Camera Basics
Published 12:00 am Monday, November 15, 1999
TOMMY WILLIAMS / L’Observateur / November 15, 1999
While walking through the shopping center (somewhere in St. John Parish), Icame across a store front that had a beautiful portrait of a little girl that seemed very familiar to me. For a moment I believed this was a case of “dejavu,” yeah right! Not only was it something that I had seen before, I was the photographer who had shot the photo.
But (this is the part where I say that “the strange part about this is….” to makethe article more intriguing so that you read the whole article), the strange part about this is that the customer had never purchased any size larger than a 4X5 proof and the picture in the window was an 11X14-inch print. Sounds like”copyright” infringement, don’t you think? Although I am no lawyer, I am pretty sure I can give a basic explanation of the simple ground rules of copyright protection. If a photograph has a copyrightstamp or a sticker on the back, front or side of it, don’t copy it in any way shape or form. A photo shouldn’t be copied without the written consent of thephotographer. The consent of the photographer should be verified by calling thestudio from which the photo was taken to verify its authenticity to legally protect yourself from a copyright infringement lawsuit.
Many of you may wonder what’s the big deal with copying photos? Well, the individuals who own and operate photo studios derive their main source of income from the sale of photographs. Professional photographers all survive andthrive by selling photographs. Photos that are illegally copied and reproducedrepresent a loss of income for a studio. House notes, car payments, insurance,school tuition, food and clothing bills – photographers have the same financial obligations as you and I.
So just in case you didn’t get it the first time, if a photograph has a copyright mark, stamp or sticker on the front or back of the photo, don t copy it! Remember, when you purchase a photo you are only paying for that print, not for the copyright that entitles you to reproduce it. Even if the photograph justlooks, smells or taste like it was taken by a professional photographer, don’t copy it. Actually, it should have a matte finish surface, smell like plastic andtaste a little crunchy to be more specific.
Just kidding.
Back to Top
Back to Leisure Headlines
Copyright © 1998, Wick Communications, Inc.
Internet services provided by NeoSoft.
Best viewed with 3.0 or higher