I want to post this info about protecting your image copyrights because many people are not sure about the best methods to do this. First off, you never want to post up your original highest resolution image. That should be archived (backed up) by you separately, and never published. Second, Every camera will record info about the photographer if you set that up in your camera. When you modify your image in most image software it will update the image with the date it was modified. However sometimes the software won't save that info, so you should check and see what the settings on your software are. Third, you should modify the original image so that it includes some kind of copyright notice. This can be done several ways. Beside the photo information data recorded by the camera, you can add a copyright notice on the image itself, like a signature on a painting (I do this most of the time). If you do this you can either make it obvious, or you can fade the signature into the background somewhat so it's not obvious and doesn't distract from the image itself. You can also get software that will embed text info into the image. It can't be seen, but it can be retrieved by software at a later date should the need to prove your copyright occur. This is used by all sorts of people (like spies) to transmit information hidden in photos, but somewhat beyond the need of most photographers. Fourth, only post up lower resolution images. You should feel FREE to post up lower resolution images of your original because they are less likely to find their way into print media, and it makes it easier to prove you are the photographer if you are the only person who can provide the high rez original photo. That's what pisses me off about those artists and media companies that demand their low rez copyrighted images be removed from websites. Nobody can make real money from a low rez image! Or at least they couldn't until recently. I was once ordered to remove ONE small photo of a painting I found on the net by the company that owned the copyright (the artist was long dead). I was floored because I used it to help advertise an event highlighting the artist's work. In fact I had to really, really search the Internet hard to find that one image. I guess this company is so paranoid about copyrights it made everyone remove every image. In fact they hadn't even provided any image for the press to use to promote the artist's event! So aside for a few obscure websites mentioning this artist, there is NO RECORD of his work on the Internet, at all! This is an extreme case of copyright protection, but image the result! Nobody from the Internet generation will ever even KNOW about this artist, much less be interested in viewing or purchasing any of his art! So by making an artist's work nearly invisible to the world, how do they expect anyone to appreciate it, view it or buy it? My recommendation is that every artist promote their work as much as possible by posting it everywhere they can. Don't worry about ppl stealing your low rez images. If anything it'll make you more famous! You should either have your name on each image, or insist that all copies made include your name and a link to your webpage if you have one. This way they are promoting your work, not stealing it! And if anyone should manage to MAKE MONEY from your work, it would be a relatively simple matter to demand compensation and threaten to sue if they don't pay up. The only copyright case you'll ever win is one where someone made money from your work. You can't just say someone made a copy. You must prove that they made money at your expense. Here's a pix I took with my signature - unobtrusive...
Fifth - Do further editing to your image. Most images need editing anyway before being posted up. Cropping, color correction, sharpening, contrast, etc. alter the image from the original. So when someone steals your image, you can demand they provide the original unedited version. If they can't and you can, you win! Funny thing is I once had someone else claim copyright to an image I posted on a website (taken by a friend of mine). He directed me to an image on another website he claimed he'd posted up and was his. Upon examining the standard photo info on each image, I could prove that the image my friend took was a year older and had come from his camera, whereas the other photo had a more recent date and no camera or photographer info. So we won that one too!
BTW, all this advice is for DIGITAL IMAGES of course. For those still using film cameras, I have one word of advice, STOP! Why? Because you are POLLUTING THE PLANET! Every photo you take puts another GALLON of toxic waste into our waterways! Every roll of film you buy creates more waste too, packaging, transportation, going to the photo developing place twice, wasting gas, etc. It's completely unnecessary and inefficient and wasteful and polluting to do this anymore. Plus you don't have to WAIT to see your images! And if you want to modify your image, you can do it faster and easier in most photo programs than you can with traditional methods. You can send multiple photos to a mailing list instantly, rather than ordering more prints waiting for them to arrive then mailing them separately to your friends and family. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here, but there's always a photographer or two around stuck on the old ways... BTW, if I got a new 4 Gig chip for my camera, I could take more than 1000 photos before it filled up. Try doing that with one roll of film! Oh, yeah and it saves a ton of money too on film & developing costs!
Yeah, well unless you're an ARTISTIC photographer who likes to work in Darkrooms with fucked up chemicals, you really don't NEED to use a film camera. I don't see the "romance" in it unless ppl like to get it on under a red light! Didn't you see them tear down the Kodak film plant just the other day? Film is quickly becoming obsolete. And soon it will become very expensive once all the big factories close up... I think photographers get to be WAY MORE creative using good image software than they could ever do before. It's quick, easy, cheap, with excellent results! SAVE THE PLANET! STOP USING FILM!
Skip is right though. There is absolutely nothing romantic about using film. It's a pain the arse to work with compared to digital and way more expensive. That said, wanna buy a Canon AE-1 with lens?
I will add this: for the US send in a batch of your shots and file for copyright. Most of your images can be filed many at a time. If you have a "money shot" then you might want to file it free standing. for the web, I'd imbed an uncropable sig, but that's me.
IMHO, film photography (especially exotic types like wet plate photography) will continue to have their place in the industry/hobby for at least another 5-10 years. There are still grain and tint results from those older processes that cannot yet be perfectly duplicated digitally. Once those final limitations are overcome, we will be able to donate all of our film equipment to museums and the like.
There is as a recent ruling on copyright laws which favors the photographer. Copyright Small Claims Has Arrived: Trump Signs CASE Act Into Law
