picture etiquette

[lcnmrv8r]

Ok. So maybe this needs to be discussed.
There are posts showing pictures of beautiful airplanes posted by their owners or others who have taken the pics. Can we copy and use them???

[DeltaRomeo]

Seth,

Good post idea. You'll get different answers from folks, but the lion's share of folks are happy (myself included) in giving permission to use any photos as long as credit is given (name or a URL).


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[cjensen]

This is just me, but any picture I take, is open and available to anyone who wants to use them. I personally don't care (though I should, as my dad is a professional photographer), but I know there are those that do. There are ways to stamp your pictures, and there are other ways to make your pictures unavailable for copying or saving. I don't know how it's done, but there are sites out there that you can't copy or save anything.

If I do take a picture that I want or need credit for, I just come right out and say it, or put a stamp on it.

[Mel]

I think the "big stink" in this particular case is that the picture was used commercially as an ad. I think that in most cases people don't mind if their picture is passed around to different people, but if you are going to use it as a commercial advertisement, you should get permission.
This is my opinion and it is worth what you paid for it.

[keen9a]

For any pic I've taken, copying, saving or whatever for use at home as a wallpaper or whatever, just do it.

If you want to use a pic on a website or something beyond personal use, just ask first. Just as an example, Dan Checkoway wanted to use one of my pics from OSH a year ago. We exchanged a couple of emails, he posted the pic with a nice credit line and link as you can see here.

[Dgamble]

Use any of mine for whatever you want - I make my money elsewhere. I can see why a professional would need to be more concerned though, but a professional would also know to wartermark with his copyright.

[Brantel]

Originally Posted by Mel

I think the "big stink" in this particular case is that the picture was used commercially as an ad. I think that in most cases people don't mind if their picture is passed around to different people, but if you are going to use it as a commercial advertisement, you should get permission.

You said it perfectly Mel...

[RV7Factory]

I'm probably like a lot of other people here, if you want to use a picture for non-commercial RV-related uses, then be my guest. Recently, I opened a copy of the RVAtor only to see a picture and think "that looks strangely familiar". Van's had used a picture of mine in one of their articles -- I guess I owed them one because I have a few pictures of theirs on my site.

Now what I don't like is when I see someone linking to a picture of mine for non-RV stuff. In my case they are typically using pictures of tools. I watch my server logs and it someone is linking to a picture for a topic or site I don't approve of I change the name of the file.

For content publishers (picture owners) you can easily include a simple Creative Commons copyright on your site such as the one I have here that is linked to on the bottom of every page on my site.

[Sam Buchanan]

I'd like to get a consensus of what everyone's thoughts are. Maybe, at least amongst ourselves, we can come up with an ageeable method of use.

Don't know that you will ever get a consensus opinion of the folks populating this forum, but copyright law is quite unambiguous in this regard.

The image belongs to the photographer unless he/she has released the copyright either by consent or contractual agreement. Period.

I had an image lifted off my site by a vendor that all of you would recognize, and when I called them on it, we were able to readily negotiate an agreeable price for an upgrade to a piece of equipment in my plane.

The only right way to handle the use of somebody else's photos is to ask before "borrowing".

I make my living by selling my images so am a little invested in this matter.

[JimLogajan]

When you post online are you in essence giving permission for others to use the images?

No.

Should we all be asking permission before copying?

Yes - but see next answer for exceptions.

Should we, when we post, put a disclaimer on all images?

Not normally needed since posting a picture doesn't per se grant anyone else the right to use it as they please. Where that is not the case, e.g. you know the photo is in the public domain or you own the copyright and give permission to allow others to copy under certain conditions (or no conditions) then you probably should state the relaxation in copyright.

I'd like to get a consensus of what everyone's thoughts are.

No consensus needed - copyright law is pretty clear on the subject. Simply because you see massive copyright infringement on the Internet doesn't change the law. Put another way, the law in this case happens to reflect proper etiquette. By employing proper etiquette you simultaneously engage in both legal and bloody decent activity.