Who Owns the Photos? A Client's Guide to Copyright and Usage Rights in Event Photography


You paid for them. You don't own them. And that's probably fine.


Here's a conversation I've had roughly a hundred times. A client hires me for an event. The photos are delivered. Everyone's happy. Then someone in some of their department asks: "Wait, do we own these images?"

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that it usually doesn't matter, because what you need is not ownership - it's the right to use the images for your purposes. And that's what a good agreement gives you.

A quick note to my international reader: Copyright law works quite differently here in Austria than in the US or UK. The key thing to know is that in Austria - and most of Europe - copyright stays with the photographer. Always. It can't be sold or signed away, no matter what a contract says. That might sound limiting, but as you'll see below, there's an elegant system of usage licenses that gives clients everything they actually need.

But the confusion is real, and it causes problems. So let's untangle this.

The Builder Analogy (And Why It Breaks Down)

People often think: I hired the photographer, I paid for the work, so I own the result. This makes intuitive sense. You hire a builder, you own the house. You commission a website, you own the website. Photography doesn't work like that. In most jurisdictions - and especially in Europe - copyright belongs to the creator by default. In Austria, this is codified in the Urheberrechtsgesetz. The photographer is the author. The copyright is theirs. It cannot be transferred. Not by contract, not by payment, not by a handshake.

This surprises people. But it's been the law for a very long time, and it applies to every photographer you'll ever hire in Austria, whether or not they mention it.

What You're Actually Buying

When you hire a photographer, you're buying a license - permission to use the images in specific, agreed-upon ways. Think of it like renting an apartment versus buying the building. You get to live there, redecorate, have people over. You just can't tear it down and build a parking lot.

A well-structured photography agreement defines:

  • What you can do with the images (press releases, social media, website, annual reports, internal communications)

  • Where you can use them (specific territories, or worldwide)

  • For how long (one year, five years, perpetual)

  • In which media (print, digital, broadcast, outdoor advertising)

  • Whether the license is exclusive (can the photographer also license the images to others?)

  • If you are allowed to edit/change them and in which way

Most event photography agreements grant a non-exclusive, perpetual license for institutional communications. This means you can use the photos for your website, social media, newsletters, press materials, and internal documents - basically everything a normal organization needs. The photographer retains copyright and can use the images in their portfolio.

This is the standard arrangement. It works for everyone.

Types of Licenses, Simply Explained

  • Non-exclusive license: You can use the images. The photographer can also license them elsewhere. This is the default for most event work and the most cost-effective option.

  • Exclusive license: Only you can use the images. The photographer cannot license them to anyone else. This is more expensive because the photographer is giving up future licensing opportunities. It's usually only necessary for commercial advertising campaigns where you need to control exactly where an image appears.

  • Limited usage: The license specifies exactly what you can do. "Web and social media only" or "press use for 12 months." Useful when you have a specific, narrow need.

  • Unlimited usage: You can use the images for any purpose, in any medium, forever. This is the broadest license short of a copyright transfer (which, again, isn't possible in Austria). Some photographers offer this as standard. I do for most event work, because it's simpler for everyone.

  • Buyout: In markets where copyright transfer is possible (like the US), a "buyout" means purchasing all rights. In Austria and most of Europe, what's marketed as a "buyout" is actually a comprehensive exclusive license. The distinction matters legally, even if in practice the effect is similar.

Credit Requirements

One more speciality is that it’s legally required to always credit the photographer. You can agree that in specific circumstances this is not required but in general its not optional.


What Should Be in Your Contract

If your photography agreement doesn't address these points, it should:

  • Scope of license: What specific uses are permitted? Be explicit. "All institutional communications, including website, social media, press distribution, annual reports, and archival purposes" is clear. "Normal use" is not. E.g. define if portraits for a private person can also be used for their LinkedIn where they market their own company.

  • Duration: How long does the license last? For event photography, perpetual makes the most sense. You'll want to use these images in a retrospective five years from now without checking a calendar.

  • Territory: Where can the images be used? For most institutional work, "worldwide" is standard and reasonable. Geographic restrictions make more sense for commercial advertising.

  • Exclusivity: Is the license exclusive or non-exclusive? Non-exclusive is standard for events.

  • Sub-licensing: Can you share the images with sponsors, partner organizations, or media outlets? For event photography, this should generally be permitted (if so, its included in the pricing since this can’t be done by the photographer anymore then)

  • Modifications: Can you crop, filter, or otherwise alter the images? Most photographers are fine with reasonable cropping for layout purposes. Putting an Instagram filter on professionally edited work is a different conversation - he/she might chose to not be credited in this case ;)

The Portfolio Question

"Can the photographer use photos from our event in their portfolio?"

