While inspiration boards have taken the blogging world by storm, posting a style board on a blog is a different animal than selling it for profit. Many wedding photographers don't mind their photos being used on a blog. With their logo on them, they receive credit and brand recognition and generally the blog's readers will click over to the photographer's blog to see more of their work. Many photographers, however, do not license their photos to be resold in any form. This includes selling their photos as part of an inspiration board.
In order to sell an inspiration board, you need to obtain permission and resell rights from each and every photographer of the photos you are using. Otherwise, selling those photos - in any form - is illegal and could land you in an expensive lawsuit.
Welcome to 
For millennials, the generation that accounts for more than 70% of today's weddings and the first to grow up with the Internet, technology has done more than give unprecedented access to information; it has physically changed their brains on a microcellular level. What worked in bridal marketing just ten years ago is no longer effective because the way today's engaged couples think is actually different than couples of generations past. In 
BUSINESS
13 comments:
How interesting. I have never heard of this. It sounds cheap to me.
Great point, Liene. We've created physical inspiration boards for our brides out of magazine and catalog cutouts--but selling them is out of the question.
Some wedding photographer sell digital files, if you find a photo you want to use, I would definately ask them - be honest and open, and tell them why you want to use it. I'm sure an arrangement can be reached. BTW - you don't want to be sued for copyright infringement - the damages can be quite severe.
The überBrides Team
www.uberbrides.com
This is the first time I have ever heard of something like this. Honestly, I don't quite understand why. Why a pro would feel comfortable selling designs that aren't theirs and why a client would pay for a board in the 1st place. Seems like it's just a new "pretty" way to present ideas...isn't that what we've always done?
Didn't know planners were selling these. Wow.
I hadn't heard of this trend but you're certainly on point regarding the legal implications... I'm sure this would not be obvious to a lot of people.
E.
aflairforaffairs.com
I know that's why a number of my friends don't want to put their images or ideas out there on the web. I think some newer people to the web don't know that it's basically stealing - since it's so public but some people do know and just hope they don't get caught. Thanks for reminding people.
hmm... interesting. do you think they can really see it as re-selling their work, since you're simply charging for time spent on the project, not the actual photos?
c+k - yes, because you actually don't even have the right to post their photos on a blog without permission, but a lot of photographers will waive that or give permission as long as they are credited with a link.
For example, that is why stock photos are so expensive - and they aren't usually used on their own, but instead in a brochure. Yet you need that copyrighted artwork to make the brochure to sell your own product. The inspiration board is no different. Without the copyrighted photos, you don't have one.
Sasha Souza talked about this in her TSE session and was very passionate about the concept that if you try and sell an inspiration board that you found or created from other's work, especially hers and (including the photographer's), she will HUNT YOU DOWN!
As I begin my own blog the copyright concern is one of my biggest questions. How have you handled the legal side of posting images such as a gown, cake, floral arrangement, etc and of written content such as a quote or a poem or the lyrics of a song?
I think it's an interesting discussion. I used to work in advertising, and we would often provide clients with concept boards or mood boards to help facilitate conversations with clients about photography style, advertising tonality, design style, etc.
It seems like providing inspiration boards or mood boards to wedding clients is very much the same. It's not that you're selling the board but that you're selling your time and the concept.
I suppose the problem arises when you actually hand over that board to a client rather than using it as a point of departure for design ideas.
If the board itself is never sold, is it still a problem to use it to facilitate conversations with clients?
I had no idea this was even an issue out there! Thank Liene for bringing it to light.
As a photographer, many of us LOVE getting backlinks to our site to help build our street cred with the Google Gods, but anything else is for sure a no-no.
Post a Comment