I think you are looking for trouble if you expect photographers to sign a "retroactive contract." You are hoping for a copyright buyout, and any informed photographer will not sign that unless you are paying what they otherwise would have expected to earn from their work. This could be a lot more messy than you think. I would suggest you get in touch with a group like the American Society of Media Photographers (asmp.org) to see if there is a solution that could make everyone feel appropriately valued. There are ways to license work that will take are of what you need without damaging your relationship with the photographers you work with.
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Bill Barrett
Director
May Gallery, Webster University
Saint Louis MO
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-07-2020 01:24 PM
From: Caitlin Clay
Subject: photographer contract
Hi everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has an example of a contract between an independent, contract photographer and your institution?
I need to have photographers sign the form retroactively, and I will also tailor the form for photography projects in the future. We want to be able to use images of our collection for a variety of uses such as: social media posts, brochures, and commercial purposes (postcards, posters, etc.) but since we never signed any such agreements in the past, the copyright belongs to the photographers. In the past, my institution would reach out to the photographer every time they wanted to use an image, but I would like a more efficient, all-encompassing solution.
Thanks again to everyone for your help two weeks ago with my copyright questions.
Sincerely,
Caitlin Clay
Registrar
Art Museum of Southeast Texas
500 Main Street
Beaumont, Texas 77701
www.amset.org
Email: cclay@amset.org
Phone: (409) 832-3432
Fax: (409) 832-8508