You’ve Purchased Your Digital Files, What You Need To Know.

Since we live in a digital world, almost everyone plans on or expects to purchase digital files from their senior portraits, headshot or branding photoshoot. Digital images give you the freedom to use your photos now and years down the road.

For seniors, it means easy access to photos for social media, graduation cards & grad party decor, family gifts and more. For branding and headshot clients, it means having a bank of polished images ready for websites, marketing materials, and social media content. So once you have your new digital files, what do you need to know?

Understanding Copyright: What you can and can’t do

It’s a common misconception that purchasing digital files means owning the copyright. In photography, the copyright always stays with the photographer. That simply means I retain the legal ownership of the image that I took.

What you receive is a personal-use license. This allows you to:

• Download and save your images
• Print them at any lab of your choice for personal use (I recommend Mpix.com)
• Share them with family and friends
• Post them online (with credit appreciated but not required)

What you can’t do is resell the images, alter them in a way that misrepresents the work, or use them commercially without permission. For most portrait clients, the personal-use license covers everything you’d ever need.

Why Backing Up Your Images Matters

Digital files are not fail proof! Files can be lost for many reasons; computer crashes, hard drive failures, simply forgetting where they are saved, corrupt files, etc. Here’s what I recommend:

• Store in at least two places – One local, (your computer or external hard drive) and one cloud-based (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc)
• Name – Give the folder a clearn name that you’ll remember like “Taylor Headshots 2026”

Note: DO NOT depend on your online gallery. They are loaded for a limited time and do expire!

Why Your Digital Files Are An Investment

When you’re choosing a photographer in the Ann Arbor, Northville, or Plymouth area, you’re not just choosing someone to push a shutter button. You’re choosing someone who creates images with care, edits them professionally, and delivers a final product meant to last. Purchasing the digital files means your portraits stay with you long after the session is over.

Check out my work on my website here!