Posting photographs

RichBrew Sep 5, 2005 04:59:17

Some of the images posted on this site are undoubtedly of professional quality. I refer in particular to the images of Ken Williams, posted by Cian McLiam. Whilst photography of such a standard is most welcome it also has potential dangers.
Recently I became aware of two of my images being used to illustrate an article on Hengistbury Head, Dorset in a local council brochure. I had not given permission for the images to be used and made enquiries. The graphic designer informed me that he got the images from a web search, and that neither image had a copyright line. The only place that I had published these images were on this site. Nowhere else. Someone had lifted the images off this site, ignored the copyright line,
and made available their use, royalty free. If it were not for the fact that I was printing the brochure (my job), then I would still be unaware of their usage.
Although the situation was amicably resolved by all parties, the situation still remains the same regarding postings on this site. If you value your images, beware. If you have no qualms about who uses them, for what ever purpose, then OK. I've lifted all my images from this site. Probably too late, but that's down to experience.
RichBrew.

FourWinds Sep 5, 2005 07:02:06

Replying to RichBrew

That's Google image search for you! It only displays the images and not any associated text on the page. It's not the fault of this (or any other) website. I only allow the google crawler webbots to see the thumbnails on megalithomania for just this reason.

The graphic designer should have known better!!!!!!!!!!! They should know that images belong to someone and they can't just pull them off the web and use them. Bunchatossers! Hope you charged them a small fortune to teach them a lesson :-)

Sorry to see you images go from the site. Many people who are bothered by this place a copyright on the image, just as Ken does. I know this can be cropped off if someone really wants to use it, but they have no excuse when challenged.

CianMcLiam Sep 5, 2005 12:38:22

Replying to RichBrew

Hi RichBrew,

Lucky coincidence there that you were able to catch the git red handed. I suppose its the unwritten Terms and Conditions of posting on the internet that some bastard will always try to rip you off no matter what you do. I add small watermarks now but they are very easy to remove or crop out, my site has loads of security features but there's a very simple way around them all.

The only alternative is not to post them at all as you have done. I dont think thats a solution I want to be forced into by the rip off merchants, I would never have discovered such fantastic sites had it not been for the photos on Megalithomania and Irishmegaliths and I think the more documentation available the better. Words dont really do many of them justice, they really need to be seen to be appreciated. In the end, the more interest that is taken, the more likely the monuments will continue to be visited and hopefully taken care of, cleared of brambles etc.

It would be a huge pity if photos of the less well known sites were taken off the internet, most would probably fall off the radar completly and less and less people will know about them and more importantly appreciate them. At the moment I think the incidents like yours may well be the price that has to be paid to keep interest in the monuments alive and growing, hopefully by showing the sites as best I can on the net I'm helping out in a small way. In the meantime we all have to be vigilant of the rip-off merchants, I might add contact info to the posts here so at least they know where to ask. Maybe you could re-post smaller versions of your photos that wouldn't be of much use to publishers?

PeterH Sep 5, 2005 14:35:55

Replying to RichBrew

Point taken, but is there a trade off? We post low res pics to websites and so they are not going to reproduce that well and so are likely to be used by cheapo outfits that won't pay much anyway. OK - so none of us want our stuff hacked off and presented badly. The trade off is that our photos get seen more widely via TMA and the Portal. As a result, we sometimes get sales because they are seen by reputable publishers who don't cheat and who do pay the going rate.

morfe Sep 5, 2005 14:55:41

Replying to RichBrew

They're such low res I don't really care if someone stole one unless they were earning a big deal from my work and not paying me.

One major exception would be promoting a racist political agenda with the picture, i.e: a Callanish pic has been used recently for such a thing. Then all fire would rain from my soul 'pon them. Urgh.

Ishmael Sep 5, 2005 16:24:39

Replying to RichBrew

I've had similar problems with my photos on this site and the portal which is why I removed them all.
Small one man band publishers tend to nick the most.
I Always invoice anyone who uses my photos without asking.

Holy McGrail Sep 6, 2005 00:35:04

Replying to RichBrew

Possibly too little too late for your situation, Rich, but I've added a simple copyright notice to the image pages here, now.

Best
H

CianMcLiam Dec 2, 2006 20:10:33

Replying to RichBrew

Sorry to drag this old thread up but I found out that someone (that I don't know) is making paintings of my photographs and selling them for a lot more than I charge for framed prints. There is no credit given and I wasn't asked or given notice in advance, is this a common thing? I am a bit annoyed at not being asked and no credit given for the inspiration and ideas for the compositions.

Am I just turning into a grumpy old man?

morfe Dec 3, 2006 10:15:19

Replying to RichBrew

An option is, I suppose, to 'watermark' them in an image editor, with a copyright message across the image. Although it's irritating to look at, at least you could still contribute?

Talking of nabbing images, I turned up in a gallery about 3 weeks to see one of my pics of British Camp on a nice big photo-collage box canvas-thing. Lifted straight from TMA as that's the only place it was ever published.

They're out there, the Google-Imagist Movement!!!

Pete G Dec 12, 2006 23:22:27

Replying to RichBrew

I cannot believe the bastards are at it again!
http://www.visitkennet.co.uk/what-to-do/places-to-visit/archaeology-1.html
Alton Barnes is mine and I can prove it.
Invoice and stern email has been sent.
Do these people think they Own everything connected with kennet? sigh