What is a print release? (and other questions) A Photographer Reveals All

Dec 15

When hiring a photographer, you are bound to encounter many different packages and offerings along with all sorts of photographer jargon that you may not be familiar with.

Here’s what you need to know.

Types of Sessions/Services

Mini Sessions- These are designed to be a sample-sized session to give customers a lower up front cost to try out a photographer’s services. Photographers will usually schedule a bunch of small time slots on one date for a smaller fee than their normal prices and include a short, 15 minute session and a selection of prints and products to purchase afterward. These are very common in the fall and around holidays.

Portrait Sessions- Portrait sessions are aimed at capturing, you guessed it- portraits! These sessions are usually a minimum of one hour, but can certainly go longer if hair and makeup, wardrobe changes, and different locations are required. These sessions are not bound to a specific date and can be customized. Different types of portrait sessions you may see advertised are maternity sessions, newborn sessions, milestone sessions, family sessions, senior portrait sessions, etc.

Wedding/Event Services- Weddings and events like quinceaneras, concerts, fundraiser parties, etc. require a completely different toolkit and skillset than portrait sessions and are billed and packaged completely differently. It is important to always disclose to the photographer that they will be shooting an event. Sometimes people try to save money by saying a wedding is a family portrait session, only for the photographer to be blindsided with a wedding when they show up. Not only is this dishonest and completely unfair to the small business owner you are misleading, but it’s also putting you at risk of the photographer not having the proper equipment or skills to photograph such an important event.

Commercial Photography Services- Things like headshots, product photography, and personal branding content to be used to market a brand or business fall under this category. These services are billed very differently than standard portrait services because commercial licensing is involved, so it is important to understand the difference between the two and be up front and honest about how your photos will be used.

Photo Packages

Images are sold differently from photographer to photographer.

For a portrait session, you may see that some photographers include digital images with their session fee. Others may charge the session fee and sell images separately. Some deliver only digital images while others prioritize prints.

It’s important to check these details and make decisions based on your specific needs.

Digital Files

Digital files are sold in two ways:

Web resolution and High Resolution

Web Resolution is perfect for sharing online and won’t take up a ton of space on hard drives. These are often watermarked.

High Resolution is for printing. These are rarely watermarked.

You may also see terms like “RAW files,” or JPEG” being used.

RAW files are a file type that is recorded from the camera to a memory card. These files are in a very large format with a lot of information so that the photographer has more photo editing freedom when they bring the images into post-production. Without the proper software, most computers can’t read RAW files, so they are not of much use to you as the consumer.

JPEG files are another file type. After the photographer is finished with post-production, the images are generally converted to JPEGs so they can be delivered to you. There are both web-resolution and high resolution JPEGs.

Prints

Selling prints is still a mainstay for many photography businesses.

The main options you’ll see advertised are:

Photographic Prints- these are usually just standard prints on photographic paper.

Gallery Wrapped Canvas- these are enlarged photos, printed on canvas and stretched over a frame for you to hang in your home.

Folio Boxes- these are storage boxes filled with prints of your images. Sometimes they will include a display easel for you to display your favorites.

Of course, there are many other options out there, from metal prints, acrylic blocks. Each photographer offers something different, so be sure to ask.

Print Release, Commercial Use License, etc.

A print release is a legal document signed by the photographer granting you license to print your images. Many photo labs will not print professional images without this document, so be sure to double check that your photographer offers this if you plan on printing on your own.

A commercial use license is a legal document granting you the license to use your photos for business purposes. This is very important, because failure to obtain this could result in a lawsuit.

Session Fees, Deposits, and Retainers

When you book a session, you will likely be asked to pay up front at least in part. This is common practice in the industry.

Some photographers will call this initial charge a session fee, creative fee, retainer, or deposit.

Some are refundable, some are not, so it’s important to ask for clarification when you’re in the booking process.

Also bare in mind that sometimes a session fee is all inclusive and covers the session plus digital images or products. Other times, the session fee only covers the session. It varies from business to business, so again, make sure you double check.

Contracts

Any legitimate photography business will require a contract. A photography contract will lay out all of the details and terms of the session, as well as cover commercial license, copyright, liability, and more.
This is just as much to protect you as the client as it is to protect the photographer, so don’t skip on signing!

Copyright

Even if you do not sign a contract, the photographer holds legal copyright to any images they create from your photo session. This means that the photographer holds exclusive rights to the images.

Model Release

This is a release that you sign that releases the images to be used in advertising. This is something you will want to pay attention to if you do not want your photos posted publicly to social media or other web based platforms.