So i was just looking through the photos of some people that i follow. I noticed that they are taking pictures off of other websites. I find this completely unfair to the people who took the picture.
It'd be one thing if they said in the info about the picture, "This is not my photo" or "This is so-and-so's photo, heres a link to their website, or heres a link to their facebook page"
But its another thing where they are taking all of the credit! If the people who took the picture found out, The people who post it could be in serious trouble!!! and that wouldnt be good! They could get sued!
That is called stealing, so it is not unfair it is wrong. and the best way to do it is to let Ross know in a private email with a link to the original instead.
You see it on occassion and I actually commented on one in particular and mentioned that they may want to give credit to the person who owned the photo. They actually issued an apology and removed all the photos that were not theirs. In most cases the work is so vastly improved it is easy to spot.
Sometimes people focus on getting on the popular page or the top 20 without really thinking of their actions.
@brumbe i commented on them too, but they still claimed that it was their photo! so i unfollowed them, but it still bothers me! and yeah, people should just think before they act because they could get in serious trouble!
yeah, found a few at the start of the year - just mail Ross and he'll get them removed - it's out and out stealing and is not what this site is about. If ever you are unsure, use "tineye" to confirm...
That just defeats the object of 365. Why would anyone do that? The reason we all post our own pics that we have taken is to show other people the things that we have achieved and to see how we are progressing. I started on here last October and for the most part can see how I have improved. It has been quite a learning exercise but I would consider it cheating to post other people's pics and take credit for them. It's disgusting!
@rosiekind I personally find it silly because people do it to make people think that they are good a photography ( not saying they arent ) but honestly, make people like your photos for YOUR talent, Right???
@brittanyyingling I agree. I take pleasure when someone comments on something they have liked about my photos and find it encouraging which I believe is what 365 is all about
If they said they took a photo of someone else's photo(s) then that is ok - I think - as I have done that myself (on 29th February) but to pass someone else's photo as your own is wrong.
You can prove it is not their photo by uploading it on the site tineye.com
Then it shows you how many thousands of times it has been used (stolen ) on the net. I have had this happen before and the person was called out on it. She did finally admit it and took those particular photos down. Not sure if she still does the project anymore. She tried for a while...but then stopped I think. The things to look for are people who shoot vastly diverse places, but never talk about having traveled anywhere, lack of person info about taking it, no exif information over on the side... always uploaded by email (that alone is not a problem..but one sign with the others)....
@bonniebouman Hi Bonnie, were you referring to me? what I wrote? It bothers me for two reasons. One, she was stealing someone's work and getting on the popular page and even Top Twenty with it. And two, she was lying about having taken some of them. (others, she would just not explain anything..just a title) I love to get on here and make genuine friends and discuss how to improve my work, not be following someone who is tricking me and lying to me. That was not a pleasant thing. I did not intend to "notice" it..but I have followed lots of people and her photos as a collection did not make sense to me. I guess my brain just works that way...to notice it.
@brumbe Yes, she had gotten some attention for "her gorgeous photos" that were not hers at all. Sad. I think that people should be politely called out on it...I know people may feel that is mean, but the person doing it is really being mean if you think of it...tricking people (their followers) and stealing from others.
@espyetta You need to be very careful with tineye.com. It's designed to look for manipulated versions of your photographs as well, so if the photograph is of a popular scene, it will frequently come up with similar photographs that it believes may be manipulated versions of the uploaded photo, but often (usually?) are completely original work by other photographers, just taken from the same spot with similar settings.
@abirkill That is interesting to know. Thanks, Alexis. However, in the case we are talking about, it was unusual photos and they were exact matches. The woman did admit taking photos from the web and posting them to her account also. But thank you for the heads up. I don't check tineye much at all...I just noticed that girl had those traits in her account (the ones I said above) so then I started doing tineye.
how many 'T's are in your name?
Erm, where was I, yep this happens occassionally, inevitably you might say. You are, however, my hero for not bowing to the melodrama of 'name names' blah, and dealing with it like an intelligent person. 365 can very quickly turn into a pack of baying wolves, and if you had mentioned names the abuse the poor person would have got over the next couple of hours would have been sad.
If they are definitely using someone else's photo then I agree that this is absolutely wrong and should be stopped.
Just make sure you have your facts right though. I use this project as 'Dana' @danacarruthers but I have a Facebook Page as 'Serenpiphany Photography'. I know I am not the only one that does this or that uses different names.
@espyetta Absolutely, it's a useful tool, you just have to be a bit careful not to take the answers as being absolute.
