Skip to main content

All about photo licensing


The American Society of Media Professionals (ASMP) is an organization whose goal is to empower and educate professional publication photographers. The following three goals are directly quoted from their web site.

The Three Purposes of ASMP
  • To protect and promote the interests of independent photographers whose works are primarily for publication.
  • To maintain and promote high professional standards and ethics in photography.
  • To cultivate friendship and mutual understanding among professional photographers.
The reason I bring this organization up is because of the invaluable resources they have to offer to photographers on their web site. I found their information on image licensing to be particularly interesting and I wanted to share this resource with you. In a series of articles ASMP outlines the definition of the types of licenses and how they apply in a photographer's market. They outline how to price your work, explain how to write a license agreement and offer suggestions on how to sell your clients the idea of a license.

To learn more about image licensing, copyright laws, trademarks, social media, pricing guides and more go to their Business Resources section.

Hope this information helps.


My Photo Spot is not affiliated with ASMP and receives no remuneration for the promotion of their site or services. This information is based solely on personal opinion and is meant for educational purposes only.

Comments

Most Popular Posts

Large DIY Diffusion Scrim

One of the most commonly used tools in my photographic arsenal is the all purpose diffusion screen . I use it to soften light, create gradients and light fields or as a background. One of my current favorites is a metal framed 4' x 4' foot scrim with thick white artificial silk made by Matthews. I didn't think I would use it so much, being so large, but having borrowed it from a friend I really came to love it. The downside for me is the price. At just over $100 I couldn't really justify the cost, considering I want at least two of them. Time for a DIY alternative.

The Decisive Moment - a brief discussion

Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare, 1932 “Making a photograph means recognising, all at once and in a fraction of a second, an event and the exact organisation of the visually perceived forms that express and signify that event. It means aligning the head, the eye and the heart along the same line of sight. It’s a way of living.” Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) is credited for the expression, the decisive moment . The image at right, Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare , has become one of the most iconic of his images to represent that expression because it succinctly captures, in a single frame, the whole of his teachings. While there have been many discussions both casual and scholarly, like the image at right, his teachings has been oversimplified and distilled down to a short definition that, to me, has lost a lot of its original meaning or, as in some cases, completely missing the mark. Rather than getting into a lengthy dissertation on what Bresson consider...

Using layer masks to composite an image

One of our more popular events is the Multiplicity  shoot. This is a fun selfie portrait  event where we set up our cameras, take multiple photos of ourselves and combine them into a single frame so it looks like we're interacting with our twins. At right is an example of one my grandson and I did together a few years ago. While it may seem complicated, the editing part is quite simple. I'll walk you through the steps to accomplish this effect.

Must have non-DIY photo equipment

When building up a collection of equipment for either a professional studio or a serious hobby studio, price is always a consideration. I am a big proponent to DIY equipment, specially if it can be crafted in a way that doesn't look home made. However, some things just can't be home made that a well stocked studio can't do without. Here is a small list of some of those little things you will always find yourself reaching for when doing studio work. Keep in mind that this is by no means an exhaustive list and there are some useable items I'll surely have forgotten to include. Feel free to add to the list in the comments section below.