Tools and providers
Part of When to bring product photography tools and providers together for UK retail teams
Product photography supplier: rights and formats in writing
Before you book a product photography supplier in England, settle image rights, file formats, retouching rounds and personal data handling in writing.
What to take away
- Usage rights are a priced lineget web, print, paid social and marketplace use confirmed in writing before you sign.
- Copyright arises automatically in a photograph, so the contract must say who holds it and whether you can reuse the images if you change agency.
- Name the formats before the shootJPEG for the site, PNG with transparency for banners, and whatever each marketplace requires.
- Compare retouching rounds and finished files, not only the headline rate.
- Ask how shoot files showing people, homes, number plates or customer returns are kept, and who can access them.
Put the licence in writing
Ask where the images can be used, and get the answer in writing before you sign. Some suppliers price for web use only and charge more for print, paid social or marketplace listings. Without a written licence you cannot prove what you may do with the images.
Copyright adds a second question. GOV.UK says copyright protection for photography arises automatically when the work is created, so the contract has to settle who holds it. Confirm who holds the copyright and whether you can reuse the images if you change agency.
If a supplier will not confirm image rights in writing, walk away. Re-shooting later usually costs more than the original job, and a verbal promise is worth little once a dispute starts.
Name the formats before the shoot
State the formats in the brief: JPEG for the site, PNG with transparency for banners, and whatever your marketplace requires. Marketplaces set their own image rules, so check the Amazon image requirements and the eBay photo requirements before the supplier quotes, not after the files arrive.
What the brief must state
- Number of products
- Angles per product
- Background treatment
- Required file sizes
- Raw files or retouched images
| Item | Ask the supplier | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Usage rights | Which channels are covered: web, print, paid social, marketplace listings | Wider use is priced separately |
| Copyright | Who holds it, and whether the images can be reused after a change of agency | It shows what you may do with the files |
| Formats | JPEG, PNG with transparency, marketplace specifications | Files must be usable as delivered |
| Raw or finished | Raw files or finished retouched images | It changes both the cost and your workload |
| Retouching rounds | How many rounds are included | A low rate with few rounds can cost more |
| Delivery date | The date for finished files | Late files hold up the listing |
A studio quoting £12 per image with one retouching round is not cheaper than a studio quoting £18 with three rounds if your products need heavy cleanup. For example, a team buying 200 images a month at £12 each spends £2,400, but may pay again for extra rounds.
Handle people and places in the images
Product shots sometimes include people, homes, number plates or customer returns. Brief the supplier on what must be blurred, deleted or never captured, because privacy duties sit with you as the buyer. Ask them to say how long they keep shoot files and who can access them.
The ICO's data protection by design guidance says to delete personal information that is no longer needed, for example by keeping a retention schedule. Use that as the yardstick for a supplier's answer, and write the answer into the contract rather than accepting an assurance.
Collect the answers in six steps
Ask every supplier the same questions, in the same order, and keep the replies in writing. A phone call that is not written up cannot be compared with an email from another supplier.
- Write the brief with the rights and format list from the table.
- Send it to each supplier and ask for written answers, not call notes.
- Ask each supplier for two recent retail examples and a named contact.
- Request a paid test shoot of ten products before committing to a volume deal.
- Check the delivered test files against the formats and retouching rounds you asked for.
- Check the winning supplier's insurance and payment terms, then sign.
The review and comparison methods show how to judge the test images themselves, which suits the step after the files arrive.
Keep a paper trail
Save every quote, email and test result in one folder, with the reason you chose or rejected each supplier. If two suppliers seem to coordinate prices, or one refuses to explain its terms, you can report a competition or market problem to the CMA, as a buyer or a consumer.
The folder also settles later arguments about rights. A written licence, a dated quote and the delivered files together show what was agreed, which is the evidence a dispute needs.
Common questions
What should I get in writing about image rights?
The channels you may use the images on, such as web, print, paid social and marketplace listings, who holds the copyright, and whether you can reuse the images if you change agency.
Should I pay for a test shoot?
Yes, if the volume is significant. A paid test of ten products gives you real files to check against the formats and rounds in the brief, and keeps the supplier's time fairly compensated.
What if a supplier will not confirm image rights in writing?
Walk away. Without a written licence you cannot prove what you may do with the images, and re-shooting later usually costs more than the original job.
