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Model Who Retouched My Edited Images
I recently shot with a model who came up from Miami to work with me. I worked out a deal with her to pay her travel expenses and give her photos. A few days after the shoot I uploaded my edited and retouched images to a Dropbox folder that I shared with her. She posted a few of the images on her social media accounts, however she apparently didn't feel I did enough retouching. The images she posted showed skin that was completely smooth and poreless that looked porcelain, fake and ai generated. Should I say something and how can I prevent this in the future? Nov 27 25 07:07 am Link I wouldn't stress too much. Instead, I would ask what specific parts she was unhappy with in your edits and offer to make tweaks next time depending on her answer.
I see a lot of heavy handed edits online these days. Models feel pressure to show perfection. Nov 27 25 04:24 pm Link If you gave the images without copyright restrictions being assigned to them or did not explain to the model any restrictions on the use of those images by the model, prior to the photo shoot, then take it as a learning experience.
If you are open to having others edit/retouch the images that you provide, then you can ask that credits for the images include the photographer and any person or AI agent that performed the final retouch of the image. Nov 27 25 06:00 pm Link The model has only the right to do with or to the images which you expressed in writing. In the U.S. all rights automatically remain with the photographer except where rights have been granted.
https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/ I have had a model or two alter images which I gave them but at this point I am old and beyond the point of caring anymore. I no longer care what a model does with images we worked together to create. Nov 29 25 10:13 am Link I just don't feel that it represents my vision as I prefer a more natural look in my retouching. As a result I will be putting a clause in my release that prohibits any further digital manipulation by the model. Nov 29 25 04:08 pm Link From. a legal, copyright standpoint you didn't grant her permission to edit, open and closed.
From the current social media/ societal viewpoint the public has a different POV and we see that a lot in the wedding and portrait space where the prevailing position is I paid for it so I can do what I want with it. In that ecosystem the photographers style is super important for getting future work. How important is our creative vision in today's marketplace , especially in what was essentially a trade shoot? Personally I don't care to get upset about things I have little control over Dec 01 25 11:36 am Link This is something that used to bother me. But now I don't care. If I give her the images, she can do whatever the hell she wants to with them. This simply isn't a battle worth fighting anymore. And it's certainly not something I want to spend the time and energy into policing. At the end of the day, it's what's on my profiles that really matters.
Another way to think about it - Back in the film days when you would give the model actual prints, if she were to take a marker and scribble all over it and then go show all of her friends, there really isn't much you can do about it, is there? Dec 02 25 12:11 pm Link I suppose you're right, the only thing that I can do is put a clause in my release forbidding digital manipulation. Dec 03 25 05:48 am Link Lachance Photography wrote: Of course you can do that. But is that something you really want to spend time and energy into enforcing? Dec 04 25 07:14 am Link If you want to go by the letter of the law, yeah the model shouldn't do that. However, there's nothing you can really do about it. Once someone has the files they can pretty much do whatever they want with them. Not legally of course but your options to enforce your release of even copyright is very limited. Even if you registered your copyright the proper way, which most people don't, then a copyright attorney would have to get involved. Chances are very slim that will happen unless there is serious money involved. Here's the kicker, if you try to enforce any clause in your release the one thing you can count on happening is turning the model off. She will block you, bad mouth you to other models and nothing will really come of it. Your best bet is to just let it go. At most all I would do is post your version of the pic on the same platform and tag her in it. I would still add your clause in the release, it might prevent someone from doing that in the future, it might not. The model might not even know she did anything wrong. Dec 04 25 11:21 pm Link I put the clause in as a matter of principal but realize that I can't really enforce it Dec 06 25 03:51 pm Link Your Compensation Policy on your Profile states:
"If we agree to a trade shoot I will provide a Dropbox folder off all the full resolution edited/retouched jpegs within approximately two weeks of the shoot." IMO - Editing/retouching all the images taken at a photo shoot as full resolution jpegs sounds like a lot of probably unnecessary work, time and effort. I send my models all the images taken at our photoshoots as unedited, low resolution proofs (e.g. 200x300 21 KB JPEG). I then ask the model to select an agreed number of her/his favourite images for me to edit/retouch as full resolution JPEG images, as their TFP compensation. I personally don't dictate, enforce or police any rules on TF* images where I have relied on a model's time, effort and creative support. Usage restrictions do apply to images from shoots for which a model has been hired, generally models don't receive any images taken on (Client) paid shoots. However in-time permission to use tear-sheets of any final artwork for self-promotional purposes only can generally be arranged. Dec 08 25 08:59 pm Link |
