Singer Sues Photographer Over Sale of Vogue Images as ‘Fine Art’ Prints

A singer has sued a photographer for selling pictures taken of her for Vogue magazine as “fine art prints” without her permission.

Amy Louise Taylor, the lead singer of rock band Amyl and the Sniffers, has reportedly filed a lawsuit against photographer Jamie Nelson in the district court of California. Taylor has accused Nelson of “exploitation of her image” by allegedly selling photographs from a Vogue Portugal shoot as fine art prints without authorization.

According to a report by The Guardian, Taylor’s lawsuit outlines a dispute with the photographer that dates back to mid-2024. Court documents state that in July of that year, the band’s manager Simone Ubaldi contacted Nelson about photographing the band for an upcoming album. That proposed shoot did not proceed after the band “expressly communicated” that it did not want Nelson using its name, image, or likeness to promote her photography business or to sell merchandise, including fine art prints.

“As explained to Ms. Nelson, the Band was zealously protective of their image and did not want these used for non-Band-sanctioned, private commercial purposes such as Ms. Nelson had proposed. As a result, the photo shoot was never conducted,” the complaint states, according to The Guardian.

The complaint states that several months later, in late March, Nelson contacted Taylor directly to request a separate photo shoot. Nelson allegedly writes that the images would be published “exclusively in the July 2025 issue of Vogue Portugal.” Taylor agreed to participate under those terms.

Court filings allege that Taylor did not authorize or license Nelson to make any commercial use of the images beyond their publication in that magazine. The shoot took place in May, and the photographs later appeared on the cover and inside the July issue of Vogue Portugal.

However, the complaint states that on September 2, Nelson sent Taylor and Ubaldi a presentation of selected images, indicating an intention to sell them as “fine art prints” through her websites. Ubaldi immediately objected, informing Nelson that Taylor did not give permission for the images to be sold as prints or zines and that their only permitted use was for Vogue Portugal.

The lawsuit alleges that Nelson was “well aware” of Taylor’s opposition to any expanded commercial use of the images and that no agreement existed allowing such sales. The complaint further states that Nelson continued to seek a licence, but Taylor rejected each request, and no deal was reached.

“We are not interested in a buyout of these images… I cannot be clearer about this — [Taylor] does not want you to sell images of her face, or her body as fine art prints,” Ubaldi writes to Nelson on September 15, according to the complaint.

Despite this, the complaint alleges that on September 20, Taylor discovered the photographs were being sold as fine art prints on Nelson’s website and were also being used to promote Nelson’s commercial activities. The filing further claims Nelson later offered a specially designed “zine” made up entirely of published and unpublished images from the Vogue Portugal shoot. Taylor’s images also continue to appear on Nelson’s Instagram and Facebook accounts without authorization, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that Nelson’s use of the photos has been likely to “cause confusion or mistake, or to deceive” regarding Taylor’s endorsement of the photographer’s commercial activities. It describes Taylor’s public image as central to her career, noting that fans recognise her for a distinctive aesthetic tied to punk and Australian pub rock. Taylor’s complaint claims the singer will “continue to suffer” harm, including “lost profits and damages to her reputation, brand, and business interests” as a result of the photographer’s actions.