Question

This is in my photo contract...

'The studio reserves the right to use negatives and/or reproductions for display, publication or other purposes. Negatives and proofs remain the exclusive property of this studio.'

Does that mean that the images on my CD will have watermarks so I can't print myself??

I'm $crewed! I didn't know to look into this when I booked last year. It was the first thing I booked and I just read on the back of the contract...all reproduced images MUST be ordered through the studio for $1.50 a piece....NO F-ING WAY!

Guess I'm losing my deposit and now need to look for a photographer

i think it means that since they took the pictures, they can use the pictures to display in their studio, to use in their advertisements, can display on their websute etc...

im almost positive it doesnt mean yours will have water marks

but the keeping of the negatives and proofs is soemthing different - I think that is ridiculous - you are apying all this money for your photos you should be ab to do what you want with them

my photographer gives us all our pictures on CDs for us to do what ever we want with them (high res) and i think 800 printed, and all raw footage from video

I can't say for sure if your negatives on the CD will be watermarked, but I'm thinking they won't be. My brother's photo contract had similar language, and supposedly if they wanted to get pictures reproduced, they were supposed to go back to the photo place. But their proofs weren't watermarked or anything, so my sis-in-law just went to CVS and made copies when she wanted. Seriously, the photo place will never know. It's like downloading music off the internet. It's something you're not supposed to do, but everyone does it, and who really knows?

Maybe you can call them and hypothetically ask them if the proofs are watermarked?