Personal Photos of Children as Stock Photos?

[Lindar70]

Pardon me if I flub the correct terminology here, but I'm interested in learning more about the use of personal photos of your own children as stock photos. Does anyone here have any experience with this?

I ask because I offered some pics of my children for a poster we are creating at work for a huge art contest in the Fall, and the ad agency/graphic designer that is being used really liked my photos. He would like to give my name to some other designers as well as they are often needing images of children for various ads and such.

Without even getting into the money aspect of it, I'm just wondering how I would feel about possibly seeing my kids faces on a local ad or something that is not my own work. I remember seeing this really cute kid on the cover of one of Creating Keepsake's monthly issues and then seeing the same girl in a food ad in a Good Housekeeping mag a few months later. It was just a little weird. I guess it's different when your children are actual models or something...

Thoughts? Opinions? I'd love to hear them as I mull this over.

[DonnaNJ]

I think that each person will have a different level of tolerence for this.. I would feel it was OK as long as there was no reference to name, location, etc.. hopefully there is money involved to put away for college :-) but I'm sure there are lots of others who would not be comfortable with it at all. It's really a personal decision

[Britgirl]

I'm not okay if I cant make sure the design is good LOL. I am okay with the children being in it however, I am not the 'usual' parent who freaks over internet pictures, if I put it on the net, then I understand how it can 'get around' the net. So we have no naked ones etc etc...... but its a touchy controversial issue, everybody with their own view I'm sure. I would ask to know what it is going on first...

[maureenreynolds]

I guess I'd put it in the same category as child modeling. As I have no small children now - thank you God!- it's a moot point for me.

[Tesia]

I have a friend who is a photographer and she offers discounts to her clients if they sign a release form for her to use the photos in her istock photo collection. We've done this a few times and I feel ok about it. My partner was a little more hesitant - feeling odd that we could all of a sudden see our family on a billboard and we'd have no way to know that it was going to happen... But in our case, I was happy to offer images of a really "normal" looking family with two moms and a kid, so that swayed me towards being ok with it.

[maureenreynolds]

Very good point Tesia. Normal comes in all kinds of shades.

[Lindar70]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, everyone. Valid points all around, and I love that you did share your family photos, Tesia. I still haven't replied back to the designer but when I do next week, I hope to get a little more information from him about how much control I would or wouldn't have in how any photos could/would be used.

[zannella1108]

Maybe you could ask that before your children's photos go into print to see them first.. you could be the final approval - not so much from an "artists" point of view, but a mothers???

[sam ellis]

I have no problem with it either. I think as long as the products they are "advertising" a good etc. Make sure you do charge good money though. !