You can often hear confusion from both couples and wedding organizers as to whether and why wedding photographers have the right to charge more for wedding photography if the bride and groom do not want the photos to be published. Although this is a common practice in other parts of the world, there are still differing opinions on how correct or incorrect it is.
Pictures are a photographer's only tool
Wedding photographer Miks Šēls is one of those wedding photographers who charge an additional fee if the couple does not want their wedding photos to be used in the photographer's publicity materials, including on the Internet - the website, Facebook and Instagram social networks. However, he also points out that this is still a debatable issue. "If a public discussion was held on this issue in a large cultural center with 200 people in it, it could turn into heated discussions. Some will say 'I buy pictures, they are mine' and others - 'the photographer is an artist.'"
From a photographer's point of view, pictures are our only tool. Of course, there is a website and activity on social networks, but any publication of pictures can attract new customers in the future.
Therefore, in my opinion, it is normal that the photographer asks for an additional fee for not allowing the couple to publish their wedding photos. That's how it should be," assured Miks Šēls. In the first year of his activity, he did not ask couples for an additional fee, but realized that practically all weddings whose photos he was not allowed to publish were in a great format, therefore worth publishing. " Facebook one wedding story can reach 30 thousand people and more. This is a large enough number for the photographer to be seen and heard. Recognition also largely guarantees work for the next season.
Of course, there are other channels for finding clients, but social networks and publishing photos in them are undoubtedly the most effective, especially for audiences outside of Latvia. Imagine a situation where a couple does not want to publish photos of their great and beautiful wedding. The photographer does not publish them, so other people do not see them. This means that the photographer may not receive new orders for the next season.
As a photographer, I determine this price increase - 30 percent or several hundred euros - not for the sake of payment, but with the aim of stimulating the couple to reconsider and allow them to publish their pictures," says Miks Šēls openly.
You have to pay extra for privacy
Although Miks understands the desire for privacy, people should take into account that publicity is important to a photographer. "Also, when buying tickets to a hockey game, you have to pay more if you want to see the field better. In the case of a wedding, if you want to hide, but at the same time you want the presence of a particular photographer at your wedding, there are no options. There have been couples who refuse because of this increase in price. This is understandable, because the wedding budget is often limited, and there are no options. But I also have no options - next season you will also want to eat," he says in comparisons Miks. He points out that there are photographers both in Latvia and elsewhere in the world who do not follow this practice. There can be various reasons for this - both a sufficiently large number of customers and, on the contrary, too few.
According to the wedding photographer Kristīne Grīnvalde ,
the photographer as an author, according to the Copyright Law, has the right to publish his works.
If for some reason the couple does not want their photos to appear in a public environment, it will most often cost extra, because then they will also buy the author's rights to publish the photos, not only will they pay the photographer's fee for creating these pictures. Asking the photographer not to publish the pictures is a bit selfish, because couples most often choose their photographer based on the photos found in the public environment, but everyone may have their own reasons, and this issue must be discussed before the wedding.
Publishing pictures can also be fun
Wedding photographer Inta Lankovska / Inta Photography / points out that in her experience there are also couples who do not want their wedding photos to be published anywhere. This could be five percent of all couples whose weddings Inta has photographed. She usually tries to encourage couples not to be afraid of publicity, and to show its positive aspects as well.
"A photographer is an artist, he creates not only for himself and the couple, but also for other people who appreciate the art he creates.
During my work, I have realized that there are two reasons why a couple wants to disclaim that their wedding photos will not be published before the wedding.
- One of them is the much talked about privacy,
- and the other - complexes, which, however paradoxical it may not be, are possessed by many Latvian women. I often come across a situation where people jokingly tell me: if the pictures are beautiful, you will be able to publish them. That's why I often try to encourage couples. There have also been cases when a couple decided not to publish their pictures anywhere before the wedding, but after the wedding they put a large gallery on Facebook . Publishing photos can also bring pleasant emotions and return to the event, because the couple usually receives the photos a couple of months after the wedding," says Inta Lankovska.
She has also photographed a lot of weddings abroad, and although the same principle prevails there, Inta has noticed that people there much more often want their wedding photos to be published. "There are couples who allow their wedding photos to be published, but do not want their children to appear in them. This, in my opinion, is completely understandable, and I do not think it would be ethical to demand additional payment from the couple for this. However, the privacy of children is protected and it is the right of any parent to do so," says Inta.
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