After the show, your pictures should go to the website, LinkedIn, the catalogue and your distributors. Whether that is allowed depends not on the price you paid but on the usage rights you agreed. Here is what should be included and where the limits are.
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If you are used to the US or UK, you may expect a work-for-hire arrangement or a full copyright buyout. German law works differently. Copyright in a photo or video always stays with the photographer and cannot be sold or transferred. What you receive as the client are usage rights, in effect a licence to use the pictures in certain ways. How far that licence reaches is set out in the quote, the terms and conditions or a separate agreement.
Where the agreement is vague, German law generally reads it narrowly: you get only what the agreed purpose requires. If trade fair photos were ordered “for the website”, an advertisement or a printed catalogue is not automatically covered. That is why it pays to put the scope in writing before you book, not when your marketing team needs a picture for a campaign.
Usage rights can be limited in three ways: by territory (for example Germany only), by time (for example one year) and by type of use (for example online only, or editorial only). They can also be non-exclusive or exclusive. With non-exclusive rights, the photographer may use the same pictures or license them to others; with exclusive rights, only you may use them, unless agreed otherwise.
Show pictures are used differently from a single advertising shot. They travel through many departments and countries, often long after the show. For international exhibitors in particular, an agreement for trade fair material should cover these points:
Our packages include unlimited usage rights, for photos and video alike. Later uses cost nothing extra. If you want to pass pictures to dealers or the press, mention it when you ask for a quote and it will be written into the quote. The packages are listed on trade fair photographer Germany.
Not every photographer works with a flat price. Some charge a fee for the shoot and a separate licence fee that depends on medium, print run, territory and duration. That is legitimate, but it makes costs hard to plan: every new use can trigger a new invoice, and a picture that ends up in your distributor's brochure in another country may need another licence.
For show material, a fixed price with broad rights is usually more practical, because nobody knows at booking time where a good picture will end up. When you compare quotes, look beyond price and number of images at what you are actually allowed to do with them.
Under German law, the photographer has a right to be named as the author. For commissioned corporate work this is often waived, because a photo credit under every LinkedIn post is impractical. Put in writing whether a credit is expected, and where.
Many photographers later show good pictures in their portfolio. That is normal, but it can be sensitive with launches. If a product is only unveiled at the show, or a prototype is in the frame, agree that reference pictures appear only after the official launch, or not at all. It is also sensible to add one sentence stating that the pictures will not be sold to stock agencies or passed on to train AI models.
Raw files and unedited footage are usually not part of the delivery. You receive edited pictures and finished cuts. If your agency needs the raw material to keep working with it, agree this in advance, as it is a separate arrangement.
Usage rights only cover the photographer's rights. Other rights in the picture remain untouched, and they sit with you as the publisher:
An experienced trade fair photographer takes care of this while shooting, for example by not showing visitors front-on without consent, or by keeping other logos out of the frame. Responsibility for publication still rests with you. This guide is an overview and not legal advice; if in doubt, ask your legal team.
Under German law you receive usage rights. Their scope should be in writing.
Show pictures are used for a long time and across countries, from head office to distributors.
Subsidiaries, dealers, press and agencies belong explicitly in the agreement.
The same rights for highlight video, film, interviews and vertical clips.
Decide in advance whether the photographer is credited and when they may show pictures.
No photographer can give consent on behalf of visitors or staff.
You receive the agreed usage rights; under German law the copyright stays with the photographer. In practice, what matters is that the rights are broad and in writing.
The usage rights for photos and video from our packages are not limited by medium, territory or time, and later uses cost nothing extra. Specific needs, such as passing pictures to dealers, are written into the quote.
If your usage rights allow it. Mention this use before you book, so it is stated explicitly in the agreement.
That depends on the shot and the use. The photographer's usage rights do not replace consent from the people shown. Our guide to image rights and GDPR explains the details.
The usual delivery is edited pictures and finished cuts. If you need raw files, agree this before booking.
They should. Check that the highlight video, film, interviews and clips are named explicitly, including cut-downs and subtitles. Music is subject to its own licence terms.
Our packages include unlimited usage rights for photos and video. Send us the show, your stand number and the date, and you get a quote that spells everything out.
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