New Photographers: Signed Contracts Needed at the Start of Every Project

I recently heard a question from a new photographer. They are new to the business and focused on building their brand and rapport with potential clients. Their question was, “Should I have a contract on hand at the beginning stages of my business?” My response was an emphatic: “Yes!” Photography Contracts: Every Job, Every Time… [Continue Reading]

Photographer Disputes: What Happens If You Don’t Deliver

As I was researching photographers’ legal questions, I stumbled onto a question posted by an upset client: “The photographer hasn’t given me my photos. It’s been six months. What can I do about that?” Whoa! That sounds exceptionally bad. I’m curious how complex this project was and when the photographer said they’d deliver images to… [Continue Reading]

Lawyer Responds to Photographers’ Problems

Last week, I saw a thread in an online photography group that started with a simple question: “What problems do you face as a photographer?” After reading hundreds of the responses, I wanted to respond to some of their problems as both a lawyer and an entrepreneur: Competition – Other Photographers Offering Half the Price… [Continue Reading]

How to Give a Discount on your Photography Services without Discounting your Value

Sometimes photographers, like all service providers, want to provide a discount for their services. Perhaps it’s for a friend, someone you’ve always wanted to work with, or an organization you know can’t afford you and you want to help. Nothing Wrong with a Discount There is nothing wrong with offering a discount for your photography… [Continue Reading]

Clarify What Your Photography Client is Buying: Prints vs Digital License

Professional portrait photographers generally need at least two contracts when working with a client: one for the sitting and one for the deliverables. For the latter, make sure the client is crystal clear about what they are, and equally important, what they are not buying. Having clarity on the front end will prevents problems on… [Continue Reading]

How to Respond When Someone Steals Your Photo

Photographers need to be mindful of the possibility that some people may use their photos without permission. People will pull images to use on their website and social media posts. Additionally, there are people who think they have rights to a photo merely because they’re in it. I’ve even heard of hair and makeup artists… [Continue Reading]

Who We Are

Sunset in AZ by Miguel Folch

Carter Law Firm is the umbrella company for my professional speaking and writing activities. My goals are to give people the legal foundation and educational tools they need to run with their ideas and to empower people to pursue their crazy … [Read More]

Speaking Engagements

You’ve read my blog posts and you’ve seen my YouTube videos, now you can hire me to speak at your event or organization. I am available to speak at conferences, continuing legal education events (CLEs), trainings, webinars, podcasts, radio shows, TV … [Read More]

Books

I have been a passionate blogger since 2009. After contributing to several books, I decided to become an author myself. My books expand on many of the topics that have appeared on my blog posts over the years and breaks down legal concepts so … [Read more]

Featured Posts

Stolen Images: How to Respond if Someone Uses your Photo Without Permission

What should you do if you discover that someone is using a photo you took without your permission? As the person who took the photo, you are likely the copyright owner, which gives you the right to control where and how your work is copied, distributed, displayed, and used in other works. You may have […]

The Legalities of having a Bat Signal

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have the palette of a five year-old and a massive sweet tooth – especially for ice cream. I would love to have a bat signal – well something like it but only in the shape of an ice cream cone. I want to be able to […]

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