Back in the olden days when photographers used film, it was very very rare that a photographer would ever give the negatives to his/her client. The negatives were the ONLY ones from the event and if something happened to those – there was no way to ever get a quality reprint of any images from the event. Most photographers stored these negatives for years on end just in case they were ever needed again. Times have changed and with it the method of not only taking the images but how we store them as well. There is no longer just one ‘negative’ of an image captured – there can be many and stored on many different media types as well. With it though comes the desire from the clients to also have that ability to have and store their negatives from the event as well – however not all photographers are willing to do so. Those photographers that do offer digital negatives will vary on not only what kind but also what size and finally what kind of copyright you get with those. Confused??? Here’s some things that will hopefully help you wade the waters of the negatives.
What is a digital negative? A digital negative is the file straight from the camera without any editing. This can be in JPG, TIFF or RAW format depending on what format the photographer captured the image in.
JPG, TIFF and RAW? That’s photographer speak!!! JPG is the file format that most point-and-shoot cameras shoot in. JPG is the lowest file size of the three and has the lowest dynamic range. JPG is the file format that most photo labs will require. TIFF is the next highest in file size as well as dynamic range but it is rarely recognized as a picture format by photo labs. RAW files are the largest file size but capture the most dynamic range that your camera is capable of capturing in a file. RAW files are not accepted at photo labs.
Dynamic Range? Dynamic range is the range of color that your eye can see. Have you ever taken a picture at sunset and then looked at the picture and thought the sunset was much more vibrant in person? Your eye can see hundreds of thousands of different colors and can also see in shadow and in light at the same time. Your camera can only ‘see’ a fraction of this amount, depending on the camera at most 200 or so, and can only see either the darks or the lights.
Why shoot RAW to go to JPG? When a photographer shoots in RAW they give themselves the ability to capture both the lights and darks as well as the most colors possible so that in post processing, they have the most color and light information possible to make the best possible image. Shooting in RAW also gives the photographer the ability to lighten and darken an image if the exposure is not perfect. After perfecting the image for color and exposure, the RAW image is then saved as a JPG enabling the image to go to print.
What type of files will be on my disc? You need to ask your photographer what files will be on your disc if you get one with your package. Most photographers do not release their RAW images files for varying reasons – the biggest one being that the general public typically does not have the ability to open these files. Some photographers give out the JPG images straight from the camera with no edits and some give out the edited images as they want them to be seen.
Does having the disc mean that I own the copyright to them? No, the only person that has the copyright to the image is the photographer. This means that unless you have a written agreement with your photographer you cannot sell, distribute, print, change or release the images on the disc. Meaning that you are not allowed to take these images to Wal Mart for printing, you cannot submit them to The Knot for publication, you cannot sell the images to US Weekly if you had a celebrity at your reception, you can’t give out copies of the disc to everyone that was at your wedding as a favor, you can’t have a Blurb album made from the images, you can’t photoshop your blemish out, you can’t email the pics to your bridal party, you can’t post them to Facebook/MySpace/Flickr etc. and you can’t give the images to any other vendors that you have had (even if they ask for them!).
So what CAN I do with the images? When given a digital negative disc with no copyright releases, that basically is a disc for safekeeping for you if something ever happens to your photographer’s set or your printed items.
What if I get a release? Most photographers will not transfer full copyright to the client, but some will give out a Limited Copyright License Agreement stating that you are able to reprint the files. Keep in mind this is only applicable to the person(s) named on the release, this isn’t for Aunt Sally to take to her local store to print with. Many photo labs will ask for the release and will not give out images to anyone but the person(s) named in the release. Also take note if there is a restriction on the size of the file that you are permitted to print. This still doesn’t mean that you can do what you want with the image files – it only allows you to print the files out.
Low-resolution, mid-resolution, high-resolution – what!? Each photographer is different on what size of files they offer the client. Some only offer low-resolution files which means that they are only suitable for web use (Facebook, MySpace and the like). Mid-resolution files are usually sized to be printed off as a 4×6 so you can have physical proofs from the wedding but for higher image sizes you have to order prints from the photographer. If you try and be sneaky and print the image off a mid-resolution file at a larger size you may find yourself pretty surprised at how awful the image looks. High-resolution files are the file unsized and should be able to be printed to whatever size your heart desires.
This disc will last forever right? No, DVDs do have a shelf life of 5-10 years or so on the average. I highly suggest that you back up your images on an archival disc every 3 years or so to ensure that the images will be there for a lifetime. You also may want to back up the images on an external hard drive or another means of data storage in case something ever happens to your disc. Finally, I also highly suggest keeping your disc in a cool, dark space – preferably in a safe.
How long do you keep your files? I keep my files indefinately but after the intial backups (2 times on DVD or CD, once on an external hard drive and once online) I do not repeat backing up the files. Once you recieve a disc, you are responsible to ensure that the images last a lifetime. Each photographer is different, ask yours how they backup and how long the files are available.
I hope this helps solve a few of the questions that you may have about digital negatives and what all that mumbo-jumbo really means. If you have any questions, please comment and I will do my best to answer them!
- The Christy House Wedding with Ashley and Stephon - March 11, 2024
- Peninsula Wedding with Colleen and Eric - March 10, 2024
- Winter Inn Walden Wedding with Julia and Walter - February 29, 2024
Thank you for spelling this out so clearly! I hate being the bad cop so I am have only in the last few weeks gotten this specific with my current clients but my goodness…someone needs to be saying this in the digital age. I can’t tell you how many professional images I’ve seen on myspace and blogger posted by brides who are clearly disrespectful of their photographer’s rights.
Amen sista 😉 !!!!
Some of your packages say you give the disc of edited photos with reproduction rights. What exactly does that allow the client to do with the pictures?
Rachel – Reproduction rights allow you to take them to get them printed but it still doesn’t allow you to sell, distribute or edit an artist’s original work. Personally I do not mind if my brides post my images online so long as they credit me for taking the pictures but each photographer has their own rules.
Corey, it’s great that you are so flexible! Thanks for all of the info =)
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