releasing a CD, how does copyright work for the photog (cd art)

[king shot]

I dont know much about photo copyrights - im a musician and i am about to release a cd. the photographer who did the shots of me is fantastic. does the photographer automatically retain copyright if i use the photos in my cd liner? do the photos need to be registered with the library of congress in a separate way?

also - Im releasing the cd independently and I want to use a contract that will allow the photographer the ability to negotiate with another party if they wanted to use the photos and the photographer would be reimbursed that way. As it stands i am going to be paying cash up front to the photographer for the use of the photos in my cd release. i guess all this contract talk may be redundant if the question i posed in the first photograph is "yes, the photographer retains legal rights to the photos"

I just want to make sure this is all legally worked out and kosher before putting my disc out there. Me and the photographer are really good friends so theres no tension involved here. I just want to make sure the photographer is protected legally here and hopefully will stand to make some money in the future from these photos, if a publication were to want to use the photos, etc.

Clearly I have never really dealt witha situation like this before, but this seemed like a good place to ask for some help with this. I appreciate the advice- thanks much.

[Lori11]

Sorry for the no response here lol But your photographer should have answers to all your questions since they are his photos. I retain all rights to use my photos, and Im sure he does too. Good luck with your CD!

[EverlastingImpressions]

All this can be set up within the contract. In mine, I make sure to protect myself very well. It's also clear that I retain the copyright to all photos, unless some other arrangement is made. Generally, I do not allow the client to sell or otherwise distribute, other than personal use, without my written permission and whatever compensation is agreed upon.

Back in April, I did a shoot for a band. Within that contract, I allowed them to use the photos for band use (advertising, CD covers/inserts, personal, etc), but all the while I still retain copyright.