J Singleton Photo

I would like to respond to this review as having a misunderstanding of the initial agreement yet as well an opportunity to change policies to insure the agreement is written and signed by both parties prior to any services and/or products to clear up possible future clarity issues. I will address each of the misunderstandings. The original quote included: Photo session Digital proof sheet (pdf) One digital image with basic retouching, color correction and enhancement I did not mention any reference to shooting 100 images. There was no usage agreement outside of the one digital image for an lbum cover. A copyright is a professional standard to use so individuals are not able to use images without the expressed permission or license of the creator of the copywritten material(s). During the session the client made mention that he felt confident that there would be at least 10 images to make a choice of a final image. I let the client know that if he wanted to purchase additional images there would also be a fee for additional retouching as well to which he agreed. After the session I culled (edited) the images to the best from the shoot then emailed the contact sheet for the selection process. I received not only his selection choices but also the need for all his images and to have full rights to these images. Also to have images he picked to be placed upon a separate contact sheet. There was no mention of my copyright or removal at the time. At that time I informed him as to the cost for the additional services and usage products available for his professional needs for an album cover and social media. And this is where the client made reference to thinking I was trying to con him about my rights as a photographer and how he should own everything because that's what he was paying for, yet clearly in the quoted agreement above he was stepping outside said agreementwith several assumptions. Since there was unfortunately no way to come to an understanding with this client I did refund his payment and deleted his original files from the shoot. As well I made a promise to sign any non-disclosure agreement towards the songs he emailed to me in an effort to develop some creative ideas to give the photograph a certain feel that would correspond with the songs and tilted of the album. I also did a bit of research on the type of music and other album covers that fit his genre of music. I have a need to make sure to not just take a photo nd hope it's what the client needs. I have an obligation to put more into a photograph creatively to maximize the possible sells that client needs to promote themselves. The fee he was paying was not just for one photogrph, but as well the creative process, session time, computer time (from research, editing, retouching to building a contact sheet and correspondence), to delivery there was well over ten hours of time invested to produce a professional image for a pro musician's album cover. To my understanding this was for a professional need, not a common photograph to have taken for a portrait. To me this was a misunderstanding that went awry. So to address this I am putting the following in place to avoid confusion. Upon approval of quote a document will be emailed to said client stating the agreed upon services and products to enter in a contractual agreement. Once this agreement has been signed by both parties shall the request for hire be accepted on thumbtack. The agreement will cover copyright and usages the client will have and availability of additional purchases of products and services. My need is to make sure EVERY client is satisfied with their services and products. Yet I know that regardless of how hard I put efforts toward this practice some will still feel that their needs have not been met. From there I can issue a refund on a case by case basis. I retain a copyright and licensing agreements on all images produced from a project as ALL those who independently create products in the creative field should have. Everyone should be made aware of the copyright laws of this country when asking for any type of photography whether for personal or professional needs. This is to protect our rights just as any other individual would want their rights protected in any work related environment. It's by no means a way to pull a con, but to protect my rights as a creative. I would again like to take this opportunity to personally apologize to Mr. Ross for this confusion. I can promise my utmost professional effort to make sure that going forward each party will have an agreement in place as part of the hire process to assure that the parties feel each are respected and their needs will be met. Sincerely, J Singleton