Who gets credit for the shot? I did a shoot with my friend over the weekend. I set up the shot (of myself) and the settings and handed her the camera. All she had to do was focus and...

ohallboyz Loc: Boston, MA

I did a shoot with my friend over the weekend. I set up the shot (of myself) and the settings and handed her the camera. All she had to do was focus and hit the shutter (I don't have a reliable tripod right now). The tricky part is I really like them and want to use them in my business. But, who gets credit for it? I had the idea and set it up, but she pressed the shutter.

I have a business, she's a hobbiest and really has no interest in a business. I feel strange putting my name on them (I would definitely run it by her first anyway) but I'm wondering technically who should be credited.

Any ideas?

Danilo Loc: Las Vegas

ohallboyz wrote:

I did a shoot with my friend over the weekend. I ... (show quote)

You didn't specify the nature of your business, but if I were using photos of myself in MY business, there would be no photo credit given. JMHO.

ohallboyz Loc: Boston, MA

Danilo wrote:

You didn't specify the nature of your business, but if I were using photos of myself in MY business, there would be no photo credit given. JMHO.

I have a photography business and these photos are similar to the direction that I want to head in. This is why I want to use them.

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

If you want to advertise that as the type of work you can do, then surely you can reshoot the same pics and the new ones will be set up by you, and taken by you, and the dilemna will no longer exist.

ohallboyz wrote:

I have a photography business and these photos are similar to the direction that I want to head in. This is why I want to use them.

Danilo Loc: Las Vegas

Non-editorial (advertising) photos are rarely credited.

Samuraiz Loc: Central Florida

I am not a lawyer. Did you at anytime indicate that you friend was anything other than a shutter pusher?

Did you let her think that she was in any way part of the creative process.

This can be similar to cooking a 5 course dinner and ask someone to chop the onions.....

Also, please don't take this the wrong way but..... you have a photography business but you do not have a decent tripod?

ohallboyz Loc: Boston, MA

my tripod is broken and needs to be replaced, but honestly, other than for shots of myself it has never been used. I always hand hold my camera because I'm usually chasing kids. I am on-location and mostly outside. Tripods are rarely necessary for that.

She knows that I want to head in a new direction with my business. At the time I was hoping to get shots that maybe I could use because I needed examples, whether or not that was entirely clear, I don't know. We were more out shooting for fun. It turns out that I like them and want to use them. I thought rather than showing the photos of her (because I took some of her too) that I would just use my own considering the idea was mine and I basically did all the directing, I just didn't press the shutter. I do want to use some of her too because they also came out right along the lines of what I was going for.

ohallboyz Loc: Boston, MA

lighthouse wrote:

If you want to advertise that as the type of work you can do, then surely you can reshoot the same pics and the new ones will be set up by you, and taken by you, and the dilemna will no longer exist.

I could do that, but that doesn't answer my question.

ohallboyz Loc: Boston, MA

ohallboyz wrote:

I could do that, but that doesn't answer my question.

But you raise a good point about re-shooting. They were shot at the cape which is not where I am from. Technically, if a client wanted that same location I couldn't provide it, but I could provide a very similar one.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

YOUR camera, right?
If you have activated the Copyright feature of your body, then that copyright will be embedded in the EXIF data of the image, no question who owns the image then. I have the Copyright feature activated in every body I own, even my rentals, simple to do.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

No, you do not need to credited her with anything. If you were paying an assistant to help with the lights, reflectors, backdrop etc., would you credited him? No! You are the artist, he is the helper. Helpers don't get credit. They get paid, or they get the privilege to learn under an experienced artist.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

ohallboyz wrote:

I did a shoot with my friend over the weekend. I ... (show quote)

Well, she did take the picture. Suppose you had told her how to set the camera? Would that be any different? It's a shame that we've gotten to the point where we have to ask such questions.

As others have said, either avoid the credit issue or retake the shot.

It's like the office group that chips in to buy a lottery ticket, but one person makes the purchase. It can get complicated.

ohallboyz Loc: Boston, MA

MT Shooter wrote:

YOUR camera, right?
If you have activated the Copyright feature of your body, then that copyright will be embedded in the EXIF data of the image, no question who owns the image then. I have the Copyright feature activated in every body I own, even my rentals, simple to do.

yes, shot with my camera. Didn't think of the exif data.

I think the problem is more than technical. She showed her husband the shots edited by me. Then he says "Wow, you guys did a great job!". Which in turn leads me to believe she wasn't so honest with him.

My father is a musician. If he writes a song but hands his guitar to someone else to play it, the song is still his. Same thing.

ohallboyz Loc: Boston, MA

jerryc41 wrote:

Well, she did take the picture. Suppose you had told her how to set the camera? Would that be any different? It's a shame that we've gotten to the point where we have to ask such questions.

As others have said, either avoid the credit issue or retake the shot.

It's like the office group that chips in to buy a lottery ticket, but one person makes the purchase. It can get complicated.

I set the camera, all she did was press the shutter.

Most likely I will just do the shots over.

I'm pretty sure I remember Brooke Shaden saying she stopped someone and asked them to fire off her camera for a shot that she set up of herself. I don't think she gave that person credit. Just sayin'.

Samuraiz Loc: Central Florida

I would not take the "you guys" comment to heart.

1) he was saying this to his wife. He want's his wife to be happy and if all she did was the lunch run he would still say the same thing. Implying that she was on the winning team. If she acted in the capacity of your assistant then it's your shot.

It was shot with your camera and edited on your computer. I would think by now that the EXIF data has your name in it.