Just thought I would vent my spleen (hope it isn't messy).

 

I occasionally go and take photos of Jetskis and more recently Kiteboards or Kitesurfers and as often the case, someone wanders over and asks what I'm doing. I tell them I am just snapping for a hobby and don't do anything with the pictures. The follow up question is always, "can I email some of the photos"!. Well no, I can't . I take hundreds of snaps, I don't know who anyone in the pictures is, I can only send one picture at a time owing to the size of the image - unless I go to even more trouble after Post Prod and compress them specially.

 

So I tried saying "here is my email address, drop me a line and I will email the picture to you". This works a treat as nobody can every show the good grace to follow this up. More recently I started to upload everything to Flickr and tell the peeps to look for Geordie Amanda on Flickr.

 

Well it seems the little tinkers can be bothered to click a mouse and type into Google. Today I have received around 10,000 hits on my latest bunch of pictures from Ainsdale Beach where I snapped some Kitesurfers. After frequent requests that someone gets in touch or perhaps comments on the pictures with names etc, nobody can be ar$sed it seems. I did receive one email via Flickr on some previous pictures of the Kitesurfers, asking how to download the images. I sent a detailed reply and asked that the guys involved could tell me how to work out where and when they surf (tide, wind direction and speed are important). No answer but several thousand hits on the pictues I noted.

 

So am I being a bit up myself, or do I have a right to be a bit vexed? It takes a lot of work to travel out to the beach and back, sift through the pictures, try and salvage some (usually 100-200) and then upload the whole bunch so anyone on the water will hopefully find at least one snap of them doing their stuff (even though some of the images are a bit flaky, at least they might be in the shot)

 

What ever happened to common decency and politeness. Ungrateful sods!

 

Anyhoo, I will now go and breath into a paper bag and have a cup of tea.

Don't let it get you down Amanda as it's just the way of the world nowadays!

I always enjoy your snaps but, alas, don't always say so.....oops!

Don't let it get you down Amanda as it's just the way of the world nowadays!

I always enjoy your snaps but, alas, don't always say so.....oops!

Thanks  I don't spend much time on Post Prod of my pictures (sometimes that's obvious ) but it still takes hours of my time to sort them out and upload them .(usually takes even longer nowadays with Flickr being so pants at big uploads :( ). Perhaps the surf Dudes don't realise the effort it takes to assemble the huge numbers of pictures?

 

I did previously deny them access to the pictures after their refusal to answer my email (the one were I helped them out with how to download stuff) and then reposted them with a dirty big water mark across them, but I think I was to late to stop them downloading pictures they wanted. I will go nuts if any of the pictures appear on an KiteSurfing websites without my permission however.

 

Anyhoo I have had a cup of tea now.

 

Just a silly question

If your taking photographs of individuals kitesurfing is this not impeding their privacy ? Have you asked them for the authority to take these photos? Aren't you legally required to get permission of all in the said photographs?

Just a silly question

If your taking photographs of individuals kitesurfing is this not impeding their privacy ? Have you asked them for the authority to take these photos? Aren't you legally required to get permission of all in the said photographs?

 

Anyone can take any photos they like in a public place.

Amanda, I just don't think people appreciate how much time and effort goes into it.

 

Watermark sounds like a good idea.

Have you considered making the visible image watermarked but making an unwatermarked image available for digital download or print and charging them a few quid for it?

Photobox used to have a free service where you could upload and sell your pictures direct, set prices and receive commission. All you had to do was set it up and upload the pictures.

I use a system called Photo Cart from Pictures Pro (http://www.picturespro.com/) that I host on my website which obviously costs me, but then I can charge what I want and keep all the profit (and also have to do quite a bit more work in sorting orders and posting them out).

HTH

Ungrateful sods!

What's a sod? :think:

Wasn't sure about the privacy thing but I did say it was a silly question ! Even when using car cameras I thought it was a grey area

What's a sod? :think:

A piece of turd uh no turf

Totally understand your frustration Amanda - had a look at the set of pictures you mention and they are brilliant. As I see it these "sods" are getting free access to Professional photos of their activities. The least they do would be to acknowledge this,

Spent the the last week at a Dance festival with my daughter where the photos cost a small fortune !!!

Edited 31 October, 201312 yr by sarahvrs

Wasn't sure about the privacy thing but I did say it was a silly question ! Even when using car cameras I thought it was a grey area

 

No, car cameras are fine too.  Public place.

I used to kite there

 

WHat I do when I do this sort of thing climbing is to take a small notepad. I jot down the persons name/email and a pic number if they identify when I'm or after I'm shooting. Then I'd email if they email me.

 

Other than that, yes it's a pain to manage. Flickr is a good solution. 

 

As I'm using them to practise on I don't actually mind if they then pull the picture and use it. IIRC you can set copyright perms. Sure I'd be miffed if I saw it on a glossy mag ad for some big co, but I did choose to openly share the pic.

 

Likewise if  I won something from a photo I took of them, they seeing it in a glossy mag,  then I guess they too would be miffed in some way. 

 

You can upload a photo to google to find if it's used anywhere

Thanks for the kind words Sarah, about half of the shots came out (which is a crazy high strike rate for me) and the other half are all right as long as you don't look at them with anything bigger than a 10" screen Oh and squint a bit.

 

I know what you mean Colin, but as Bossfox says I don't think they realise that it takes several hours of effort just to get them ready to stick up on Flickr. It's one of the reasons I don't use Photoshop, except for really personal pictures and snaps I want to keep in a 'favourite' folder, the effort to post prod all the snap would kill me..

