Copyright

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <IMG SRC="05e96c80.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="06096e10.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="06296e10.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#A0A0A4" FACE="Chiller" ><B>Photography by Carron</B></FONT>    </div> <bR> <div> <B>Copyrights and pictures on the web</B></div> <div>  <A NAME="copyrights"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> There is nothing more convoluted and confusing on the web as what is and isn't allowed to be copywritten and what is out there for public consumption and use.</div> <bR> <div> Photographers have always fought the battle of the copyright.  Back in the day when I was shooting senior pictures, I was constantly battling the parents who wanted the absolutely smallest portrait package they could buy - and who would then take the final print to the local quickie film mart who would then shoot a copy neg of the print, managing to just cut off my copyright from the corner of the photograph.  They would then order bucketloads of reprints at a lower rate.  Theydidn't care that the copy process degraded the quality of the print, they didn't care that  they were basically stealing from me.  As long as they could get someone to copy that picture for them, they were happy.</div> <bR> <div> I wasn't.</div> <bR> <div> It was one of the many reasons I got out of straight portrait or wedding photography.</div> <bR> <div> Now, there's the internet.  It's not just unscrupulous family members who will copy and reprint your work without your permission - or blatantly against your permission if you want to get right down to it.  Now there's an entire globe of people out there who feel that just because your photograph is on the internet, that means they have a right to pirate it.</div> <bR> <div> For their own use.</div> <bR> <div> Taking credit for your work.</div> <bR> <div> It's ugly.</div> <bR> <div> So what's a photographer to do?</div> <bR> <div> If you have one of the miriad photographic manipulation programs out there (like PaintShop Pro or PhotoShop), the solution is very easy.  It's called a watermark.  A watermark with a copyright symbol in it that cannot be retouched out.</div> <bR> <div> The days of the little symbol in the corner are gone.  Why?  All it takes is a "right click" and "save as" to get your picture down to someone else's hard drive.  Then a little cropping and viola...they're saying that awesome picture is theirs and they end up selling it on Flickr or Photobucket or DeviantArt as their own.  The solution - BIG HONKIN WATERMARK.</div> <bR> <div> Here's what I do.</div> <bR> <div> I found a good graphic of the copy right symbol.  For most programs, this comes as a "special character".  I go into my graphics program (I use Paintshop Pro) and turned it into a sillouhette with a transparent background.  Then over that, I put the words "Photography By Carron" and the year.  I saved this as an image that would retain the transparent aspects so my photographs would be able to be seen through it.  I made the copyright graphic into a 640x480 image - so I can either shrink or resize it easily.</div> <bR> <div> After I edit a photograph to how I want it - fixing the brightness/contrast/cropping, what have you, I save the fixed image in a folder called "Retouched."  I then put that copyright graphic over the top of the photograph and I merge it down and save that merged file into an entirely different folder called "web ready."  When I put something up on the web, it now has a big, glowing, difficult to retouch out watermark across it....like this:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="05c2c900.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="400" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> I get lots of comments from people saying "that's so unsightly" or "that's very jarring - why don't you take it off?"</div> <bR> <div> Nope.  All you're telling me is that you're mad because you can't steal my picture for your own use.</div> <bR> <div> I've experienced the complete and utter aggravation of having a copyright removed and my work stolen.  I know what it's like to see someone else's list of photographs only to go - "hey - that's MY picture" and having the person basically laugh at me when I demand they remove that picture from their portfolio.</div> <bR> <div> There's also digital watermarking which can be tracked on the Internet.  For more information on that, I suggest a company like <A HREF="http://www.digimarc.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.digimarc.com/"><U>http://www.digimarc.com/</U></A>  They aren't the only company, but I've done business with them before.  More are a simple Google search away - digital watermarking or electronic watermarking.</div> <bR> <div> So what's the copyright symbol mean anyway?  It's actually an "intent to copyright" which is applicable for five years.  And it's free.  However, it does not carry the protections of a full copyright.  Which is why I make mine so damned hard to retouch out.</div> <bR> <div> A 'real' copyright needs to be purchased through the U.S. Copyright Office - <A HREF="http://www.copyright.gov/forms/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.copyright.gov/forms/"><U>http://www.copyright.gov/forms/</U></A></div> <bR> <div> A copyright is valid for 28 years and must be renewed periodically.  You must also deposit publishable copies of each work with the copyright office.  All these rules are on the Copyright Office site, and it would do everyone with an interest in displaying their works on the Internet to read and understand these laws and your rights under them.  It is not free - so be prepared to pay some hefty coin to protect your work completely.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> On to the<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Bradley Hand ITC" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Bradley Hand ITC" ><A HREF="http://www.photographybycarron.com/gallery" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.photographybycarron.com/galle"><U>Portfolio</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id17_tutorial_list.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tutorials"><U>Read Some Tutorials</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="mailto:carron@photographybycarron.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:carron@photographybycarron.com"><U>Contact me</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>