Wet Boards Reflection

[John B.]

Personally, I don't see much in this photo but a friend liked it so much she asked if she could have a copy so she could have a large print made and framed. Anything to oblige!

Question. Is the copyright notice too large. Making it small at the top or bottom doesn't stop anyone from using it as their own. I've resorted to using the copyright notice after a Facebook friend took one of my best photos and used it as his profile photo, without my permission.

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[mike lamb]

Yes. The watermark is ridiculous. Put a small but noticeable signature off in any corner and don't worry about people using it. You should be flattered. It's a way to get your name and images out there.

It's a nice photo BTW.

[Skaperen]

Try rotating it by 180 degrees. Try it in black and white. Or both.

Sorry, I can't edit this photo to try that myself.

[TCampbell]

As Mike suggests... I'd watermark, but I'd watermark off to a corner and not so "in your face". I work for a large computer company. Once upon a time my (former) CEO was quoted as saying "If someone wants to pirate software... I'd rather they pirate MY software." In other words... if they weren't going to pay you anyway... at least they're helping spread your popularity.

My own watermarks are so small and transparent that probably most people don't even realize there is a watermark on the image. It doesn't need to be that hard to spot (I can point out images where if you weren't specifically looking for my watermark then you'd probably not even know it was there.) But my own thoughts are that it shouldn't be so large as to detract from the image.

Anyway -- great reflection catch. Also very blue... did you apply the blue cast to this or is it just how the lighting worked out (looks good ... that wasn't a criticism)?

[Dazzaone]

I like the image too As tim said you won't stop people stealing good images or even personal images (happens all the time on facebook) when I see that happening I just write a note saying glad you like the pic (hate that word by the way) it turned out well, must get a shoot organized sometime.
It's a good way of advertising in the long run and spreads my name further

[Cameron]

Well, unfortunately copyright infringement is common on the Internet. What approach you take depends on a number of factors that are different for every photographer. Any watermark or copyright notice can of course be erased or even ignored by some photographers in some countries without consequences.

In law, the copyright owner is responsible for policing copyright use of his/her images particularly illegal use. If you find an infringement, then you have a lot of decisions to make. You might send a letter or a take down notice to the offender and/or his ISP, either on your own or through a lawyer. You might send the offender an invoice for the photo, with the implied threat of selling the debt to a collection agency and affecting the offender's credit rating. You might on your own or with a paralegal file a claim in small claims court whose limit varies up to $25,000 in some areas. In the US, you would register the copyright and then go through a law suit procedure, where the maximums are higher, but it can be done without a lawyer. In other countries, it might be that a lawyer would file a lawsuit basing his fee on a percentage of a win. That can be a win situation for a photographer, if the lawyer is capable.

On the negative side, if you are an amateur, the value of the photo may be open to question, unless it is extremely creative and unique, with considerable visual impact. The use/abuse of the photo would also become a factor. Use on a facebook site would not be considered on the same level as published in a magazine with wide distribution, used as a poster, in a calendar, on an advertisement etc.

The bottom line may be: Don't post your most valuable work on the Internet, if you don't want it to be stolen. Don't concern yourself with copyright infringement unless there is potentially a lot of money involved. It may be annoying to have someone using your photo and claiming it to be his/her own but it may not be worth the time/effort/and money necessary to solve the problem.

Cameron

[ChicagoJohn]

I like this a lot, John B. As someone said, B&W might be nice.
Surely, you weren't serious in asking if the copyright notice is too big.
Having never had an image of mine used without my permission,
I can only continue to aspire to that level of accolade:
It's so easy and common place for someone to throw you a "like"
Or even to take the time to write something congratulatory,
but to actually have someone think enough of something I've done
to use it without my permission.... I would just love for that to happen.

Maybe someday. But until then, I've recently acceded to my wife's request
(she is a professional artist) to weave my initials into the bottom right corner
in a manner that is actually difficult to detect.

Were I to use your approach, I would do it in spades! I would use the
pseudonym "Austin Tatious" versus my real name, Chicago John.

[John B.]

Thank you all for your advice on the watermark. I really don't like it, myself, and I really wouldn't be hurt unless somebody used my photos for financial gain.

A couple of years ago, I did a favor for a friend. She sent me a black and white photo she had taken of an old shed with dead vines growing around it. She asked me to put a "ghost" in the photo so I pasted one of an elderly gentleman from the 1800s, holding a top hat in his hand, and changed the transparency so you could see through him. She liked it so much that she had a large print made and exhibited it at a county fair photo contest. I had also sent her some of my own photos for the exhibit. A problem arose when my friend also posted the photo in her Facebook. At the end of the day, the judge disqualified the "ghost" photo and all the other submissions. She said she had seen that same photo on her granddaughter's computer as wallpaper. The explanation that her granddaughter had stolen the photo didn't sit well with the judge. Even so, that did not cause me to start putting copyright notices on my photos. It was the lesser offense of taking one of my photos of a large photo of the moon which I had given a blue tint, and using it on his Facebook page.

I know Facebook isn't a good place to display serious work, though. I do have photos displayed in other places and I'm going to redo them without the copyright.

Incidentally, I am not receiving any e-mail notifications when people comment on my posts. I have checked in the account setup and see nothing wrong.

[John B.]

Anyway -- great reflection catch. Also very blue... did you apply the blue cast to this or is it just how the lighting worked out (looks good ... that wasn't a criticism)?

Thank you, Tim, and no, the only post-processing was unsharpen. The early morning sky was blue and gave it that appearance. The boards were fairly new and still had their green color from the pressure treatment.

[John B.]

Try rotating it by 180 degrees. Try it in black and white. Or both.

Sorry, I can't edit this photo to try that myself.

I need to change that thing about editing. I don't mind anyone giving my photos a new look and posting them here.