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My Most Viewed Photo In One Hour - And One that Made Me Question - "Why Copyright an Image?"
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by kmemav8r | September 7, 2008 at 05:35 pm
677 views | 20 Recommendations | 9 comments
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My Most Viewed (and Stolen) Photo In One Hour - A Lesson in Copyright Laws - Click on the Picture for full view
uploaded by kmemav8r
This picture has shown up in more places than any one of any airline I have ever taken.
I've seen it altered in many ways, the first being the cropping of the banner. It usually ends up on myspace pages of airline employees and while flattering, I just appreciate it when people ask first if it is for personal use.
When I realized that night shots like this were possible with a very steady hand, it gave me a whole new perspective on night photography.
This was "accident" that was too blurry but colorful has become one of my personal all time favorites. The color has not been modified or color corrected at all.
The problem is that even though you copyright an image, including digitally embedding a copyright, someone will find a way to take, capture, use, and alter your image without you ever getting credit for it.
I've tried to find other ways to embed copyright information. There are four in this image alone - three that are obvious. I feel like the US Mint trying to find a way to protect my image in order to prove that it is mine.
I spend a lot of time taking pictures, waiting for that perfect shot as well as using talents and connections to get those shots. To have my work taken and distributed is frustrating.
It makes me question why pay to copyright something anyway.
I'm certainly not going to pursue legal action against an employee who wants to post this to their personal site, boasting of their employer, but when someone is making a profit off of my image, it is another story.
I'd like some feedback from other photographers on how they protect their images without ruining the appearance by posting bold, quality-destroying banners over the pictures.
A quick note as this has appeared in two formats. One format shows the entire picture, the other requires that you click on the picture in order to see the full image.
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (9)
at 17:42 on September 7th, 2008
nice pic but I don't see how it constitutes as news
at 18:04 on September 7th, 2008
Jim-
This was the first article I published and it was one asking for feedback on copyright protection.
The entire story didn't appear as posted - I noticed that and re-wrote the copy.
The category checked was one that asked for feedback. It wasn't meant to inform as much as it was to solicit advice - a feature on this site that I thought may be useful.
at 18:15 on September 7th, 2008
perhaps a forum post would be more appropriate but it's your call
at 18:32 on September 7th, 2008
kmemav8r, I like this story. It's good stuff. People who work as writers, photographers, artists deserve copyright protection. Professionals know that, and tend to honor that. But outside the professional circles, people just grab and run.
at 21:07 on September 7th, 2008
Good enuff for me. Might want to post it under an OP-ED: OPINION banner.
But since it's already out there, use it to promote your talents. Ask users to leave the copyright info and or give a credit line or link back to your site.
at 23:07 on September 7th, 2008
kmemav8r, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 00:03 on September 8th, 2008
kmemav8r, I like this story. In France was a big discussion on TV, the photo reporters can not sell their Images or Image reports to newspapers, journals, TV stations. $15.000 too expensive. If it's not Prad Pitt.... Sorry, result in time of I-phone digital cameras no great future for Image sales in France. If It is your photo why not downsizing it, the way it is now does not show your excellent night shot at the airport. I question however, that the photo you show is to sell, people choose just another one, no specific content.
at 00:57 on September 8th, 2008
kmemav8r, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 01:48 on September 8th, 2008
"...how they protect their images without ruining the appearance by posting bold, quality-destroying banners over the pictures."
Zichi - Please read the above statement. I took that straight out of my article.
What you did was take my story, reprint it with the obvious (as stated above) cropped my photo, add your EXPERIMENT banner, so you have now done what everyone else did except there are three things in my photo you didn't alter - all proving that it is my photo.
I don't enjoy having to take the time to "hide" the fact that my work is mine by embedding objects in the picture - that takes time - on average I take 5,000 photos per week.
Needless to say you not only altered the work I tried to get feedback on and used a method I put in my article (that was obvious that is not what I wanted to start doing to my photos) but you also reprinted my entire article verbatim under your name on your site - including the tags.
Please don't do that again. As a fellow of yours on this site what you did was inconsiderate, rude and disrespectful and proves that you didn't even read the entire article before you posted your altered version of my photo along with my story.
Please remove your altered version of my photo and my entire story from your website and your page here.
Thank You.
Respectfully,
Graham (kmemav8r)