Toni & James at the Church Ruins in Dudley

 

Copyright for Wedding Photography

The idea behind this post is to help engaged couples understand wedding photography and what they need to consider before handing over the deposit.

Understanding Copyright for Wedding Photography.

The first post is about copyright, and the reason is simple, it is a grey area and couples often make the wrong decision based on whether the photographer offers the copyright or not.

What is copyright? It is the right to own the images and this is automatically held by the person who took the photo or in the case of music wrote the song. You own the copyright to the images you took at any wedding you attended.

Why do photographers or any artists hold onto copyright? Well they may need to use the images possibly for competition but definitely for promotion. They may over time become famous and then the images will be worth considerably more.

Why do you need it? Well you don’t! What you need is a licence to use the images for your purposes. Be clear what you want to do with the images, for example print them out, email to friends upload to Facebook, or just keep on your PC.

Most photographers allow these uses in the licence and you should find it written in the contract.

So in short, I would advise you not ask for the copyright, but instead  ask for the files and a licence to use the images, and a word of warning, stay clear of photographers that offer full copyright as any photographer worth booking would not give this away.

Finally, make sure you read the contract and have the usage you require and if not go back to the photographer and ask.

If you want to know more, you will find a lot of specific information about copyright on the web but I hope this article has given you enough information to help you make the correct decision.

Douglas Anderson

Grafton Manor, In the rain.

At last, I had the opportunity to photograph at Grafton Manor one of the premier wedding venues in the Midlands; and it rained. Those beautiful grounds, the walled garden the historic manor house. Bummer! That’s English weather for you. I did manage a few shots though, thanks to the resilience of Jenny and Sam the bride & groom. That’s given me an idea for a blog. “What happens when it rains at a wedding.”

Enjoy the photos courtesy of Jenny and Sam and all taken by yours truly.

The Venue

Grooms men!

The groom.

The bride and party

The Ceremony

In the chapel

The happy couple

Dumbleton Hall Wedding 30th March 2013

In a moment of wisdom, I have decided to write a few posts to help newly engaged couples get some ideas. I visit a lot of venues and can give an unbiased opinion on them that may help. But don’t blame me!

The wedding of Janet & John at Dumbleton Hall.

This is my first wedding at the new wedding venue Dumbleton Hall in the village of Dumbleton near Evesham. The village is beautiful with houses built of Cotswold stone as is the hall. The entrance sits at the end of the village next to the church, an ideal location for a church ceremony. This wedding was however a civil ceremony at the hall in the main dining room that is a perfect setting for getting married.

From the photographers point of view Dumbleton has everything, great landscape views, a beautiful pool (with a black swan) and the hall it’s self is a great back drop, just wish they would build a car park at the rear so that the cars are out of shot. One shot I like particularly is the steps at the back that seem to lead up to the rolling hills behind the hall.

Inside the rooms are spacious and ideal for a wedding. The main dining room allows plenty of natural light in from the large windows, great for us photographers.

Difficult to comment on the hotel bedrooms as I only went to one, the brides room. Whilst it was nice I felt they could possibly do with an update.

The staff at Dumbleton Hall were very helpful and the food was fabulous. I was impressed and I think you will be too.

Here are a few photos from the wedding. I hope you enjoy them.