I also find Google Image Search brings up more (and better) results than TinEye usually. I was able to use it to find a use of my photo that I sold through a stock photography site, which TinEye didn't find. You can use it here: http://www.google.com/imghp
Click on the little camera icon at the right of the search box to upload a local image, or you can just drag an image from your computer onto the box if you have a reasonably modern web browser.
They're both very useful tools for determining if someone's stolen your photos, or for checking the origins of a potentially questionable image.
In the US, that is a violation of Copyright Law and is punishable by at the very least a very hefty fine. It also says a lot about the character of someone that would steal a photo and posting it somewhere else.
While it's absolutely true (in the US) that you own the copyright for the photograph as soon as you press the shutter, unless you have registered your image with the US copyright office, you'll almost certainly never see your day in court should someone use that image without your permission. An IP attorney simply will not take your case.
If you are a serious photographer in the US you should consider registering your photos with the copyright office ($35 per photo).
There is a lot of misinformation about US copyright law, so this comes as a surprise to many photographers. For more information (although it's still only the tip of the iceberg on copyright law in the US) I recommend taking a look at this video:
Image theft is sadly a fact of life for photographers who put their photos on the 'net. One of my photographs is currently the header image for an Australian hotel's website. I've licensed the same photograph through Getty Images, not known to be shy of a fight when it comes to loss of revenue, but there's no way they're going to bother doing anything about it -- the costs are too high and the returns too small.
I find this practice highly offensive. Especially since nobody has stolen any of my photos. "What? I'm not good enough for you to plagerize? Da nerve of some people!"
@jsw0109 its not that they arent public, they were taken from a page on facebook that you could like, seeing as i dont remember the username of the member, or the photography page, theres no way i could prove it to you guys. y'all probably think im lying at this point, but i was just seeing your point of views and if you guys ran into problems like this.
Is there Not some kind of "Photographers Code of Ethics"? ..you are always going to have that one person who has to spoil things for everyone...I seriously think that anyone who is doing this "stealing" should not be allowed in the community. Its just like having a Robber in your neighborhood..or a stalker...Just Put a Sign on their Site and make them wear it for awhile..maybe they will straighten up! :)
@espyetta I agree about the tricking and lying and wrongness ! Reprehensible.
I meant, why would someone bother to go to all that work for this site! No prize money, no fame, no honor really: it's not curated; just regular people who join together online to inspire/ encourage them(our)selves and others.
@brittanyyingling I've seen it happen once, and its the same user @brumbe and @espyetta are referring to. But if they are on facebook on a photography page, it is possible that the user here on 365 IS the user on facebook that posted the photos in the first place. Quite a few people with photography pages on facebook are also 365 users and the names aren't always the same, but its still the same person.
I just tried searching for one of my 365project images in tinyeye that I know is also on my photography fb page, it didnt come up in the search, anyone know why this is?
You all have to remember, ethics are embedded just like our digital information. If the negative is blank, then there is nothing there. Likewise, you have to have ethics in order to apply the rules. I won't waste my energy on anyone who doesn't live up to my standards. I live with the thought that karma will meet up with them anyway. Sorry for the rant........and thanks for the tineye reference.
I think that it's really wrong. I will freely admit that I posted one photo that I didn't take (July 20th i think) but it had me in it, i said that i hadn't taken it and i got my friends permission to upload it. Is what i did wrong?
@welcometocarolworld I agree, I was just presenting the possibility that the person wasn't stealing anything and really was presenting his or her own work. There are also people on Flikr that are 365 users and their Flikr name and 365 name do not match, but its still the same photographer. Personally, I'm not sure why someone would use different names for different projects, but to each his/her own. Likewise, I think theft of anything is a very serious charge and should not be tossed out lightly... I think a person needs to be sure before an accusation is made. That's all
@catlover20 no, because you made no attempt to deceive, but it would be better to only post images you personally took for the 365 project, to avoid ugly scenarios like the Super Moon fiasco
@catlover20 what you did isnt wrong, since it was a picture of you, you got permission to upload it and you said that you didnt take it. Other people will go out and find pictures on facebook or a website from other photographers, and some with watermarks! I feel like that is not okay, especially if you claim its yours
@abirkill Wow, I did a search/comparison of a picture I took of the US Capitol. I found very, very similar pictures in several places. Amazing. I'm sure I was not copied...I'm not that good, but it looks like the exact same picture. Same blue sky, same winter limbs on the trees. Interesting. I don't sell photos, so I have no problems with someone using one of my photos. But I do have my copyright encoded in my photo.
I totally agree with you.having said that today i posted a picture taken by friend as my batteries died BUT I gave her all the credit explaining it was a guest shot on my page.Personally I wouldnt normally do that but it was exceptional circumstances.
