So far, sports photography has been an awesome experience for me. Only in Edmonton can someone have photographed over 40 MMA, Muay Thai and Boxing fight cards in 18 months….
I shoot because photography is my passion, I love being able to capture the moment and show others what I see. Photography is nothing without being able to share it with the people around you and the subjects of your photographs. That being said, a lot of time and effort goes into shooting a fight card and preparing photos for people to see. An average fight card requires me to spend on average 12 or more hours including travel time, shooting time and photo processing time as well as preparing photos for uploading to the internet.
I believe I have been more than reasonable in the past with the terms under which I have published my photos, allowing fighters (and others) to share, re-post, and display photos I have taken on their Facebook pages, and even their websites – requiring only that the WATERMARKS REMAIN INTACT. As I spend a lot of time on what I consider to be primarily a hobby, this one simple request shouldn’t be tough to honor. However, I am starting to notice more and more of my images being reused with the watermarks cropped out or even blurred, and with no credit given in the photo description either. Not only that, I have found unauthorized use of my images on websites, brochures and altered for advertisements or used to sell a service.
I have never wanted to go down this path but I feel that I have been left with no further choice. In a nutshell, Canadian copyright law states that any photographs taken are the copyrighted product of the photographer. The only case this does not hold true is when the photographer specifically waives these rights (e.g. while doing “work for hire” for someone else). As such, this allows me to set the conditions under which others can use the images I take. I’ve sold images in the past – mostly to fighters (where the payment represents a token of appreciation for my time, effort and quality of the images I provide), and in some cases to publications to accompany articles about an event or fighter. I have also been very reasonable in dealing with requests for photos to be used on website photo galleries, simply requiring that watermarks remain intact and/or proper credit be given.
The long and the short of it is this: I have spent a large amount of personal time shooting, documenting, and processing photos — not to mention the cost of camera gear as well. In order to protect my rights, any unauthorized use of my photos will be dealt with. If you feel that you have to crop, smudge or otherwise remove or use my images without prior authorization from me, then those images are clearly good enough to warrant respecting my legal rights and the terms under which the photos were provided. Whether you’re an individual or a business large or small, my rates are reasonable, and there’s no excuse for taking advantage of my work without fair compensation. If I find images that are being used without authorization, whether on websites, posters, brochures or in any other way, I will be pursuing compensation based on a daily unauthorized use rate which may vary depending on the type of use.
Effective immediately, the following are usage guidelines for my photographs…
You are allowed to display my images:
- on Facebook in photo albums, as profile images, etc. PROVIDED WATERMARKS REMAIN INTACT
- on fighter/gym websites in a photo gallery of an event or fighter PROVIDED WATERMARKS REMAIN INTACT
- on promotion websites in a photo gallery of an event or fighter PROVIDED WATERMARKS REMAIN INTACT
If you do use my photos for any of the above, I’d love a quick note to see where/how they’re being used – but it’s not mandatory by any means so long as the above guidelines are followed.
Prior written authorization is required for any case other than the above, including (but not limited to):
- Removing/blurring/altering watermarks in any way, for any reason
- Modification of images for any reason, including cropping, masking out the background, and/or adding other logos/watermarks
- Use on Facebook without watermarks, including in photo albums, profile images, etc.
- Use as a design element on a poster, brochure, or website
- Use of fighter images on websites accompanying a fighter bio
- Use on any MMA news related website or blog
If you wish to use any photos I have taken for any of these reasons, for posters, websites, brochures advertising services or seminars, or for any other reason by all means send me an email at jason@tkophotography.com and we can work something out depending on intended use. I’m always happy to work with fighters, fight organizations, gyms, websites, etc., and I’ve had great experiences doing so in the past. I understand the fight game and how costly it can be for fighters and all involved. As much as I’d love to, I’m not trying to make a living out of this, and as such I offer very reasonable rates for photo usage and other services as I’d like to help those in the industry as much as possible.
To those using my photographs without authorization, however, I will be frank: Enough is enough. Photography is my hobby and passion but that doesn’t give anyone license to use my photographs without prior permission or compensation.
For those of you who have contacted me about photo usage in the past, I truly appreciate it and look forward to continuing to work with you in the future!