Legal Advice for Photographers

Palm Trees at sunset, Newport Beach, California.

Let me start by saying, you shouldn’t get your legal advice from friends and fellow photographers.  Having said that, let me offer some advice.  🙂

The place I turn to when I have questions is the Photographer’s Legal Guide by Carolyn Wright.  The book covers most of the legal issues one might encounter when dealing with photo business and photography issues such as copyrights, model releases, insurance and paperwork.  I think most photographers will find it very valuable. 

I have known Carolyn for a number of years now and consider her a friend – she is a wonderful person, and as a fellow photographer, she understands the industry and issues photographers face.  We have hired her on occasions when we needed large contracts reviewed, and also successfully used her for a copyright infringement suit – who better to hire then the person who wrote the book! 

In addition to the book, Carolyn also maintains a blog dedicated to photography legal issues;  Photo Attorney.  There is also a lot of valuable information on that site as well.

In addition to these resources, there is one bit advice I would like to offer to serious photographers; register your photos with the copyright office!  Having your images registered gives you far more options when pursuing infringements because you now can pursue statutory damages and attorney fees – in short, you can now pursue these issues with a much bigger hammer.  Want more details on how to register and what that means – well, it is all in the book!