Alina - © Copyright 2010 by William Beem
Do you remember this photo? I just posted it a week ago. It’s probably my favorite image from the day and I elected to give it a very light finishing in photoshop. That means I added a slight bit of contrast with Curves, I brightened her eyes and added a bit of contrast to her iris, and then I brightened her teeth and highlights in her hair. She’s a beautiful model and I didn’t feel like she needed a heavy-handed manipulation. This was my photo and how I intended to present it to the world.
Shortly after I posted this image, I received a note telling me, “Nice shot but you have to fix her eyes.” OK. Everyone has an opinion. Let’s say that I was mildly annoyed because I’d already attended to the eyes in a manner that suited me. Then I found the next message from the same person:
I’ve been spending time on the fiip.net site. There are some GREAT senior and portrait photographers there.
I used your picture and tried to do a couple of techniques I see on pictures posted there.
I sharpened and whitened her eyes, removed the lines under the eyes and gave a slight surface blur on the face.
Again, it’s a great shot.
Along with that message was my photo with his edits:
Now I’m no longer mildly annoyed. Instead, I’m pissed. I kept my reply simple by stating that I didn’t choose to employ those edits because I didn’t believe she needed them and that I thought my approach was a bit more natural. In the past, I’ve made the same edits that this guy made. Over time, my tastes have changed and I’m less pleased with this look. However, it isn’t as much about the look he employed that upset me as it was the notion of taking my image – without first asking permission – and making these changes.
When I shoot images, I register them with the U.S. Copyright office before I post them. Technically, you have a couple of months to register them after publication, but you have to specify the difference between published and unpublished work. I may be wrong, but I think that would require a separate registration fee and double the cost of registration. That’s why I hold back from posting until I’ve completed the registration. Now, what good does that registration do in a case like this? Not much, if anything at all. My concern here isn’t about someone who used my images to make money (so I could cash in on their ignorance!). Instead, it’s about the etiquette of taking someone else’s photos and changing them.
When we post something on the Internet, we know that someone is going to take it. If it’s for personal use, I generally don’t have a problem with it. If you see one of my photos and you think it would make a nice wallpaper, I don’t mind if you use it. Try selling it or using my photos to make money without a license from me and I’ll get miffed and come after you. Most legitimate businesses won’t do something like that because it’s not worth the headache.
This, however, is a different issue. I do not honestly believe that the person who made the changes had any malicious intent. I think he was just ignorant of the concept of asking before taking. That shows how ubiquitous the problem has become – a man who makes his living as a photographer has no qualms about taking someone else’s work and modifying it. To my mind, that’s just wrong. Had he asked me if he could have used this image to demonstrate another look, I may have well granted permission and we could’ve discussed the pros and cons from there. Instead, it’s like coming home to find your neighbor went into your house to get some eggs. No real harm done, but I still feel slightly violated.
My audience on this blog is primarily other photographers. When I look at the incoming links, it’s generally from another site related to photography. My message to this community is pretty simple. It’s the same thing you probably learned growing up. If you want to use something, ask first. It’s not that hard. It’s just the courteous thing to do.
