TEAM PHOTOS & PARENT’S RIGHTS, PRIVACY & CHILDREN’S SAFETY!

Here are three questions to take seriously when considering a photography company.

1. How do you feel about your children’s photos being publicly posted and potentially publicly for sale on the internet?

2. How do you feel about having your personal information turned over to third parties without your express permission?

3. How do you feel about your child being in a facial recognition database?

WE KNOW YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE TO YOUR LEAGUE’S PARENTS AND THEY ARE COUNTING ON YOUR JUDGEMENT SO PLEASE CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS!

1. WE NEVER POST PHOTOS ON PUBLIC WEBSITES!

Parents should control their children’s images. Many photographers believe that they have a right to post any child who they photograph on any website they choose! We completely disagree. Parents should control their children’s images, end of story!

2. WE NEVER ASK FOR ROSTERS OR PARENT’S PERSONAL CONTACT INFORMATION!

Parents do not sign up for youth sports believing that the league will turn over their contact information to third parties. If you make a reservation at a restaurant do you expect them to turn over your name and phone number to tele-marketers or email spammers? Many photographers now require leagues to give them the rosters, phone and email addresses under the guise of “automating picture day” but there is no need for this! They then turn this information over to automated marketing companies associated with their lab service and bomb parents with reminders and messages about “registering” on their website and try to force them in to “upgrades” and other nonsense! It is completely unnecessary.

3. WE NEVER REQUIRE PARENTS TO REGISTER ON WEBSITES!

This is a new trend, big photo labs now push photographers to do everything “digitally” and they literally tell their photographers to FORCE THE PARENTS to register on their website to be able to order photos. This is the EXACT LANGUAGE they use “Force the Parents” to register on the website or don’t provide them photos. We will never do this! Its totally unnecessary and almost always requires parents to check out on some e-commerce platform that adds postage, handling and other fees above the costs advertised by the photographer.

4. WE DO NOT USE FACIAL RECOGNITION SOFTWARE TO CTALOGUE CHILDREN’S IMAGES!

It’s not joke. Massive databases are being created using facial recognition software to catalogue children. Some of these databases are hosted in foreign countries. Do you see an issue with this? We do and we think it is creepy. Do your league parents think this is a good idea?