@catlover20 Freya the picture you posted with you in it is gorgeous! This is totally appropriate, especially on a special occasion like this. Your project looks wonderful. :)
yeah i have seen this done before. I surf the net a lot for picture inspiration and help on this as i self teach myself. Going around looking at peoples pictures i sometimes run into some photos where i would of swore i saw looking on the net on websites and other places. This is defiantly unfair. I would be really mad if someone stole my pictures and then took credit for it.
@jsw0109 - I disagree, slightly, with only uploading pics you took yourself. Sometimes, when we do those wwyd, or 5 step, challenges, we edit the picture and then need to post it for the challenge. So, in that instance I think it's ok to upload someone else's picture since it's part of the challenge and is expected. It's important to mention that it is someone else's picture and is for the challenge, however.
.. @mikehamm well, yeah, for challenges you have to, so that's definitely fine. I've just seen a couple of incidents where someone posting a photo and crediting a friend as having taken the photo have caused quite the stir
@jphotos08 agreed! I surf the net for them too! just for inspirations to help me get better in the project, then i take the pov or editing technique for example.
Clearly to use someone else's photo for any reason is inappropriate, at the least, and illegal, at the worst. However, I've seen quite a few pics on here that others have taken for the participant and it was explained...the only thing that is odd to me about that is that it really isn't your pic that you took...so to keep the integrity of the project -- I would recommend that one only post photos that they take themselves...but its each person's project...so as long as credit is given I suppose...
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You see it on occassion and I actually commented on one in particular and mentioned that they may want to give credit to the person who owned the photo. They actually issued an apology and removed all the photos that were not theirs. In most cases the work is so vastly improved it is easy to spot.
Sometimes people focus on getting on the popular page or the top 20 without really thinking of their actions.
Thanks for starting this thread.
I think its out of order.. they aren't your photos to post.. I take pride in taking my pictures every single day
Then it shows you how many thousands of times it has been used (stolen ) on the net. I have had this happen before and the person was called out on it. She did finally admit it and took those particular photos down. Not sure if she still does the project anymore. She tried for a while...but then stopped I think. The things to look for are people who shoot vastly diverse places, but never talk about having traveled anywhere, lack of person info about taking it, no exif information over on the side... always uploaded by email (that alone is not a problem..but one sign with the others)....
I don't understand why they would bother.
You are welcome to use this photo (mine) to see this occur:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/abirkill/5215332477/sizes/l/in/photostream/
how many 'T's are in your name?
Erm, where was I, yep this happens occassionally, inevitably you might say. You are, however, my hero for not bowing to the melodrama of 'name names' blah, and dealing with it like an intelligent person. 365 can very quickly turn into a pack of baying wolves, and if you had mentioned names the abuse the poor person would have got over the next couple of hours would have been sad.
Just make sure you have your facts right though. I use this project as 'Dana' @danacarruthers but I have a Facebook Page as 'Serenpiphany Photography'. I know I am not the only one that does this or that uses different names.
I also find Google Image Search brings up more (and better) results than TinEye usually. I was able to use it to find a use of my photo that I sold through a stock photography site, which TinEye didn't find. You can use it here:
http://www.google.com/imghp
Click on the little camera icon at the right of the search box to upload a local image, or you can just drag an image from your computer onto the box if you have a reasonably modern web browser.
They're both very useful tools for determining if someone's stolen your photos, or for checking the origins of a potentially questionable image.
While it's absolutely true (in the US) that you own the copyright for the photograph as soon as you press the shutter, unless you have registered your image with the US copyright office, you'll almost certainly never see your day in court should someone use that image without your permission. An IP attorney simply will not take your case.
If you are a serious photographer in the US you should consider registering your photos with the copyright office ($35 per photo).
There is a lot of misinformation about US copyright law, so this comes as a surprise to many photographers. For more information (although it's still only the tip of the iceberg on copyright law in the US) I recommend taking a look at this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_zG4v9qzug
Image theft is sadly a fact of life for photographers who put their photos on the 'net. One of my photographs is currently the header image for an Australian hotel's website. I've licensed the same photograph through Getty Images, not known to be shy of a fight when it comes to loss of revenue, but there's no way they're going to bother doing anything about it -- the costs are too high and the returns too small.
I meant, why would someone bother to go to all that work for this site! No prize money, no fame, no honor really: it's not curated; just regular people who join together online to inspire/ encourage them(our)selves and others.
@cromwell
@monika64 @jsw0109 @bonniebouman @jsw0109 @ellimae @brittanyyingling @abirkill @danacarruthers @kannafoot @brumbe @dishaparekh176