Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I don't know what's going on with the internet tonight, but I sent this message at 4:00 this afternoon and it still hasn't appeared, so I'm trying again. I hope you don't receive it more than once! At 03:30 PM 3/25/00 -0500, you wrote: Besides, most of the stuff I shoot is so specific it wouldn't have much market potential anyway . . . Bob (it's not an adventure, it's a job) McEowen You might be surprised, Bob. Some of the requests I get in for stock photographs are extremely specific and very esoteric. I keep the copyright on everything, get model releases for everything, and file it all. I've made sales in the last week from photos that you would never consider to be stock material. I've stayed out of the debate about the photos on Hans' site because I can understand the arguments on both sides. I have a couple of photos on the site and I also have a web site full of my own photographs which can easily be downloaded. My site has a copyright notice on every page. I get requests daily from people who want to use my photographs - ranging from a ten-year old who is doing a book report on Guatemala to action groups working to end the sanctions in Iraq. If the photos are to be used for profit, I charge my usual rates for stock photography. If they are to be used for causes that I support, I thank the person for respecting my copyright and ask them to print the copyright notice with each use of the photograph. If I find that a photograph has been used without my permission, I send an invoice for triple the normal usage amount. In twenty years of selling stock, I've only had to do that twice. I like to believe that most people are honest and am not usually disappointed. If I found that Microsoft used one of my photos from Hans' site, I would send them an invoice for triple the usage price. Their blanket notice that they have the right to use any photo on the site would not stand up in court. They would still have to compensate me for the use based on my contract. Copyright and work for hire are extremely important topics being discussed by photographers on the Editorial Photo site. I would urge anybody who sells photographs to join the EP group and support copyright issues. Their site is: http://www.editorialphoto.com/ Leically, Tina Tina Manley, ASMP http://www.tinamanley.com