school pictures

[blhdvm]

I seem to have gone AWOL most of the summer, but I'm back now and on a mission!!!

I want to create a school album for my oldest son who graduates in May and I am thinking digital, but have a question...

Can I scan his school pictures/class pictures/football/basketball pictures and use them on digital pages?? Or are they going to deny me because they are professional???

[DonnaNJ]

I've scanned all my kids school photos.. don't know honestly if it's legal or not but since I'll only use them once in a layout I figured I paid for several copies that aren't being used so I don't feel like it's dishonest

[blhdvm]

That is pretty much how I feel as well. And the situation would be the same - not like I'm making copies for all the family and friends. I just don't want to get all these pages done for a book and then not be able to have them printed. KWIM?
I was just curious as to whether anyone had done the same and how th eprinting part went?!?! Have you printed any of yours Donna?

[DonnaNJ]

Yes I've printed them and really the company printing it has no way of knowing it was done by a pro.. now if you take it somewhere to be scanned and they see the photo logo on the back they'll refuse to scan it HTH

[sarahorton]

It depends on the store. Legally, they aren't supposed to scan a pro photo for you unless you are holding a release.

[blhdvm]

I can do the scanning myself. And the photo would then be part of a layout - not just the photo itself.

[esther_a]

This is an often asked question. I think people do it and figure it is OK because it is for personal use. If they already own a copy the ethically it seems fine. I couldn't say how legal it is, though.

[Nancy Beck]

I scan school photos at home to use on a digital layout. Technically, it probably isn't sanctioned, but I figure who is it really hurting? I'm not mass producing anything. It is one little scrapbook page. I'm sure there are much bigger fish to fry!

[DonnaNJ]

I wouldn't scan it and produce multiple copies to avoid paying for the additional photos.. but since it's sitting in a file not doing anything I figure that is my one use of that one photo.. morally I'm OK with it where I wouldn't be if I bought one copy and then scanned it and printed 10 more to hand out to family, etc..

[AllynD]

And for those of us whose kids are older (late 20's), there is usually no way to find the original photographer, and if we did they probably wouldn't still have the negatives, so it is not as if we could pay them for extra prints. I have so many prints that I have never done anything with-- ditto for my childhood, my brothers and my husband, to not mention school and professional photos taken in the 1930's and 1940's.

[anke]

I have scanned all my prof. photos, but only for personal use on pages etc. I'm pretty sure that happens everywhere!

[blhdvm]

Thanks for your thoughts. Glad to know my thinking runs along the same lines! I would NEVER scan a professional photo and then print multiple copies! I have two many frineds who are photographers and I have too much respect for their work. But when I have paid for the print, does it matter whether I scrap it digitally or with paper?!?! And as far as school pictures go - those packets always contained WAY more prints than I ever used or gave away!

[readstoomuch]

The photographer for my daughter's wedding photographs (a professional photographer in our town) told me that I could scan the photos to use for Christmas ornaments after her wedding ten years ago. He said that this could be done only if the photograph is something that he does not sell through his studio. He sold Christmas cards so the answer would be no for using a copy for a card. This is only his policy . . . I am sure that professional photographers have many varying policies and I think that I would show them what I was doing and ask.

[sarahdg]

I've done it with my husband's old school photos. There was no problem with printing it at Shutterfly, if that was your concern. I agree with the others who have said that since you paid for the paper copies, you can scan them and use them in your album. No problem at all in my opinion.