Protecting your images from copying

TheBigCheese · 12 Sep 2006 at 14:16

Hi guys

I've just shot my first wedding and am in the process of getting a preview album ready (I will be printing all the images on an Epson Stylus Pro 4800).

I am going to put a watermark on all the sample 6x4 images so people can't copy them but I'm wondering about the final shots...

Is there any way of stopping people ordering one 10x8 and then making many copies of it?

Obviously you can't do anything if they have a scanner at home but what if they take it to a minilab for copying?

How do you indicate that your images are copyrighted so labs won't copy them?
I did think of using sticky labels but they can be peeled off...I thought about adding rubber stamp mark to the back but that will probably rub off the photo paper which is slightly shiny on the back.

Does anyone have any suggestions or techniques they use?

Thanks.

cyKey · 12 Sep 2006 at 14:34

You can't.

binaryknight · 12 Sep 2006 at 21:28

scaning and reprinting isnt going to offer as good quality as an original.
while i would hate people copying anything i do without asking and have made m8s take images off their bebo etc not because im a vindictive git (which i am

) but simply because they didnt ask first.

back on track though... in my mind the ones that will copy are the types that would like a copy but not enough to pay for it and will go without before buying. essentially you havent lost a sale but if you ever do come across a forgery besure to give em a good rant!

Geffen · 13 Sep 2006 at 08:53

You could keep your reprinting price low so there's no real motivation to make dodgy copies. My wedding photo were about £16 a reprint which is a rip off so we never bothered getting any extra copies if they'd been £5 then we probably would have.

MacX · 13 Sep 2006 at 09:29

Alternatively.

You factor in some of the the loss of reprints in your initial price. Then along with the wedding album, give them a CD with images good for 5 x 7 reprints without interpolation so they can print what they want when they want.

Quite frankly, with all the scanning and copying going on the market for reprints must be pretty small. At least if you charged them for the CD in the first place you'll guarantee some income. It's also probably viewed in a positive light by the customer, therefore higher chance of referals. Finally, they have (hopefully) colour corrected images to make decent prints with, therfore your work doesn't look cr@p because the bride is sending out xyz generation copies of your work.

Ugley_Matt · 13 Sep 2006 at 11:37

Produce a preview album with watermarked reduced size pictures and just provide a CD/DVD with the full size images on. I'd then offer to produce a bound book at an extra cost.

I'm sitting next to a girl at work who is trtying to pick her photographer and the prices they charge for printing the images are quick frankly obscene.

Helium_Junkie · 13 Sep 2006 at 12:17

If they are employing you to produce images, and the images are produced whilst under their employ, does the copyright belongs to them?

MacX · 13 Sep 2006 at 12:28

Helium_Junkie said:
If they are employing you to produce images, and the images are produced whilst under their employ, does the copyright belongs to them?

It's a commission, a temporary contract, he is not employed by them. If he was he would have a full employment contract, holidays, sick pay, P60 supplied by them, a monthly wage and so on. Only in that case could the couple possibly argue that they own the photographs.

Helium_Junkie · 13 Sep 2006 at 13:40

Righto, thanks