Just so you know; Copyright Vs. Print Release

As many of you know I recently 'shut down' my website to revamp my business/plan. While doing so I realized a few things;

1. I LOVE what I do. 
2. I want to be MORE! Yes, I want to be more, I want my business to be more! I don't mean that in a selfish way. So let me explain what that means! Hopefully I don't offend anyone in the process.  

What does MORE mean?
When I started out with this dream (know that before this experience photography had always been a part of who I was and something I wanted to do), I only knew what I had experienced. What does that mean? My husband and I had been to a small business photographer and had our portraits done. It was a simple experience and two weeks later we received our disk with all of our images and a copyright release.  I excitedly loaded the images to my computer, shared them on my social media sites and order Christmas Cards for my family. It was 'perfect' at that time.

Now almost 2 years into my own business and 3 years since that experience, guess how many prints I have made from that disk? Guess how many times I've looked at those images?

The only prints I ever made were those Christmas cards. I haven't opened the folder since.
With that being said, I want MORE!!

So what does my MORE mean? I should explain this fully before I give my true explanation! Confused yet? You won't be, just stick with me. When most (not all) Photographers start out their businesses they do what is referred to as 'shoot and burn' photography. You get a session for a certain price and then you get a disk with a copyright release. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this method, it's exactly what I did. So obviously you know it is against the law to download music without paying a fee for it and even then there are rules and laws that protect that file. The same goes for images.
The Federal Copyright Law, gives the creator (photographer) the exclusive rights to the image.
The Copyright Act was put into place in 1976, Under section 102 of the Act, copyright protection extends to "original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device."  In short the photographer has final say over the image(s).

I'm sure you want to know what the difference is? With what I've provided above I am sure you understand Copyright Release, so here is what print release will entitle you to: A print release allows you to print the images from any printer you choose. It does not allow you to use the image for commercial use, it does not allow you to edit or alter the images in any way.

With the economy the way it is, and people want to save money, I understand why you would 'only' want the print release, however these are my reasons for no longer including them in my sessions.

1. My main reason for not just giving clients a CD with printing rights is that as soon as they got the disk, I would loose the ability to control the quality! My name and business is based on the quality of my work. Honestly I've seen what happens to images when they are printed professionally. (Stay tuned, in the next couple of weeks I'll do a comparison for you, until then look at this: Why Should I Order Professional Photo Prints?)
2. This is my business, my job, my source of income. With that being said as the owner, I have to pay taxes, insurance, and I'm always updating my equipment and buying to props to keep up with everyone else and client requests. If I gave all my clients a disk and print release without any requirements of professional prints, they'd expected to pay at least 1/3 of the price. Honestly if I did that much I would be out of business.

I'm sure if you've look at our collections, you've noticed that in some of them, we do include a disk with print release, typically this is with mini sessions, or with our Brides who already have an album as a standard. We suggest using your printable disk for printing portraits for friends and family. Disk are a great way to keep your portraits in a safe in case of natural disasters, fire and so on. We also are happy to recommend a wonderful printing lab.

I really hope that this will help you to understand why we've changed our business and why I want MORE from my business. I want to be able to provide quality photographs for everyone, but I also want you to do more that put your disk in that desk drawer! Your portraits deserve a place in your home. Changing my business model in all reality is best for both of us.

Joyfully, Bobbi