Stolen photos

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Stolen photos

#OFF TOPIC

Laura Mexia

9 years ago

Today i saw one of my photos published in a facebook photography group. The person that published my photo used it for "creative edit" ... deleted the person that was in the stairs (my son) and add to the image another person .... i report to the group this situation, they deleted the image.

He blocked me in the facebook, so now i can't see his facebook page but i know that he has my photo published there. Mine photo is also published in his page in pinterest and other sites. Probably he has photos from others photographers.

His name is Gianni Boradori.

https://www.google.pt/imgres?imgurl=http://images.fotocommunity.it/foto/b46f9d54-3fdd-4612-8e09-58d5e1197605.jpg&imgrefurl=https://plus.google.com/+fotocommunityit&h=580&w=1000&tbnid=oZO-FhkZ1ODTfM&tbnh=171&tbnw=295&usg=__CL3-wNxVvQ4E5SUGy6Sr1Jgmr08=&hl=pt-PT&docid=9eVHkHYPRM2BtM

http://images.fotocommunity.it/foto/temi/criticatemi/camaleonte-a-meta-b46f9d54-3fdd-4612-8e09-58d5e1197605.jpg

Leigh Pelton CREW

9 years ago — Head moderator

Hi Laura,

I've notified 1x management.

Leigh

Head Moderator

Laura Mexia

9 years ago

thx a lot Leigh

Alfred Forns CREW

9 years ago — Moderator

HI Laura

A while back there was a group taking bird images and using for their avatars. Some sort of bird group in FB.

The interesting part, they were outrage when told they could not use. If they would have asked for permission, I would not have minded.

Forum Moderator

Thomas Brindt PRO

9 years ago

Hi Laura,

It's always a nuisance when photos appear where they shouldn't. I have contacted the person in question and asked him to remove the photo.

Kind regards

Thomas

Laura Mexia

9 years ago

Thx Thomas and Alfred.

Wish you a great weekend.

JeffBaker

9 years ago

This unfortunate occurrence underlines the fact that, whenever posting photos online - in any context - it's possible to grab a low-res copy by taking a screenshot. There is no way around this. The only deterrent is to use a large watermark, such as those seen on stock photo sites. Of course I'm not suggesting we watermark our photos here ... but we need to be aware this kind of 'thievery' is always a possibility when posting un-watermarked photos online.

Peter van Lom

9 years ago

This is exactly why I want the former 'big' 1X watermark back. This should be more important than minor changes in the image quality. The problem of copyright infringement will only grow bigger in the future as the number of www users think this is their right to do. So 1x do something...

Patrick Morris

9 years ago

This is why I removed all of my images from 1x. They don't seem to want to protect peoples work but they do want you to list at high resolution. I don't get it???

Patrick Morris

9 years ago

Maybe I spoke too soon. I'm now see that some but not all are protected from right clicking. ????? Any info on protection would be great.

Leigh Pelton CREW

9 years ago — Head moderator

From the FAQ:

How are my images protected?

Unauthorized use of images is something we take very seriously. We have taken many different measures to protect your images. First of all we have prevented right-click downloading or dragging of images to the desktop. Secondly, all images are watermarked with the photographers name.

Leigh

JeffBaker

9 years ago

While the right-clicking copy function has been blocked on this site, it's easy to obtain a low-res screen-friendly version of any image on an iOS or Windows device by taking a screen shot or using a 'clipping' tool. This is the unfortunate reality of displaying original artwork on ANY website without a large watermark overlay. Of course, images 'stolen' in this way will have limited commercial value, and will generally not be useful for printing. (They could however potentially be used in on-line advertising). The small watermark used in some sites, including 1x.com, can easily be cropped out. I'm not trying to be alarmist, but members of any online photography site should be aware of this possibility.

Peter van Lom

9 years ago

Copyright infringement and photo protection is a subject that comes around and around. This means that it is something that is important for the members.

Watermark; I understand that having a watermark is only a semi protection against copyright ingringement. But all small things help in my opinion. That is why I would like to have the 1x watermark back (!) I think it was a good watermark. The name watermark that is used now is too small and not clear enough in some citcumstances. The 1x watermark could be OPTIONAL.

It should be no major technical problem to get this feature in place.

I remember a discussion in the forum (could not fnd it back) were a team member would look at the possibility to show the photographes at a lower resolution than 2500 long side.

The resolution that is used now is still good enough for a screengrab that can be misused.

Leigh Pelton CREW

9 years ago — Head moderator

Jeff and Peter,

Both of you are of course correct. A screen shot is always a possibility and any water mark can be cloned out, even a big bold mark across the entire photo.

If you want to post your work on the internet, you need to first decide what is more important, sharing your work with the world or protecting your work from the world. If your main concern is the latter, then you should probably only display your work in a brick-and-mortar gallery with a security guard who will confiscate cameras and cellphones.

I personally feel that sharing my work with the world has more pluses than minuses. But opinions will vary.

Leigh

Jef Van den Houte CREW

9 years ago — Head curator

As Leigh wrote full protection on the internet - unfortunately - doesn't exist any more.

Additional to rather simple screen shots or cloning possibilities, the people from San José (Adobe) offer today so much and so sophisticated image manipulation possibilities that they will provide ways around. This includes blowing up the pixel sizes substantially with minor visible quality losses ..

If that's a real and big concern one should stay away from the internet.

