It has been a rough day for a photographer after he reportedly released pictures of SZA without her permission. There is a fine line in the industry when it comes to ownership of goods, and when artists pose for professional photographers, the person behind the camera most often owns the material. Sure, photographers operate in ways that are respectful to their subjects, but SZA was angered after the photog shared several photos from her shoot.
A photographer named Edwig Henson, or “Edwiggery,” posted the images to his Instagram and soon, SZA fans were storming his comments with compliments. However, when the singer found out about it, she wasn’t happy.
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“He literally text me m said ‘sorry if u never wanna work w me again but I decided I’m releasing these’ never felt more powerless or disrespected,” SZA tweeted. “Releasing pictures of me w out my consent is scary . Y’all be careful working w folk u don’t know well.” After receiving an onslaught of backlash, Henson defended himself by saying there weren’t any contracts in place so, basically, he will do whatever he pleases.
“Definitely not doing anything for clout, there’s so much more to this than you guys know, I’m not a bad person. I’m not arguing with anyone on social media. Never have, never will. And please stop sending death threats,” the photographer wrote, adding that contracts were made but not signed. He also said SZA expressed interest in purchasing the pictures, “but had very poor communication with management.”
He added that he paid for the studio, hairstylist, and makeup artist, and although he agreed that his compensation would be sharing his work with SZA, Henson is now frustrated that his pictures have gone unseen. Meanwhile, Top Dawg Entertainment’s President Punch chimed in on Twitter and attempted to reason with the photographer.
“And you still got the post up on ig??” Punch questioned. “You doing this wrong champ. I promise you you’re doing this the wrong way.” These situations, unfortunately, make it more difficult for talented creatives looking to work with big artists. Additionally, this photographer may have stopped his own bag if celebrities don’t think he’s trustworthy and disrespectful to women.
Check it out below.
