accessible to people of any age or background. As soon as you take a picture it is copyrighted as your own intellectual property. As soon as you have the picture it is your property to distribute at your own will.
Watermarks and symbols are not strictly necessary and are used to identify the owner of the copyright. However if you do not mark your photos publishers may not be able to credit you for a picture if they cannot trace its origin.
Many people get around this problem by using stock collections of photos.
Stock and Assignment PhotographyDepending upon the project you are going to submit your photos to there are essentially two different ways of categorising your material.
- Stock photos are photos you have already taken before starting a project or accepting to contribute material. Stock photos are already amassed in your collection or stock pile to which you own the copyright. Stock photographs can be sold to publishers where you will licence the photo but still retain the creative control of copyright. Stock photos are also popular with publishers for items of general interest. Photographers can display their collections of stock photos via e-mail or online for publishers to browse through.
- Assignment photos are photos which have been created especially for a specific purpose such as for a topical story or advertising scheme. Assignment photos are good for specific pieces and often cost more time and money to arrange than obtaining stock photos.
The distinctive difference between stock and assignment work is licensing. Once you have submitted a photo or set of photos for an assignment job then the copyright belongs to the publisher and you will receive a one off fee.
With a stock photo you licence the image to a publisher who will pay you the fee for the photo to be used. You still retain the copyright and can sell the image on to other potential publishers. Some photographers have managed to gain regular income by producing in demand good quality shots.
If you are interested in distributing your work start to amass a stock pile soon and begin to distribute your photos. People may notice your style and you could become in demand before you know it!