For those who have been on RS tours

Pat,

I'm a bit curious on who took the photo? I've been on two RS tours, and the only photos that were taken were by other group members. Due to "privacy regulations" the Guides apparently aren't allowed to even collect and share E-mail addresses (we had to do that on our own).

I suspect this is a normal legal requirement. I'm quite active as a Photographer (not commercially though) and this topic seems to come up fairly often. AFAIK, any photos of people used for "commercial purposes" must have a signed waiver. Since these will be used in a commercial enterprise (Guide books?), then having a waiver would be required.

Cheers!

The photo was taken by Aaron Harting, who works in the RS office , and for some reason accompanied our tour as an assistant leader( Family tours always have one) . It is not his normal job( although he has done it before serveral times) , but as I said he came on the trip and took photos as well as acted as an excellant assistant tour guide. He didn't take a ton of shots( its not like he was the group photograher or anything, ) but just captured this one very nice shot.

Pat,
RS folks contacted me with a request and waiver for permission to use a photo or two of mine from our 14 day Best of Europe trip...photos that I had used in my online travel scrapbook. I gave permission and now our son's photo has been in the last two RS catalogs...just got our new catalog today, and his photo is there again! Great fun to see it used...another reminder of just how much fun we had as a family on our RS tour.

I know Ken is right with the legality thing, so this doesn't surprise me a bit. I used to work for an org that tried to update it's brochures every 2 years to keep things fresh and honestly, it's rare to run across good pictures that look natural and not posed. So when you find a gem, you'll do what you can to keep it. Kudos to the photog and I'd say as long as you get to keep a copy, then why not?

Pat, that sounds pretty standard. We get that kind of waiver when the kids go to camp, etc. Maybe it's just the US-you know how litigious we are!

I went on a RS tour last summer and our guide to pictures, but they weren't of us. At least not until the last day when we got a group shot. That said, I work for a publisher and it is always wise to get as many sign offs as possible for anything that goes into a publication. Particularly with children it's important to get a sign off. I bow to those with a legal background as to the specifics, but this request does not surprise me at all.

Pam

Thanks all for replying, one person contacted me with a very good point. She mentioned to make sure that waiver did not include the ability to sell the photo( not that I think RS company would, but still ) , but that releases covers just their own use( which is fine) .

I would think it would be fun to one day see the photo in some RS material.. of course signing the release does not mean that they will use it, just that they may use it, or it may stay in a file for years,,,LOL

Thats ok, at least we get the picture and it is cute!

Pat, you are really asking two questions -- and maybe a third. Is it standard practice to have releases for photos used in commercial pieces? Absolutely ! It the laws in the US that a reasonable attempt must be made to obtain release for all participants. Obvious exception would be large groups in public places where an expectation of privacy would not be expected. The same is true for expression of thoughts. For example -- I recently purchase noise canceling headphones and posted a brief evaluation of the headphones on the web site I used. I was contacted by TravelSmith (not the purchasing web site) for permission to use my comment in the promotion of these headphones in their recent catalog. Recently Rick Steves' office asking permission to print one of my postings/comments in an forthcoming publications. So that aspect is standard practice.

Your second question -- Is it standard practice for RS staff to take pictures on tour? Have no idea !! To me it would seem to be a reasonable expectation that they would and could take pictures.

And your third, hidden question is -- Can/Will I be compensated? Probably not. Take it as your 15 minutes of fame.

On a few of the RS tours the tour guide took a group picture and sent one to me at Christmas. I'm the one in the middle.

I just received the 2009 RS Tour Guide. There is a disclaimer about photos in the tour catalog. Photos taken by tour members are credited with the photo. Some photos are taken by guides or assistant guides.
I have been on two tours and the guide took one group photo and gave us each a copy.

RS employees who want to learn how to be guides often are assistant guides on tours. It's a training program. We had an assistant guide on a tour. Normally she is an accountant. She had to leave us mid tour to join another tour due to a illness of another guide.

Your photo may show up on the website and a futre tour brochure. Sign the waiver (legally required as noted above) and enjoy 15 minutes of fame.

Frank, what a HORRIBLE thing to say,, I am PROUD and EXCITED that they asked to use photo.

We have all seen photos in their brochures and books and I would be really quite excited if they used this one. I would buy or obtain copies of book or brochures and show off.. nothing to do with money.

My unwritten question is really, do they just do this to make us feel good, or do you really think they might use picture?.

Perhaps only a mother could understand Frank.

Pat - We have been on 3 RS tours and have never had an offer to use a picture so I don't think it is a standard practice. They must think it is a good picture for their brochure. We leave next week for our 4th RS trip and can't wait. Very excited.

Sharon,,, how wonderful to have your sons picture published, must mean its a happy photo!!

Yes, indeed. Actually, we have been quite blessed in that ALL our pics from our two trips to Europe are happy photos! :-)

I don't recall our tour guide taking any pictures, but then we were a group of 25 adults in Rome at the beginning of December. None of us are as cute as your kids, I'm sure! :-)

I'm guessing they probably don't do it all that often, and that they choose tours that are likely to have 'good' photo ops--the family tours being a good one, and probably tours in the summer make good candidates. It might also depend on when they are getting ready to revamp their promotional materials--tour catalogues, etc.

Pat, to answer your "hidden" question - having been on several RS tours, I can tell you they don't send an e-mail to everyone on their tours asking to use a picture. I think they're asking because it's a great picture of a group of kids having a fun time on one of the faimily tours, and a picture they genuinely might use in a guidebook or brochure. You do realize all of us are now going to immediately thumb through the next RS brochure we receive looking for a group of 6 or 7 kids hamming it up on a hiking trail.

Third Frank here....congrats Pat, has the smile come off your face yet?

The only thing I might suggest is to request that their names not be used--especially their surnames. Too many predators out there. And nowadays information is too easy to come-by on the internet.

Sad but true.

Thanks everyone.. hey, if it is ever published, trust me you all wil know it , right down to page number etc.. , umm,, I 'm not the type to hold back much,,LOL

Well, I'm not quite as forthcoming, but it's ummm... duh...sort of easy to figure out which pic is of our son, since the names of the photographers are attached. :-)

If the photo is from a tour member and is printed in a RS brochure the credit is very small on the side of the photo. You have to look for it. No one is identified in the photos. Check out your 2009 RS Tour Guide or your 2008 Tour Guide if you haven't received the new one.

There are some great photos of kids in the brochure. I think a group tour photo is almost standard. I have read comments that some tour guides take more than one or two group photos for the members. It is a wonderful souvenir.

So if you don't mind your picture being shown, can you somehow put the "link" or however you can get to the picture so all of can see it. I'm glad some "new" photos are being used as in some more updated catalogs, the pictures look outdated. Hopefully you will share.
Thanks.

Thanks for my stating my thoughts. Some of the photos in the 2009 tour booklet have been used for at least three years running.