Important Flickr Discovery

For those photographers using Flickr to ’share’ their photographs here is some news you may not be aware of.  If you go to your ‘Account’ page & click privacy and permissions, you are able to control who can download your photographs.  Under the global settings, ‘who can download your stuff’, if you click to allow ‘only you’ a transparent film is layed over all of your pictures and stops the the ‘right click copy picture’ action.  I have had this tested several times and it works.  All the downloader gets is nothing, nada,  your photographs are a little safer.  Consequently if a company or individual desires one of your photographs they have to contact you.

Lessons Learned

It seems that lessons have been learned.   I have altered the context of my contract with clients regarding copyright of my photographs, which will clarify future usage of all my pictures.   Gary has started to recognise photographers with courtesy links.   Good for him, good for the photographers.   Now all we have to do is spread the word and educate one and all about the importance of respecting copyright.  I have written to my MP to see if he can take up the issue.  He has done so for the film and music industry, however neglected to mention the plight of professional photographers.  I am also contacting the newspapers in the UK to see if there is mileage in publishing an article about copyright theft as they may well be victims of it.

Examples of Copyright Theft

http://www.chards.co.uk/infringementofourcopyrightimages.html Covering an actual example of pictures used illegally on Ebay

http://www.taxfreegold.co.uk/auctivaebay.html More on copyright theft used on Ebay

http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=482935 Pepsi accused!!!

http://www.epuk.org/The-Curve/491/enforcing-your-copyright He makes 27K tracking down stolen images on the net

http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/04/10/what-do-you-do-when-someone-steals-your-content/ Self explanatory

http://www.webvivant.com/iconic_britain.html See what Microsoft & Nikon are up to

http://thesnappysnapper.blogspot.com/ Scroll down to Feb 22nd 2009 post

Oxford English Dictionary definition of the word ‘thief

According to the 2003 publication of The Oxford English Dictionary the word ‘thief’ is defined as:   “a person who steals another persons property, especially by stealth and without using force or threat of violence”. The individual who downloaded and put on his Blog a picture I took,  and therefore owned the copyright of,  appears to be a little put out by being branded a thief on another blog making issue of copyright theft.   If  however, you read the dictionary explanation of the word thief, the individual falls well into that category.   Ignorance of the law is no defence!

Perhaps all would be illegal users of other peoples work should read my link on the right to an article in The Guardian newspaper about how the BBC got thier fingers burnt by using a photograph without the owners permission.

Copies of your Photographs

A few months ago a photographer colleague of mine discovered from a local copy shop that his photographs were being copied.  His  client whos wedding he had shot was having more copies of the pictures produced.  The copy shop knew the photographer and informed him.   To copy photographs this way is a breach of copyright laws.  Only the photographer who took the pictures can legally make further copies, well, in the UK it works like that.   We now put a rubber stamp on the back of all our photographs with the copyright logo and our contact details.  This won’t catch them all, however, it will make the copy companies think twice before they go ahead.   The stamping takes little time, does not damage the photograph and is worth the effort to add a little more protection to your valuable work.

A Moment in Time.

As a photographer I have been informed that I catch moments in time. Therefore, all photographers catch moments of time. The blink of an eye, catches a moment in time. A thought is a captured moment in time. As a professional photographer the majority of the moments I capture are my wages, as my captures are my living. There’s a group of people however, out there in the world, sitting in their homes taking my moments and using them for their own benefits, without requesting permission to use that moment, without the offer of payment and without any recognition to my abilities with a camera. These same people believe that ‘photo sharing’ means they can do as they like with it, and that I, in sharing, freely allow un-permitted usage. Oh how misguided people are.  Sharing simply means that I share this view of life with you. You may peer into this single moment of time and ’share’ the view through my lens.  It does not mean, take my view and use and abuse it freely! Here is a link to a page of the Intellectual Property Laws in the UK .

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-about/c-benefit.htm

I recommend all creative people read this, as do I recommend all would be photo thieves.  To those who insist on downloading and then using other peoples work, there are ways we can seek you out.  However, if you, as an individual desire to use a photograph, use a website where you can contact the photographer and more often than not the photographer will allow usage as long as it is not for profit. By spending a little time, it is a win win situation for both parties.

My Photography

My photography is very personal, even when carrying out some of the more simple contracts I receive.   I have been in photgraphy since 1970, when I obtained my first Canon AE1.   A hard learning curve when film was the only option.   Things have moved on.  Wow, the digital cameras we can now buy are phenominal.   I have stayed with Canon throughout and have no regrets.   Since the birth on Digital Photography,  many millions of people have picked up a camera for the first time  as,  even with the high end camera models,  it’s simply a matter of ‘point & shoot’ when used on full auto settings.   There is however more to it.

Many many people now are taking excellent photographs with little or no training and good luck to them.  However, many of these people are ‘giving away’ their photographs to comapnies and corporations through thinly disguised scams, by entering competitions and photo groups.  They feel proud to have one of their pictures on the internet, not realising that the company that reproduce the photograph are probably making money out of it, or are at the least,  getting their photography requirements done ‘for free’.   Also in the small print with these companies,  the photographer gives said company the global rights to that photograph, to use and sell as they wish.    How many of those companies give their work or products away.

This is hurting the Professional Photographers who make their living taking pictures.

I urge all photographers, be you pro or amature to read all the small print before committing a photograph.   If these companies and groups want your picture it is worth money.   I only hope this message gets to as many people who own cameras as possible.

Above are two simple corporate photographs.   I was contracted to take these photographs and subsequently paid for my work.   I have WATERMARKED these photographs as they are viewable on Flickr, one of the largest photo sharing site on the web.  Here is the link

http://www.flickr.com/photos/taibabrazil/ to my photostream, should you be interested to see larger versions and more of my photography.  Notice,  all are watermarked.   I do this for one simple reason.   If you download my photographs from Flickr you get my free watermark.  However, should you be serious with your intentions about my picture you can contact me via Flickr and we can come to an agreement regarding the purchase of my photograph/work.  And work it is!