Hi guys! need your advise regarding those travel photos you see on the airport, an ad agency just approached me about the possibility of using my pics on their layouts, saying its for tourism and they're not earning from it, and it's given to the government for free.

I'm ok with letting them use my photos for free as long as there's photo credit, and if the project is really non profit. But i'm not really sure if my photos will be exploited to other media, or products..etc... wherein later on I'll just regret giving them the permission to use it. and maybe the project is not really non profit??

Anyway, I'm just concerned now, coz I was touring some visitors today at the cagsawa ruins, and there's this young guy who approached us and started showing us Mt Mayon photos for sale...so as a photographer I looked at his album to see how they took the photos and to my surprise I saw my shot! lifted from the internet, jaggies and all with my copyright cropped out. It's that photo below

http://www.dphotography.org/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_IMG_3149.jpg

the bad thing is he was even bragging about it, and how he used a nikon d70 to take it! So I finally told him he should stop what he's doing, and that I was the one who took that photo. He insisted again that it's his nikon d70! Well what can I do except but to firmly tell him I took that photo, the foreground can never be replicated because it was taken atop our house. So unless he went to our house he can never capture the same image....since I know there's no point of arguing with someone like him. I decided not to go through the trouble anymore. and also decided to temporarily take out my mayon photos on my site.

So let this be a wake up call to fellow photoraphers....coz
it's a lousy feeling when....
1.) You happily share your images for free on the net and some guy just copy, print and start earning from it.
2.) Someone offering you to sell you your own shots
3.) When your image is being sold printed in really low resolution.
4.) You shot it with a canon and the guy who stole it said he shot it with a nikon.

That's a good photo, yvesyu, and I sympathize.

So let this be a wake up call to fellow photoraphers....coz
it's a lousy feeling when....
1.) You happily share your images for free on the net and some guy just copy, print and start earning from it.
2.) Someone offering you to sell you your own shots.
3.) When your image is being sold printed in really low resolution.
4.) You shot it with a canon and the guy who stole it said he shot it with a nikon.1. If your picture is that good, someone somewhere is going to make money off it, you can be sure of that. As I always say, if you don't want people stealing your work, don't post it on the Internet. Putting your work on your website and then complaining about someone stealing them is like leaving your front door open and complaining when you get robbed. I know the feeling when you see your own photo in another site (or in your case, when someone's selling it), but that's the reality of "sharing" your pictures on the Internet.

2. This would be a real shock, I guess.

3. So if they're going to profit from your pictures, the least they could do is to print them hi-res?

4. So what's with this Canon and Nikon thing? I guess when the CEOs of Nikon and Canon have a couple of drink (or play golf) together, they amuse themselves with stories of people out there who always get into arguments about which camera is better.

There is really nothing that can be done about online theft, short of not posting your pictures online. Or using ugly watermarks.

The value of the pictures that most of us non-pros shoot is virtually zero, commercially speaking. We value our pictures because of the emotional attachment we have with the experience of shooting them. When we take a really good picture, we want to share them with others -- post them on the Internet. But that's where the problem is, when you post your pictures on the Internet, they become the virtual property of everyone.

So while I feel your pain, you should have seen it coming.

That's just the risk of sharing your photos in the net. There's just too many freeloaders and thieves in this world. Sorry for you loss though.

Hi guys! need your advise regarding those travel photos you see on the airport, an ad agency just approached me about the possibility of using my pics on their layouts, saying its for tourism and they're not earning from it, and it's given to the government for free.I'm sorry, I didn't believe any of this for an instance. Ad agency? Government? And they're not earning anything from it? "It's for a good cause." "Let's do it for the kids."

While I don't believe they're not earning anything from it, it's probably a good idea to just play along and get a wide exposure if you're thinking of taking photography professionally. If you pass, they'll get their picture from someone else. Photos are that cheap these days.

Yves,

Questions:
a. How good is the resolution of the photos you upload in the net? Particularly that Mayon photo.
b. Where do you upload them? (so that other uploaders can avoid them)

Hi guys! need your advise regarding those travel photos you see on the airport, an ad agency just approached me about the possibility of using my pics on their layouts, saying its for tourism and they're not earning from it, and it's given to the government for free.

I'm ok with letting them use my photos for free as long as there's photo credit, and if the project is really non profit. But i'm not really sure if my photos will be exploited to other media, or products..etc... wherein later on I'll just regret giving them the permission to use it. and maybe the project is not really non profit??