You can only be alert for misuse of your images by others and react vigorously...

Jef

Peter van Lom

9 years ago

Of course I agree and understand the latest replies. My standpoint is that the 1x photo site can make it more difficult for copyright abusers. F.ex. the disappearence of former 1X water mark is a stepp back in my opinion. When I park my car some where I lock the door, even though I know that it does not prevent that my car can be stolen. But the risk is less..

Have a nice weekend.

Thomas Brindt PRO

9 years ago

Hello everyone,

As Leigh pointed out, it's always possible to make a screen shot of the photo appearing on a computer screen. At 1x we still do more than most when it comes to image protection. One of the most important security measures is that we never display photos in their full resolution.

Regarding the old 1x watermark, it was removed due to the slight alterations in the color profile caused by it. We may return the watermark if we can avoid any such alterations.

Kind regards

Thomas

Vladimir Asriyan

9 years ago

Jeff and Peter,

Both of you are of course correct. A screen shot is always a possibility and any water mark can be cloned out, even a big bold mark across the entire photo.

I personally feel that sharing my work with the world has more pluses than minuses. But opinions will vary.

Leigh

Bravo Leigh !

That's what I always said.

In science, the value of the study is determined by "the citation index".

Therefore, if your work stolen rejoice that they in demand :-)).

Leigh Pelton CREW

9 years ago — Head moderator

Hi Vladimir,

As always, you have a good point. :-)

Leigh

Patrick Morris

9 years ago

Peter and Laura, I understand your frustration, we put a lot of time and effort into our photographs and we all have pieces that we chairish so naturally we want our work to be protected as much as possible. Like everyone one has said we need to weigh the risk verses the reward. Fortunately for me I don't take photographs for any kind of accolades. I shoot because photography is a wonderful hobby and I'm in no hurry for the world to see my stuff and I don't expect to become the next great artist but some people do use sites like these as a vehicle to become famous or make a bunch of money and very few do. This is why you don't see some of the great photographer/artist of today on sites like these (but I could be wrong there may be some) Don't get me wrong 1x I really do enjoy this site, you have some great photographers listing outstanding shots and it's a great site for inspiration but I prefer the art shows because I can matte, frame and sign my work and if I ever do use a site like this I certain want to be in control of my image, where it's going and of course it's image resolution. So it comes down to this, do you want to hand over your best work in high resolution to a web site that may not be around in a few yrs, If they go belly up your best stuff in high resolution could possibly be still floating on the web. There's nothing wrong with art shows, galleries and outdoor markets or even your own website because at least you still have control. Call me old fashion but that how people have been doing it long before the inter-web and will continue to do so.

Jeff, just think about what they are asking from you and what your getting in return and is it worth it to you because at the end of the day this site is still a business. Lots to think about and I really appreciate 1x forum for letting people speak their minds and again no disrespect to 1x.

Also Laura, I noticed that you never received an apology from 1x but rather a "yeah OK this has happened before and we will deal with it. I would like to say I'm sorry for someone stealing your work. I'm sure you put a lot of time and effort in creating that piece and I hope this never happens to you again.

Gallery here I come!!! with a little luck... what a dream that would be.

Good day! Patrick

Evan Oz CREW

9 years ago — Moderator

Thanks for writing, Patrick.

I'm not even remotely famous and still I hate the idea of my work being stolen, but theft happens and is particularly easy on the web. As you say, there are a variety of options available to artists and galleries will always be there as a live showcase for art of all kinds. Everyone has choices and perhaps the safest thing is to diversify because in reality there are positives and negatives to every option.

I believe there is a cachet to being featured on 1X and the publicity-value must be valid or photographers would not be vying to be published (and disappointed when they are not). Building a reputation takes effort on many fronts and once-built opens doors.

Like you, we all hope for luck and the fulfillment of our dreams. My sincere hopes are for your success whatever route you choose.

Thanks, once again, for writing.

Best Wishes,

Evan Oz

Moderator

Patrick Morris

9 years ago

Evan, Thank You for you professional response. I agree that websites like 1x are a great platform for people growing a business or just showing their work. What's broken should at least be explored for a possible fix. Peter mentioned a good idea and was just shot down. I have an idea that might want to be looked at.

Why not let people list in low resolution and if a piece is sold or a piece is selected for a book then the photographer can be contacted to resubmit in high resolution through a private email or something. And all the other forms of protection can remain the same.

Any ideas for a fix from staff?

Don't mean to rub anyone the wrong way, I just have a great passion for photography and I appreciate great work. Seeing work stolen is just unacceptable to me but I know this happens.

Thank You, Patrick

Evan Oz CREW

9 years ago — Moderator

Thank you for your response, Patrick.

I think everyone who loves fine photography and art is on the same page as far as protecting original works from thievery. Another important objective is insuring the quality of the work as presented. These dual concerns are reflected in Thomas Brindt's response to Peter's suggestion:

Hello everyone,

Regarding the old 1x watermark, it was removed due to the slight alterations in the color profile caused by it. We may return the watermark if we can avoid any such alterations.

Kind regards

Thomas

Technology advances relentlessly and there are always new problems to solve. With a membership this large, the needs are great and the staff is small and resolution may not come as quickly as we'd like. I believe 1X will find the balance between the various interests. But as we both know, you can't please all of the people all of the time.

Stay tuned, and keep smiling.

Evan Oz

Moderator