Yello!

When I started this blog, one of my goals was to stay positive and try looking at the bright side. But I can’t help but share my experience with Wal-mart and their photo policy. Over the years we have enjoyed photography as a hobby and have been asked by friends to photograph weddings, family reunions, and graduating seniors in addition to doing more artistic photography and landscapes. From time to time, friends have been questioned when they have taken negatives or photos on CDs to have reprints made as to whether a professional might have a copyright on the photos. We’ve taken that as a compliment as to the perceived quality of our work. But in the past year or so we have been questioned ourselves whether the photos could really be ours or if we weren’t trying to rip off someone else’s photos. I was told last night at Wal-mart that I must have a photo release (on official looking paper with a letterhead) in order to have my own photos printed! Does that make any sense? Does everyone need to have a photo release on file at that store even to get bad pictures printed? Who decides what prints can be done and what prints would need to have a signed release?

Sooo… Here is my attempt to make a photo release that satisfies them:

We are not professional photographers, but are people who like to take good photos. We have been told by Wal-mart employees that we must sign a release in order that others, whom we have photographed and given CD’s with the photos, may print those photos for their own use. We have also been told that we must sign a release in order to print our own photos! This form officially and legally releases our photographs to ourselves for our own use and to ___ whom we have given our photographs to. This release is good for the duration of eternity or until Wal-Mart closes, which ever comes first. There is no expiration date. Signed and dated__.

Stay tuned to find out if my version of the release form satisfies them or if it needs revision. Does this make any sense to you?