Any architecture/Interior Design photographers?

I'm currently playing with the idea of moving into this market and wondered what the rules are regarding selling images of show-homes as stock (for extra passive income)?

I can see this would be an issue when photographing the homes of Private Clients, but no idea where I'd stand on Show-homes. Would there be licensing issues etc!?

Many thanks

Scott

There are no laws preventing you from doing what you want but there may be business issues.

1. There is no law that requires releases for physical property.
2. Assuming you maintain copyright you are free to sell them.
3. Privacy isn't an issue because you were invited in for the purpose of taking the images with the intent that they be published to promote the property.

So all in all no legal prohibitions (unless you have people in them*) but there are business issues. Most stock photography sites require a release for property, even though they aren't legally required. That means you would have to get the home owner to sign a release, unless you were planning to sell it from your own website.

* You may need a model release if you have people in the images - depending on the ultimate usage of the image.

Thanks for the response Dan.

I was wondering about property releases, as I wasn't sure they would be relevant to interiors, in that a show home interior doesn't make the building identifiable as such (I guess that depends who's looking at the photo though).

I also wondered whether it would be frowned upon by the interior designer and be an unnecessary bone of contention.

beano wrote in post #18778263
Thanks for the response Dan.

I was wondering about property releases, as I wasn't sure they would be relevant to interiors, in that a show home interior doesn't make the building identifiable as such (I guess that depends who's looking at the photo though).

Check out the stock sites to make sure that they do/don't need releases for buildings. The whole concept is utterly silly because the person signing the release would be the person who is selling the house; so 12 weeks later someone else would own it who has not signed a release. Utterly worthless (as well as legally unnecessary).

That was my thought on it, which is why I wondered if anyone was already out there doing it. I'd imagine, if it was a viable option, everyone would be doing it, wouldn't they?

or you could charge enough so not to need making additional stock sales. just saying, especially since stock sales might not add up to your expectations.

Show-homes sounds like the images would be in advertising I think you should charge for that usage first before worrying about making a stock sale afterwards.