Copyright law for photographers

Do you own the copyright if you buy a photo?
Yes.
Like other forms of property, copyrights are transferable.
The copyright to a photograph may be bought, sold, given as a gift, or inherited.
A copyright may not be involuntarily taken from the author by a court or other government body, except in bankruptcy proceedings..
How do I protect my photography copyright?
Watermark your work
A watermark is a strong way of protecting your work from unauthorized use.
Watermarks also identify you as the copyright holder of the work — a bonus in an age when social media and viral content sharing are commonplace.
Note: Watermarks aren't watertight.
What is copyright release for photography?
A release is permission given by the person/people visible in the photo or the owners of property, brand or artwork that has been photographed.
You may need to have a photo release form signed to be able to sell a photo, depending on the type of license your photo gets sold with..
Because a photo copyright release form isn't standardized, photographers create their own document, then have it notarized or approved by an attorney.
1. Use business letterhead paper to create the document
2. State who owns the copyright
3. Describe and name the images(s) to be released
4. Explain the release usage
Copyright
If your photo has been registered, or can be proven to belong to you, then no one is allowed to print or publish it without your permission.
In particular, if you discover that someone else is making money from your image, you're allowed to sue them for punitive damages.
Yes.
Like other forms of property, copyrights are transferable.
The copyright to a photograph may be bought, sold, given as a gift, or inherited.
A copyright may not be involuntarily taken from the author by a court or other government body, except in bankruptcy proceedings.

Copyright in photography means that you own an image you created. The law says you created that image as soon as the shutter is released. This means that photographer copyright laws state that whoever pushed the button owns the copyright.

Is your photography a work protected by copyright?

Under U.S. law, photographers ordinarily own the copyrights in their own photographs.
Like with any content creator, the Copyright Act of 1976 grants photographers certain exclusive rights over their creations.
These include, for example, the exclusive right to copy or distribute their work.
But sometimes, a photograph may include:

someone else's protected work.

Copyright law for photographers

Do you own the copyright if you buy a photo?

How do I protect my photography copyright?

What is copyright release for photography?

Because a photo copyright release form isn't standardized, photographers create their own document, then have it notarized or approved by an attorney.

Is your photography a work protected by copyright?