Almost always yes, and here's why that's not just acceptable but actively beneficial to you.

When I photograph the Nestroy Gala or the Wien Museum opening, those images appear in my portfolio. That portfolio is what other cultural institutions see when they're looking for a photographer. Your event, beautifully documented, becomes a reference that attracts similar clients. It's free advertising for the quality of your events. In any case, I personally clarify with clients upfront if I intend to publish images on my website or gallery.

The only scenario where portfolio use might be restricted is if your event involves confidential information, embargoed announcements, or sensitive internal matters. In those cases, we agree on what can and can't be shown publicly. For standard cultural events - openings, galas, premieres, vernissages - photographer portfolio use is normal and expected.

The Employee Photo Problem

Here's a scenario that comes up more than you'd expect. You hire a photographer for a corporate event. Three years later, one of the employees who appeared prominently in the photos leaves the company. Maybe not on great terms. Their face is still on your website, in your annual report, on your LinkedIn posts. In Austria, the right to one's own image (Recht am eigenen Bild) means that person can request their image be removed from commercial use if it damages their legitimate interests. This isn't about copyright - it's about personality rights.

What this means in practice:

  • Event documentation (editorial use) is generally fine. A photo of a company event that happens to include a former employee is not typically a problem.

  • Using someone's photo prominently in marketing or recruitment materials after they've left is where you need to be careful.

  • The safest approach: use crowd shots and atmosphere images for long-term marketing, and be prepared to swap out individual portraits if circumstances change.

This is another reason why a good event photographer delivers a large, varied selection. You need options.

The Social Media Trap

Social media platforms have their own terms of service regarding image rights, and most people don't read them. When you upload a photo to Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook, you're granting that platform a license to use, distribute, and display that image. You're not transferring copyright, but you are giving the platform broad permissions.

What this means for event photos:

  • Always ensure your photography agreement covers social media use explicitly.

  • When sharing event photos on social media, crediting the photographer is both professional courtesy and legallyrequired.

  • If a third party (a sponsor, a speaker, a guest) reposts your event photo, you generally can't control that - but your agreement with the photographer should cover this scenario.

  • Screenshots and reposts can spread images far beyond your intended audience. Accept this as a feature of social media, not a bug, and plan accordingly.


The "All Rights Included" Approach

Some photographers - and I'm one of them for most event work - offer comprehensive usage rights as part of the standard package. The reasoning is straightforward: complexity creates friction, and friction creates problems.

When a client has to check a license table every time they want to use an image, things slow down. When the social media team needs to post but isn't sure if they're allowed to, the moment passes - and a post that would have reached thousands while the event was trending goes unpublished. When someone puts together a grant report at 11 PM and can't find the usage agreement, the photo gets left out - and a report with text-only is a report that's half as convincing to the people deciding your next round of funding.

For event photography, broad usage rights make sense. The value of the images comes from their use, not from restricting it. I'd rather my images from the Foto Arsenal Wien Grand Opening be used everywhere - press, social, archive, reports - than sit in a folder because someone wasn't sure about the license.

This is built into my agreements. One less thing for you to worry about.

When Things Go Wrong: Real Scenarios

  • The unauthorized billboard. An institution uses an event photo in a paid outdoor advertising campaign. The original agreement covered press and institutional use, not commercial advertising. The photographer sends an invoice for additional licensing. The institution is surprised. This was avoidable with a clear initial agreement.

  • The missing credit. A newspaper publishes event photos without crediting the photographer. In Austria, the right to be identified as the author (Urheberpersönlichkeitsrecht) is legally protected. The photographer requests a correction. The newspaper complies, but the relationship with the institution that provided the photos is strained.

  • The eternal archive problem. A museum uses photos from an exhibition opening in a catalogue published eight years later. The original agreement was for "press use" with no mention of publications. The photographer is within their rights to negotiate additional licensing. The museum is frustrated because they assumed "we paid for these" meant perpetual ownership.

All of these are preventable. A clear agreement at the start, with explicit mention of all intended uses, eliminates these scenarios entirely.

A Practical Checklist

Before signing your next photography agreement, confirm:

  • Usage rights cover all your intended purposes (list them explicitly)

  • Duration is specified (perpetual for events is standard)

  • Social media use is explicitly included

  • Sub-licensing to partners/sponsors is addressed

  • Credit requirements are clear and practical

  • Archival use is included

  • The agreement covers both current and reasonably foreseeable future uses

If your photographer can't clearly explain what you can do with the images or isn’t declaring it similarly to the checklist, that's a red flag - not about their legal knowledge, but about their professionalism.

*Planning an event and want clarity on image rights from the start? [Contact me](/contact) - let's make sure the agreement works for everyone.*