took photos for someone and now he wants them edited...whos responsibility?

i did a free job for someone.
took some photos of models and submitted selected photos to the guy.
he turns around and gives me a list of 100 photos and says i have to photoshop them....
photoshop down to skin smoothing, liquifying, cloning...etc...everyt​hing..
major processing work.

i suggested to the guy that he find someone to edit.
it really isnt worth it for me to do...i dont get any compensation out of it.

so who should be the one to do the processing?
is it right for me to say my job is done in doing the photoshoot and submitting photos?

there wasnt any written agreement...
so can i say i have complete rights over these photos and that he cannot do anything to them?
i might just do that if he keeps insiting on me photoshopping them

what do you guys think?

without a contract to say otherwise, you own copyright full stop and he cannot do anything with the images without your consent. if he requires further work doing to them, then it's up to him to either pay you for it, if that's what you wish, or to purchase copyright from you and get someone else to do it.

If it was a "free job" with no agreement, I would think that you can do as much or as little as you wish.

Copyright is attached the moment you took the image, so he cannot do anything with them with you giving him the rights. I would not sell him the copyrights, but if he wanted you to do some serious pp, then you could offer to do them for a price that is worth your time. But I agree that I would not do them for free unless you needed them for your port.

you dont give much background as to who this person is?

how you will or will not have to deal with them in the future?

why he asked you to do it for free?

etc etc

why dont you just say, " ive taken the photos for fee but editing will cost X per hour, and leave it up to him"

pound it....

I would tell him the cost to edit each picture. If you dont really want to do it, price it high. If he accepts your high price, then you get to make some good money off of it.

Unless you created a verbal contract, no written contract = no responsibility. There is no legal way he can force you to edit pictures or anything else. And yes, your copyright means you control all aspects of display, publishing, licensing, distribution, and editing of the images. Without model releases from the subjects, you are restricted from commercial use of the images too.

I would shop arround to find a resource to edit the pictures, and then offer him a rate of 25% more. There are many photoshop wizards on ModelMayhem.com Standard rates for large volume basic glamour photo editing are from $15-30 a picture.

Here are a few:

http://www.modelmayhem​.com/862883

http://www.modelmayhem​.com/13822

http://www.modelmayhem​.com/1422939

http://www.modelmayhem​.com/1092616

http://www.modelmayhem​.com/1058504

-Scott

Screw that, lol.

Bill for additional time if he wants that done, if not, he can do them on his own.

Bill a ton and outsource it. I hope you haven't given him the digital negatives yet.

shphoto32 wrote in post #9437858
Bill a ton and outsource it. I hope you haven't given him the digital negatives yet.

Who gives "digital negatives" (RAW or DNG I assume you mean).

Usually they want TIF or Jpegs.

As for the OP. The question has already been answered well. I need not add anymore.

But I will.

Just be honest. He must understand "time is money". If he get's all stroppy about it, just say "bye".

This is why I rarely do stuff for free (my daughter's school and family friends aside). I even charge my church for stuff I do (not much mind you, just cover costs).

I hope you didn't take the photographs for a friend...

Option 1
Go ahead and do the edits at no charge.

Option 2
As politely as you can let your "client" know that you took the photographs as a favor and for no charge, and that you really don't have the time to do the edits. You can then give him permission to do the edits by himself, or he can pay someone else to do them. (He could pay you if you are willing to do it.)

Option 3
As politely as you can let your "client" know that you took the photographs as a favor and for no charge, and that you really don't have the time to do the edits. You can tell him that based on what he is now asking for, that you are clearly not the photographer for the job he has in mind. Kindly ask him not to use your photographs for any commerial purpose, and then send him a "Cease and Desist" letter by Certified Mail just to reinforce your wishes.

~Dom

It's unfortunate you have already set your rate with this guy. FREE, now he figures thats your going rate. See there lies one of the pitfalls of doing professional photography unprofessionally. By charging zero you have set your value at zero why wouldn't he ask for more. If you walked into a photo store and asked how much that 5d MKII was and he said zero, how many would you want?

ya but unless the guy is a total douche he has to know that he is taking advantage of him

Would you take advantage of something that is free? Be honest. Of course you would.