Re: Image protection

As a data point on photos on the web and protecting your
intellectual
property, I'd like to tell my tale for what it's worth. I'm
an avid amateur
photographer, and have been since I was a teenager (we won't
go into how
long I've been doing this). A few years back I decided I
wanted to put my
best work up on the web, which I am doing at <http://freelargephot
os.com/>.

My principles are these: 1) Besides thumbnail preview
images, I put up
larger versions of 1200 pixels on the long dimension
(typically much larger
than most photo sites will dare because of the fear of
stealing), 2) I also
send full versions (at least 4 megapixel) to anyone who
requests such for
their personal use, 3) anyone is welcome to use my photos on
their web site
so long as they link back to my site, and 4) I charge a
small amount for
commercial use. In all cases I take people at their word. If
someone says a
photo is for their own use I send it off, no questions
asked.

This past year I fulfilled many requests for full-sized
photos for personal
use (e.g., school papers, etc.), and sold 15. Sure, that
isn't much, but it
helps defray my time in maintaining the site, as does the
revenue from
Google ads. Photos from the site have ended up on the covers
of books,
government reports, and even museum exhibits (taken by my
daughter when she
was 12), see <http:
//freelargephotos.com/placements.html>. I've now
taken on
other photographers as well.

Meanwhile, by encouraging linking I'm finding that my site
now rises to the
top of many Google searches, such as "large
photos", "large pictures" and
even "paris street scene" or "view from top
of eiffel tower".

In my experience, generosity is rewarded. Certainly it is
rewarded by notes
of thanks from parents with children writing reports, or
people who miss
where they used to live and want to have a photo on their
wall to remind
them of it, or the many other ways in which small kindnesses
are
appreciated. The financial rewards are not large, but they
are growing as
word gets out and links are made. My hunch is that I will
end up making more
money by being open and trusting than many people or
organizations make by
being closed off and mistrusting. But I don't (yet) have the
evidence to
prove it. Stay tuned.
Roy

_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/

Agreeing with Roy.

Cory Doctorow, one of the creators/editors of
www.boingboing.net and an
excellent author of weird fiction, once said (I paraphrase):
"The
greatest danger to the success of most artists is not piracy
but
obscurity."


- A
Andy Havens
OCLC: Manager, Branding and Creative Services

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounceswebjunction.org] On Behalf Of Roy Tennant
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 11:06 AM
To: web4lib
Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Image protection

As a data point on photos on the web and protecting your
intellectual
property, I'd like to tell my tale for what it's worth. I'm
an avid
amateur photographer, and have been since I was a teenager
(we won't go
into how long I've been doing this). A few years back I
decided I wanted
to put my best work up on the web, which I am doing at
<http://freelargephot
os.com/>.

My principles are these: 1) Besides thumbnail preview
images, I put up
larger versions of 1200 pixels on the long dimension
(typically much
larger than most photo sites will dare because of the fear
of stealing),
2) I also send full versions (at least 4 megapixel) to
anyone who
requests such for their personal use, 3) anyone is welcome
to use my
photos on their web site so long as they link back to my
site, and 4) I
charge a small amount for commercial use. In all cases I
take people at
their word. If someone says a photo is for their own use I
send it off,
no questions asked.

This past year I fulfilled many requests for full-sized
photos for
personal use (e.g., school papers, etc.), and sold 15. Sure,
that isn't
much, but it helps defray my time in maintaining the site,
as does the
revenue from Google ads. Photos from the site have ended up
on the
covers of books, government reports, and even museum
exhibits (taken by
my daughter when she was 12), see
<http:
//freelargephotos.com/placements.html>. I've now
taken on other
photographers as well.

Meanwhile, by encouraging linking I'm finding that my site
now rises to
the top of many Google searches, such as "large
photos", "large
pictures" and even "paris street scene" or
"view from top of eiffel
tower".

In my experience, generosity is rewarded. Certainly it is
rewarded by
notes of thanks from parents with children writing reports,
or people
who miss where they used to live and want to have a photo on
their wall
to remind them of it, or the many other ways in which small
kindnesses
are appreciated. The financial rewards are not large, but
they are
growing as word gets out and links are made. My hunch is
that I will end
up making more money by being open and trusting than many
people or
organizations make by being closed off and mistrusting. But
I don't
(yet) have the evidence to prove it. Stay tuned.
Roy

_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/
_______________________________________________
Web4lib mailing list
Web4libwebjunction.org
http://lists.we
bjunction.org/web4lib/