The fee for an author with a photo is $35. Here’s a basic overview of how to protect your photos. You can file an application to register your copyright either online or by mailing a paper application.
Professional real estate photographers typically charge $150 to $350 per shoot (without video), depending on where you are located. Interior designers will set up a contract with you itemizing everything they will do, and it will include how and when they want to be paid and how long you can expect the project to take. They will generally want to receive a downpayment or retainer of 10% to 50% at the time you sign the contract.
According to the U.S. Copyright Office, the owner of the “work” is generally the photographer or, in certain situations, the employer of the photographer. The cost of registering a copyright depends on the type of registration you choose, the amount of material you are registering, and any additional services you require.
For most people, this is sufficient reason to take the further steps necessary to register. The good news is that copyright registration is a relatively easy process that can be done either online or by mail.
At the time of writing this article, registration of a single image is $35. You can register up to 750 images per application at a flat fee of $55 if all of the images have a single author and if all of the images were created in the same calendar year.
In a sense, US copyright protection is free because anything created in the US after April 1, 1989 automatically has a legal copyright. Adding a watermark and copyright symbol also helps protect images. Removing watermarks violates the Copyright Act. Websites like Wikimedia Commons, Flickr Commons, and Life of Pix offer free public domain and Creative Commons licensed photos.