Opinions Wanted I have an client who has his father's photography collection

FramerKat

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
Joined
Jun 26, 2007
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Location
Sunny South Florida
Looking for any opinions on this matter, as there are many aspects I would like to help him to figure out.
  • His father was a very successful architectural photographer in New York through the 30s and 40s.
  • The collection consists of original 8x10 negatives (not glass plate)...and there are very few places locally that can even do a scan of a negative of this size
  • *Most* of the negatives have not been scanned
  • He needs to acquire the copyrights to the images before publishing
  • I would like to figure out where would be appropriate to refer him to see about getting them published/distributed
I just wanted to help him get started...but I wasn't really sure where to start! Any input into this would be greatly appreciated.

FYI, the images are stunning! He brought a few in for me to see and there are some gems like the George Washington Bridge under construction, the skyline featuring the Empire State building under construction, and a Deusenberg automobile shot in 1932.

I thought about doing all of this myself, but I think it's just too daunting a task for me to take up with having a brand new frame shop/gallery. Any input is greatly appreciated!
 
If he was commercially successful there is a good probability that his estate paperwork contains info directly tied to his photography.

If he was selling his photos to publications, etc. and working under commission with much of his work you could be in for years of work tracking down all the legal rights.
 
Contact ASMP, American Society of Media Photographers and get ahold of Victor Perlman. He is their legal counsel and can put you in contact with some attorneys who specialize in this type of legal issue.
 
unless he was contracted specifically to give copyright to someone, as default the photographer owns the copyright

or at least thats how it works here
 
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