I don't know whose other photos are displayed at our airports now, but I do know that George Tapan's photos are or were there. You might want to call him to inquire about the going rates. Ad agencies charge for their services; tourism is a big industry; the people who will print your images will charge for their services - in other words, display of photos at airports or elsewhere is big business. If you really want to give away your photos, that's your decision, but that decision should be based on your informed choice, not on what are possibly false claims.

I'm sorry, I didn't believe any of this for an instance. Ad agency? Government? And they're not earning anything from it? "It's for a good cause." "Let's do it for the kids."

While I don't believe they're not earning anything from it, it's probably a good idea to just play along and get a wide exposure if you're thinking of taking photography professionally. If you pass, they'll get their picture from someone else. Photos are that cheap these days.

Yes I have doubts too...they haven't contacted me yet though after the initial look at my photos on the site.

I like the idea of seeing my work posted (somewhat a hobbyist dream), but I dont like the idea of someone earning over it while I'm not. hehe

I don't know whose other photos are displayed at our airports now, but I do know that George Tapan's photos are or were there. You might want to call him to inquire about the going rates. Ad agencies charge for their services; tourism is a big industry; the people who will print your images will charge for their services - in other words, display of photos at airports or elsewhere is big business. If you really want to give away your photos, that's your decision, but that decision should be based on your informed choice, not on what are possibly false claims.

I guess part of me is also excited to have my photos printed in large billboards, and lighted signs..I'll check their proposals properly, should they contact me again.

Thank you so much for the advise. :)

Yves,

Questions:
a. How good is the resolution of the photos you upload in the net? Particularly that Mayon photo.
b. Where do you upload them? (so that other uploaders can avoid them)

I posted them at 1024 px by 683 px.

I upload them through my own website and hosting. The problem is, no matter how good you can program your site to avoid right-click and save or prevent download. There's always print screen. So it's either an ugly watermark or smaller file size.

kapal ng mukha...don't worry, if you know your shots, you have your originals....you have the upperhand

Bad person!....my photo's aren't worth stealing....hehehe

Hi guys! need your advise regarding those travel photos you see on the airport, an ad agency just approached me about the possibility of using my pics on their layouts, saying its for tourism and they're not earning from it, and it's given to the government for free.

I'm ok with letting them use my photos for free as long as there's photo credit, and if the project is really non profit. But i'm not really sure if my photos will be exploited to other media, or products..etc... wherein later on I'll just regret giving them the permission to use it. and maybe the project is not really non profit??

Anyway, I'm just concerned now, coz I was touring some visitors today at the cagsawa ruins, and there's this young guy who approached us and started showing us Mt Mayon photos for sale...so as a photographer I looked at his album to see how they took the photos and to my surprise I saw my shot! lifted from the internet, jaggies and all with my copyright cropped out. It's that photo below

http://www.dphotography.org/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_IMG_3149.jpg

the bad thing is he was even bragging about it, and how he used a nikon d70 to take it! So I finally told him he should stop what he's doing, and that I was the one who took that photo. He insisted again that it's his nikon d70! Well what can I do except but to firmly tell him I took that photo, the foreground can never be replicated because it was taken atop our house. So unless he went to our house he can never capture the same image....since I know there's no point of arguing with someone like him. I decided not to go through the trouble anymore. and also decided to temporarily take out my mayon photos on my site.

So let this be a wake up call to fellow photoraphers....coz
it's a lousy feeling when....
1.) You happily share your images for free on the net and some guy just copy, print and start earning from it.
2.) Someone offering you to sell you your own shots
3.) When your image is being sold printed in really low resolution.
4.) You shot it with a canon and the guy who stole it said he shot it with a nikon.

yves, remember... TANSTAAFL !!

kapal ng mukha...don't worry, if you know your shots, you have your originals....you have the upperhand

Thanks man...btw I'm a fan!! hehe

yves, remember... TANSTAAFL !!




you know what? I actually have to google that one up! hehe I'll keep that in mind.

Would placing a watermark on the photo really help? I think it's just wise to post pictures on the net at its lowest resolution, let's say around 200x400 pixels?

i'm sorry for you man.. you can place your watermark huge and smack in the middle just to be sure. stock photo agencies do this as you know. but then again, it'll just ruin your photo. really can't have everything...

Omg. That really sucks, sorry for your loss man. Why not make a big watermark across your photos?

Yves,

You need an IPR lawyer. The wonderful thing about digital cameras: exif data are imbeded in the original file that will prove the pictrure is originally yours.

i know for a fact that theres this technology that if something is xeroxed or printed a huge watermark saying THIS IS A COPY comes out right in the middle of the page.

anyone knows any software application that does this?