Is it your work?
So, hear me out. If you take the photo and someone else edits it, is it your work?
My answer is yes and no, depending on who edited it and why. So let me explain.
So, let’s say you’re hired to do a commercial shoot for a big brand, Louis Vuitton. They will already have a team of editors who will edit your photos after the shoot, and an image will show up in a magazine with your name as the photographer. So, is it your work? Yes, it is. But it’s your work plus.
Now, let’s move on to social media and work with or shoot a freelance model known as a TFP (Trade for Print). Now that I think about it, the terminology refers to when photo prints were essential for models to showcase their portfolios in print in the late 80s and '90s. Oh my god, I just dated myself.
But anyway, back to the topic. With Today’s TPF, you give models, Makeup Artists, etc, digital images to use on social media, online magazines, and if they have a website. This is an excellent way for a photographer to get amazing photos for their portfolio. But what if it’s not the look the models, makeup artists, stylists, etc, are looking for? They usually don’t ask the photographer to work on the photo, worrying that the photographer may get offended. So they edit the images themselves and post on social media; for some photographers, this is still a bad thing. Now, that last scenario is where I have a problem. For me, it is not editing the photos but tagging me in the image. I don’t care if they re-edit the photo. The model, makeup artist, etc., is doing the right thing by tagging me, the photographer. But it’s no longer my work, and I would rather not be tagged in the photo.
This is my explanation why. Imagine a large brand looking for photographers in a particular city to shoot their new line of items. They would look very closely at the photographer's quality of work, and the first photo they see is a photo that a model, etc., re-edits. They would think that the photographer's style may kill their chances of getting the job. And yes, this has happened twice to me.
Okay, so what is the solution to this problem? As a model, (look at the photographer's shooting and editing style). If you don’t like their style, then it’s up to you if you want to work with them. Or you can ask if they can do this style of photography. This way, you and the photographer get what you’re looking for from the photoshoot.
Ok, what if the photo shoot is done, and you want your skin softened? Then ask the photographer if they can soften the skin a little more. Now, here’s where it gets tricky. Please don’t ask the photographer to re-edit all the photos they sent you, but find the images you would like to post on social media. I suggest asking for no more than five photos to be re-edited. Now, a photographer you have worked with several times would not get offended. But if this is your first shoot, I suggest you not ask.
I hope this sheds some light on a situation that is going on in the photography and modeling community.
Also, to answer the question, yes, if I’m paid only for the photoshoot. But it is not my work if I edit the photo, and someone re-edits my pictures without my permission. In that case, I ask not to be tagged as the photographer. But that is just me; I am not speaking for other photographers.
Example below
