Taylor Swift 'backs down' in photography row, says Walsall blogger

Jason Sheldon, a professional photographer, had claimed Swift did not "play fair" over image rights.

Mr Sheldon's blog came after Swift herself criticised Apple Music over its payment policy for artists.

He said she had now changed her "unfair" restrictions on image rights at her concerts.

Mr Sheldon's criticism of the star followed her own blast at Apple, in which she said a three-month free trial offer meant artists and producers wouldn't be paid for their material during that time.

In an open letter to Swift, Mr Sheldon wrote: "How about making sure you're not guilty of the very same tactic before you have a pop at someone else?"

Mr Sheldon, who runs the Walsall-based Junction 10 agency, said he and other photographers had been called to hand over some rights to their images from Swift's live concerts.

His letter went viral which, he said, caught him by surprise.

"I thought about 30 people read my blog so when it started to go viral and I was getting calls from people in America, I was very surprised," he said.

He said he understood Swift had now changed her contract to allow photographers to re-license pictures.

"It's a start," he said. "It's certainly an improvement on the last contract. There's still a long way to go, but it's good to know her representatives are receptive to change."

He said there were "many worse" contracts than Swift's. "She's come in for a lot of flak - it may be a little bit unfair," he said.

Swift has not yet responded to a request for a comment but her representatives have previously said their contract was "misrepresented".

"It clearly states that any photographer shooting The 1989 World Tour has the opportunity for further use of said photographs with management's approval," they said.