As commercial photographers, we are sometimes asked by our customers “who owns the copyright?” or “can we have the copyright?”. Most of the time, what the client is really wanting to clarify is that they have the right to use the images freely and without any restrictions. They want to know that they don’t need to ask us for permission, that they can use the photos for anything they like, for ever and ever, without needing to give anything in return such as a credit, or be subject to any further charges or conditions.
At Fisher Studios, we provide our customers with exactly this freedom, as standard. It is described in all of our quotes as a “License to use in all media, in perpetuity, to the Client and associated brands”. We understand that if you’re paying a professional photographer then you simply expect to be able to use the photos that you’re paying the photographer to take!
This is known as a ‘license to use’. It is a right to copy. But it is not ‘copyright’.
So then, what is Copyright?
Copyright is an automatic right, that the author of any work holds, which stops others from using it without their permission.
Copyright holders typically offer a license for the material to be used, or the right to copy. This may come with restrictions (eg for a single purpose, for a limited time) or it may be unlimited (as in the case with Fisher Studios). But the important thing to note is that the author is not passing the ‘copyright’ but rather providing permission for the work to be used.
It is very rare for clients to insist on transferring the copyright to themselves if they are aware of this distinction, and re-assigning copyright is generally frowned upon within the photography industry. A photographer would generally only relinquish their copyright in exceptional circumstances but for any business relationship to prosper, both parties need to benefit equally and for the arrangement to be fair and respectful. The basic principles of copyright help to ensure this.
We recommend these links for an understanding of copyright in the UK and in relation specifically to the copyright of photography at the Association of Photographers.
Of course this blog post is subject to copyright too but, as already mentioned, this happens automatically simply because someone has written it – that’ll be me. But it may just be helpful to clarify all this, by finishing with:
© David Fisher 2025