As a photographer, protecting the images you create is critical to your success. Your photography is your product, your art and your brand. As a model, protecting your likeness and how it is used is critical to your success. So when a photo is made by a photographer of a model, who owns it? And the answer is, the photographer. Shortest article I have ever written. The end. Copyright explained There may be a little more to copyright law and image usage than that. But, in most situations, the moment a photographer presses the shutter button … [Read more...] about Photographer or model: Who owns the image?
Copyright
Photographing Hank Aaron’s 715th homer
(Editor's note: In this guest post, Atlanta photographer, Ron Sherman, recounts his Baseball Hall of Fame photo of Hank Aaron rounding the bases after hitting home run number 715 breaking Babe Ruth's long-standing record.) The record breaker and friends On April 8, 1974, on a freelance assignment for United Press International, I was one of more than a hundred photographers at Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium. That night Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run to break Babe Ruth’s record. My position in the field level photo box was along the third … [Read more...] about Photographing Hank Aaron’s 715th homer
Copyright In Focus: How long do copyrights last?
(Editor's note: Copyright and all things related are as important to creators of images both moving and still. This guest post by intellectual property attorney, Barry Kaplan gives us all some insights into what copyright law is, where it came from and why it's important to all of us.) In my last article, I discussed the origins of copyright law. I also gave you some idea of why copyrights can be so important and economically valuable for photographers. In a nutshell, copyright law is the vehicle by which you can set the rules for someone … [Read more...] about Copyright In Focus: How long do copyrights last?
Would you pay 3.5 million dollars for this photo?
Would you pay 3.5 million dollars for this photo? The U.S. Postal Service did! In case you’re not familiar with the story, here’s a brief overview before I explain what this means for photographers. The U.S. Postal Service’s big mistake When designing a new Forever stamp featuring the Statue of Liberty, the U.S. Postal Service made a costly mistake. They searched Getty Images to find a photo of the Statue of Liberty, and settled on a photo by photographer Raimund Linke. The problem? It wasn’t the beloved Lady Liberty standing proudly on … [Read more...] about Would you pay 3.5 million dollars for this photo?
What photographers need to know during the government shutdown
Well, by now you all know that the government shutdown has broken history, as the longest shutdown in U.S. history. And no matter what side of the argument you're on, I think we can all agree that the shutdown ultimately impacts us as a country. As photographers, it impacts us in multiple ways. From national parks and museums being closed, to long security lines at airports, it's important to be prepared for your next photography journey. Below are a few things to keep in mind. Security! If you're in a large metro area, be prepared for … [Read more...] about What photographers need to know during the government shutdown
Quick Tip: Change your camera’s copyright date to 2019
Happy new year! Before starting to make photographs in January 2019, take a moment and update the copyright year in both the owner section and the IPTC section for each of your cameras. It's easy to do and even easier to forget to do it. Tethered I use Canon cameras. All I have to do is plug them into my computer with the appropriate connection — USB 2 or 3 — then run Canon's free EOS utility. You'll need your camera's serial number to download EOS Utility. … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Change your camera’s copyright date to 2019
Quick Tip: Create a new copyright preset every year
It’s a good idea to create a new copyright preset at the end of each year — but don’t just overwrite the previous year’s preset. Keeping all year’s presets will give you the option to go back in time and add a previous year’s copyright information to images. Want to learn more? Check out the article "Have you created your 2017 copyright preset?" … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Create a new copyright preset every year
Weekly Wrap Up: December 9-15, 2018
The Weekly Wrap-up compiles interesting articles published this week on Photofocus. This Wrap-Up has articles about opportunity, winter architecture, exploring your self, long exposures and writing. Enjoy! … [Read more...] about Weekly Wrap Up: December 9-15, 2018
Copyright In Focus: The leverage & origins of copyright
(Editor's note: Copyright and all things related are as important to creators of images both moving and still. This guest post by intellectual property attorney, Barry Kaplan gives us all some insights into what copyright law is, where it came from and why it's important to all of us.) You’re a photographer; a creator. If you’re anything like the other talented, invested, proud creators I know, I’ll bet that you want a few important concessions from others who view and want to use your work. Credit for and control of your work You probably … [Read more...] about Copyright In Focus: The leverage & origins of copyright
Do You Add Metadata to Your Photos? If Not, Why Not?
What is metadata? Metadata is information about a photograph that is added after the pixels are captured. The first is the EXIF (Exchangable Image File format) that adds the camera, manufacturer, focal length, GPS, exposure, and sometimes, depending on the camera, the owner's name and copyright. EXIF metadata is added by the camera immediately after the pixels are recorded. Other forms of metadata are added by the photographer. These include IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) and XMP (eXtensible Metadata Platform). IPTC was … [Read more...] about Do You Add Metadata to Your Photos? If Not, Why Not?
Getty Stands Up for Photographers’ Rights Online
You may have noticed a few weeks ago that Google made some minor changes to its Image Search service. Prior to this change, you used to be able to search for an image and view just that image — making it easy for people to download. The problem here is that people took advantage of this a little too much, often violating copyright. Now, when you search for "summer in Michigan" (wishful thinking), you're provided with an option to visit the page that the image appears on, but there's no direct way to view the high-resolution source … [Read more...] about Getty Stands Up for Photographers’ Rights Online
The Mind Your Own Business Podcast | Photofocus Podcast March 9, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/the-mind-your-own-business-podcast-photofocus-podcast-march-9-2018 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please post a review on iTunes. In this episode, Skip Cohen and Chamira Young chat with veteran photographer Lynn Goldsmith. We discuss in detail: Photography as a means of creative expression Having a holistic view of yourself as a person and photographer Being an idea-maker and spreading ideas Photography as a means of self discovery The role of photography in … [Read more...] about The Mind Your Own Business Podcast | Photofocus Podcast March 9, 2018
Free Webinar: I Will Register My Copyrights: Join In Tomorrow!
