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After watching the presentation by                           , Business and Legal Adviser with the Association of Photographers, I decided to apply for membership. Founded in 1968, AOP is a British and European trade association, but it has members all around the world.

 

For students enrolled in affiliated courses, membership is free. AOP membership is an excellent way to network with other industry professionals. Aside from networking opportunities, photographers can take advantage of events and advice.

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Nick's talk focused on the legal aspects of the profession, specifically copyrights and licensing. He explained the legal aspects of creative work in detail, but a couple of points stuck with me. Licensing works created for others is especially important.

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Providing the terms and conditions from the beginning is good practice.  A simple way to introduce them to your client is to include them with the original quotation. This is especially true when dealing with large organizations and multiple stakeholders. The terms should be included in all correspondence and copied to all parties involved, according to Nick. In addition, adding usage terms to the supplied image is a wise idea.

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Creating your own licence for your creative works may seem complicated at first. Nevertheless, Nick informed us that there are many sites that can assist with legal paperwork.                  , for example, has a successful record and operates globally.

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Also, if your business is a limited company, the copyright should remain with the photographer as a person. By doing this, you will not lose your rights to your own work if you transfer your business to someone else.