Can I use product photos in my portfolio?

I’m a little confused. If I photograph a product then who owns the images? If the product owner only needs images angle 1 and 2 but I made extra images 3 and 4, can I still use the images 3 and 4, since they don’t have it? Can I also use images 1 and 2 in my portfolio? I don’t want to break any law. Thanks.

Karl on May 6, 2012

Hi Karl. You own the images — the copyright to your photos — unless you agreed otherwise. Assuming that you were not an employee, and you did not sign an agreement with the product owner giving away your copyright, then the images are yours to use. You can put them in your portfolio. You don’t want to sell or license the images in a way that would annoy the product owner. If the product features artwork or trademarks then the product creator will likely have rights.

portfolio, artwork