 

It's just the lack of politeness that annoys me. I don't mind if they don't like the pics much, but having found out that a link to my flickr account has been put up on a kiteboard forum and subsequently I have had around 80 hits on an image (screengrab) of a WORD doc I wrote, asking for their help, I feel a little used :( Naturally nobody bothered to reply to my request.

 

ideally I would like an option to allow access to view the pics at at medium resolution, but not to be able to download without me sending a personal link (or some such)

 

Perhaps now that they know who I am, I should go along one day take loads of pictures and then not put them up. I suspect I may get an email. I have asked if they could also send me a link to the YouTube page etc. where they post all their GoPro videos (they all wear them).............but nothing :(

 

I am of course getting old and hence grumpier  

 

Now to go and shoot some of the Trick or Treaters.....................

 

 

Now to go and shoot some of the Trick or Treaters.....................

plenty round here that need shot.

plenty round here that need shot.

I still have plenty of bullets. I opted for the flame thrower instead

do you use lightroom? I only shoot in raw and when I export to jpg it automatically plasters a watermark all over them before it auto uploads (eg to facebooK)

do you use lightroom? I only shoot in raw and when I export to jpg it automatically plasters a watermark all over them before it auto uploads (eg to facebooK)

Yes, I love Lightroom. It does almost exactly what I want. I'm not artistic enough to be able to utilise Photoshop in a creative way and most repairs I need can be done in Lightroom. I love the way it easily handles RAW files (even if the old pooter seem to get a little warm ) And I also export files with a dirty big watermark now as well as do a copy without the watermark  for my on use I created a few different version foo the watermark too, just in case I am a bit annoyed at the time of exporting............then I use the big WM, right through the middle

 

Its fantastic value for money I think

yup it's amazing. You should check out the lightroom queen blog/site/books

Well after another 5,000 hits on the set of snaps and...........a nice chap called Dale joined Flickr and put some names up for me to relabel the pictures. He is now officially un-sodded.........if that is a word?

Wasn't sure about the privacy thing but I did say it was a silly question ! Even when using car cameras I thought it was a grey area

 

 

As the law stands, you are free to take pictures of anything and anyone on public land. the only time you will need the permission of people in the images is if the images are used to endorse/promote a product/service/or to illustrate an article not directly associated with them, etc.

 

If selling images for commercial gain, it's often a good idea to have a model release signed. This example was pointed out to me recently in jest as one that the photographer should have a release signed for...

 

In the kite surfing example, if Kite Surfing monthly wanted a picture for their front cover on best places to kite surf, you'd be fine. If a kite surfing company wanted to use the image in an advert, or if say, a financial services company wanted the image to depict 'freedom' of some sort, you'd be best getting permission from the person in the image, if they're easily identifiable.

 

I don't tend to share many images online any more, as they're so easily stolen. If I do, I take measures to ensure they're traceable, or I watermark them. That's why all the unwatermarked images on my website are circa 3-4 years old!

 

Unfortunately, if you give people an inch, they'll invariable take a mile... especially with the anonymity of the internet affords them.

 

If you start watermarking your images, await a slew of requests for images 'for personal use' with an accompanying explanation of how they can't afford to pay for your time. I get three to four of these a week after my images are found on Getty Images. 

My photos aren't of a professional quality, but a few are probably at the 'quite good' end of the hobbiest (if you see what I mean). I just don't like being taken fro granted I guess. Having worked in telly for 30 years (behind the scenes) I suppose I am used to my work being taken, edited and 'put out there' without me having much say in the matter

 

Just been out to Ainsdale again today. My giddy Aunt it was rough. Serious big wind coming straight off the sea. it was bad enough that not only did I miss a lot of my focus points, but missed the subject all together in quite a high percentage of shots! (Doesn't help that I am mostly using 200mm +1.4TC + I have a 1.6x crop sensor, oh and the light disappeared altogether around 15:00hrs )

Have you considered making the visible image watermarked but making an unwatermarked image available for digital download or print and charging them a few quid for it?

Photobox used to have a free service where you could upload and sell your pictures direct, set prices and receive commission. All you had to do was set it up and upload the pictures.

I use a system called Photo Cart from Pictures Pro (http://www.picturespro.com/) that I host on my website which obviously costs me, but then I can charge what I want and keep all the profit (and also have to do quite a bit more work in sorting orders and posting them out).

HTH

sorry I should have replied to this earlier :( I have to say that I doubt any of my pictures could be used commercially, at least not as a main image, but fail to understand why Flickr doesn't let me do the thing you say Photobox can do. Perhaps I should move my allegiance (I pay a subscription for Flickr too) Thanks for the idea

Most people do not appreciate what it takes both in terms of expense, skill and effort to get decent images, but invariably want you to provide some for nothing. You could take the approach of explaining just like them you are pursueing your passion and you take them for your enjoyment and not to provide a free service for others.

 

Probably just me being a grumpy git but the photo freeloaders get right up my hooter. There I feel better already

I don't mind them looking at the pics, after all I put them up there with full knowledge that anyone can get at them in their default upload state (I leave full access on them). It was just that I tried to elicit a tiny bit of information from them and they couldn't be bothered to reply and that was after they asked how to download images so they could blow them up. Luckily a chap called Dale had the good brace to provide me with some names to go with the faves of the surfers, so at least that was something.