The use of foreign country photo editors.

First of all i want to let you know i have looked into this and tried some of them out my self and most of them are in Vietnam or some other south asian part of the world. Many are also from Pahkistan and Afghanistan and the middle east.

These services are used for when your photographer dont want to edit the HDR pictures them self. "lazy" "lol"

The problem with this is that as soon as these foreign country editors edit the pictures. Those edited pictures are now the property of that editor. As per the copyright law, as son as you start to edit a picture and make it your creation, it becomes your property, just like as soon as the photographer takes the photo its their property and creation. Yes there is a lot more to the copyright laws but in short this is it.

So all these photographers that use them fall into a whole where they legally cant give you the photos without the permission from the editor. The other problem would be that these editors cant work for any US companies unless they have the right VISA to work in the US or for a US company.

The bigger problem is that they cant deliver the same day and lots of the time the window views look fake and dull. While this last issue may not be significant for most but i would hope that you would want the best for your clients.

Ask the photographer how they pay these editor and how they send them the 1099 and will the editor pay the Taxes in the US?

Some of these photographers say that the editors are employes of their business. Show me the work VISA and forms. ???

My guess is that 80% of the RE Photographers around my area in the US are using foreign photo editors.

I pay local school tax and state tax with my income, are they?

ny foreign national seeking employment in the US must have proper work authorization, which usually requires the employer to petition for them through the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)