11 December 2014

Used

Out there on the internet, thousands of my photographs are available for random strangers to view. Hosted in "geograph" and "Panoramio", these strangers are allowed to use my photos as long as they acknowledge me and my copyright.

So what I am finding is that my photos will crop up in quite surprising places. "The Morning Star" is Great Britain's leading communist newspaper so as Mr R.Brague of George W. Bush Boulevard, Canton, Georgia, USA will appreciate, I was immensely proud to see my photo of a red grouse alongside a news item about grouse shooting even though I would have preferred the headline to read "Tweeded Toffs blasted to bits by Red Grouse Rebels".

I found my photo of looming electricity pylons used in the website of a Spanish environmental pressure group. I snapped it near Drax in April of this year:-

And I found another photo - taken on Derwent Edge in The Peak District - in a a website aimed at outdoor enthusiasts - "The Mountain Guide":-

So far I haven't minded. I have even made unexpected money from a few of my photos. But what bothers me is how I might feel if any of my photos are used by the websites of organisations or businesses that have earned my disapproval over the years. Such as "The Conservative  Party", "UKIP", "The Liberal Democrats", "The Sun", "The Daily Mail, "The National Rifle Association", "Arsenal FC", "Lancashire Pride", "London - Centre of The Universe", "Maggie Thatcher Appreciation Society", "European Mathematical Society", "Institute of Mathematics and its Applications", "Muslim Association of Britain", "Let's Visit Canton Georgia", "Abba.com", "One Direction.com", "Michael Jackson.com", "Spearmint Rhino" etc. etc. - the list is almost endless...

21 comments:

  1. Not much you can do as long as they acknowledge you and your copyright, as it looks like was done in both of your examples. The only way to really discourage 'borrowers" would be to incorporate a really hideous watermark on your pictures, but then that would ruin them for the rest of us.

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    1. To tell you the truth KCD, I don't really care about the money side of things. If any of my photos do crop up in the "wrong" places I will simply contact them and request removal.or I will be round with my gang.

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  2. I don't mind people using images as long as it isn't for commercial gain. People let me use software and music for nothing so it's good to give a little back.

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    1. I admire your hippy philosophy Adrian. It's cool man and far out!

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  3. Well you will have to keep a brag blog of where the shots are being used ~ or is that. Brague Blog?

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    1. Brag and Brague. Brague and Brag. Now you come to mention it Carol the two words are spookily similar.

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    2. How novel. I never noticed before.

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    3. Brague also sounds like "brogue" which is a classy gentleman's shoe.

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    4. You could add a Page to this blog ~ rather than a separate blog. Let me know if you need help to add a Page.

      At least they have acknowledged the source and acknowledged well. I won't tell you about the dozen or so students from FNQ who used your photos for their Geography assignment on the Crown of Thorn starfish and didn't cite their source.

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  4. As ex-officio booster, publisher, editor, and 47th recording secretary of the "Let's Visit Canton, Georgia" Society let me be the first to invite you to stay away. Permanently. On your own side of the pond. Forever. Go visit Thailand or New Zealand or Vancouver or Far North Queensland or Rapa Nui or someplace where you would be more welcome. Here I would fear for your safety, as anyone whose work has appeared in Great Britain's leading communist publication would no doubt be persona non grata in these parts if the locals ever found out. I do not plan to tell them. My lips are sealed. Loose lips sink ships.

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    Replies
    1. Okay Bob. Thanks for that advice. I shall cancel our travel arrangements and try to get a refund for the special gift I bought for you after careful deliberation.

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    2. Wow ~ loose lips sink ships ~ been a while since I heard that saying Mr Brague. Brody's Dad was ex-military and used to say that.

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  5. Wow ! I'd be mighty proud if my photos appeared in places like that.

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    Replies
    1. If you put some with an online host it might start happening.

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  6. Your pictures are well worth being used, Neil. They are very good. I even want to use them for my next edition of "Yorkshire Calendar", which I'll probably publish in a very limited number (3 or 4) around Christmas 2015 for the year 2016. Your pictures on my calendars will mean people look at it for an entire month! How's that for acknowledgement?

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    1. Shh! Can you keep a secret? To see 37 pages of my Yorkshire pictures in Panoramio go to-
      http://www.panoramio.com/user/1176040/tags/Yorkshire

      Just click on any photos you like to enlarge. If any make your calendar I will be delighted. It's a huge honour for a Yorkshire peasant like me.

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    2. Mieke ~ I will buy a copy of your calendar ~ to help your retirement fund, rather than Yorky's :)

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    3. Hey - I'll take you up on that offer!

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  7. I would be annoyed, too, if my pics turned up in places I didn't want them to...in areas where the beliefs were different to those I held.

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    Replies
    1. I shall cross that bridge when I reach it Lee. Fortunately, it hasn't happened yet.

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  8. What I want to know is how you shoot a red grouse ethically.

    ReplyDelete

Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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