Photofocus and Adobe Stock are starting your photographic year off with an exclusive series of webinars to help your business. Resolution 2018 Webinar #2 I will register my copyrights - Thursday, January 11th, 2018 at 3:00 pm EST / 12:00 pm PST While your photographs are copyrighted when the shutter button is pressed they don't count legally until they are registered. Kevin Ames hosts this webinar on copyright registration. His guests are ASMP Atlanta board member John Slemp and intellectual property attorney Jeff Veal. Together, Jeff and … [Read more...] about Free Webinar: I Will Register My Copyrights: Join In Tomorrow!
New Year’s Resolutions for Photographers ~ Register My Copyrights!
Photofocus and Adobe Stock are starting your photographic year off with an exclusive series of webinars to help your business. Resolution 2018 Webinar #2 I will register my copyrights - Thursday, January 11th, 2018 at 3:00 pm EST / 12:00 pm PST While your photographs are copyrighted when the shutter button is pressed they don't count legally until they are registered. Kevin Ames hosts this webinar on copyright registration. His guests are ASMP Atlanta board member John Slemp and intellectual property attorney Jeff Veal. Together, Jeff and … [Read more...] about New Year’s Resolutions for Photographers ~ Register My Copyrights!
Happy New Year! Time to Update In-Camera © Info
There is always lots to do on New Year's Day. Sleeping in, meals with family and friends, bowl games and updating the information your camera adds to every photograph you make with it. I make time every New Year's day to amend the copyright data in all of my cameras to the current, new year. EXIF & IPTC Every camera writes EXIF information to every photograph it shoots. One of the fields that have to be updated is in the Owner/Copyright menu on the camera. Newer cameras also include IPTC metadata fields that want to be current as well. … [Read more...] about Happy New Year! Time to Update In-Camera © Info
Remember: Update Your Lightroom 2018 Copyright Preset
It's almost New Years. Now is the perfect time to create a preset that will add your 2018 Copyright information to your photos’ metadata. You can set this up so it will automatically attach to your images when you import them using Lightroom. It’s a good idea to add personal details to your images so anyone viewing that photo on the web or preparing the file for print at a printing lab can determine who owns Copyright of the image and what they can do with it. If the image is marked Copyrighted, the metadata can show this and give information … [Read more...] about Remember: Update Your Lightroom 2018 Copyright Preset
The End of the Year is Here, Remember to Register Your Photos
Registering your images with The United States Copyright Office isn't as hard or as expensive as you may think. Here's how and why you should register your photos. I thought my images were already protected? The moment you capture an image, you automatically own the copyright of the image. If someone violates that right by using your image without your consent, you can take legal action. However, you need to register your image before a judge will hear the case. Let me stop for a moment and say I'm not a Lawyer, I am a photographer. I … [Read more...] about The End of the Year is Here, Remember to Register Your Photos
Photography Marketing: Why a Watermark Shouldn’t Be a Part of Your Marketing Strategy
You all know the debate about watermarks. Should we use them? Do they really help protect our photographs? There are plusses and minuses — it might help to secure your photos (well, that is until Google debunked them earlier this month), but it also takes away from the clean look of a sharp photograph. And while I'm not here to debate on whether you should utilize watermarks for copyright purposes, I am here to tell you why watermarks shouldn't be utilized from a marketing standpoint. There's No Call to Action As a beginning photographer, … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Why a Watermark Shouldn’t Be a Part of Your Marketing Strategy
History of Photography: Studio Forefathers Push Photography Forward
The collodion process in general was fairly inexpensive, which in and of itself helped propel photography forward. It also encouraged the expansion of photo studios. In 1851 there were less than a dozen portrait studios in London, but that exploded to more than 200 just 10 years later in 1861. Noteworthy portrait maker Gaspard Félix Tournachon came to photographing portraits by way of his past as a caricature artist. He later became known by the nickname Nadar, a shortened version of "Tourne à dard" meaning "one who stings". Apparently he had … [Read more...] about History of Photography: Studio Forefathers Push Photography Forward
Find Unknown Copyright Status in Lightroom and Fix it
I received an email from a reader saying he followed our advice and created a copyright preset in Lightroom. He is excited that all future images will now have his copyright information embedded in the image metadata. He wished he’d done it years ago on his older images. I told him here’s how to quickly find all unknown copyright images in your Lightroom catalog and then apply the copyright preset. Lightroom’s powerful search feature To find all images with an unknown copyright status, click Metadata on the Library filter. Change a column … [Read more...] about Find Unknown Copyright Status in Lightroom and Fix it
Have You Created Your 2017 Copyright Preset?
Now is the perfect time to create a preset that will add your 2017 Copyright information to your photos’ metadata. You can set this up so it will automatically attach to your images when you import them using Lightroom. It’s a good idea to add personal details to your images so anyone viewing that photo on the web or preparing the file for print at a printing lab can determine who owns Copyright of the image and what they can do with it. If the image is marked Copyrighted, the metadata can show this and give information on how to contact you if … [Read more...] about Have You Created Your 2017 Copyright Preset?
How to Register and Protect Your Images W/ The Library of Congress
Recently I wrote "adding copyright information"—reminding us to update our copyright information for the New Year. This quick tip made sure we added our copyright information to every photo we imported into Lightroom. Our next step to protect our images is to register them with the Library of Congress. Lightroom makes this final process just as fast and easy. I thought my images were already protected? The moment you capture an image, you automatically own the copyright of the image. If someone violates that right by using your image without … [Read more...] about How to Register and Protect Your Images W/ The Library of Congress
