This week I was trying to see if I could find some photos of Wakeham Bay where I taught for two years. Wakeham Bay was not above the Arctic circle but very isolated as far as transportation and communication was concerned. There were no phones in the settlement.
Okay, I found a site with many interesting photos and then in this group of photos , I said hey, that photo is mine. Yes , it was my photo with photo credits to Hiawatha House. This was a big surprise to me as I naively thought, or didn't think, that my photos would show up on another site. Yes, some of my readers might snag the odd photo but I didn't see my photos going any other place.
This was the photo that showed up under transportation. We where being ferried out to the icebreaker D'Iberville to have dinner with the captain. The big orange thing on the bottom left is the pilot's knee.
So then I started wondering. Is it good that my photos go wandering off to some group of photos. How would my photo be picked up? On the blog I have some family photos which if I think about it shouldn't just go off to some place I don't have control over.
So I need some opinions from some jailhouse lawyers. Do I prevent my photos from travelling ? How do I prevent my photos from travelling? What do you do with your blog photos.
As far as I know, you can't. This is why I cannot talk about my granddaughters or show pictures of them. I posted one, and a commenter started referencing parks nearby. My daughter in law and son flipped out. So. I do not post those pictures. My son-in-law doesn't permit pictures of him or my daughter. He is retired military with a great deal of experience in cyber security. He says that anyone can click on a picture (if they know what they are doing) and pinpoint your location.
ReplyDeleteAll these things are true, I suppose, but I'm a bit of a pragmatist. My question would be why one earth would anyone be stalking me? I don't worry about it. Type your own name into google and you will be amazed at what pops up. If someone is looking for you, they'll find you.
What I've found is that there is a wide number of opinions on this topic.
DeleteI know this is a concern to many but I have just never worried about it.
ReplyDeleteMostly I don't worry about it but I would like to have some information.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI would think if anyone wanted to use one of your photos they would ask permission first. At least they gave you credit. Take care, have a happy new week!
I have never shied from posting photos and have never worried about where they go. IMO people get silly about photos being online and being seen or even shared by others.
ReplyDeleteThat's been my thinking but now I would like some information on the topic.
DeleteOh Red - I try never to think about things like this. My camera and my laptop (or maybe my brain) refuse to print my photos on my blog. Maybe it is as well. Sadly in this modern world as soon as we put anything on line it seems to be common knowledge/ I agree woth Debby - I have delightful photos of my great grandchildren but even if I could put them on m y posts I wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteI have a html code on my blog that prevents anyone from being able to right-click, and save pictures. It just goes in my layout, and is invisible on the blog until you try to save one of my pictures. If you're still determined to steal a picture, you can always print screen, copy, and paste, but most people do not want to go to that much trouble.
ReplyDeleteGood to know that there is something that can be done.
DeleteThe internet is not secure. It's a place where anyone who wishes harm to another can find ammunition. But it's also a place where we can meet wonderful people like yourself. It's a dilemma, all right.
ReplyDeleteI must admit that I've been naive about this topic. I didn't think I would see my photos used.
DeleteAll pictures that I publish on my blog, I am assuming that they will be copied a thousand times each even though I'm sure that rarely happens. If it is a photo that means a lot to me, it doesn't go on my blog or the internet for that matter. If there is a specific reason where I need to put a photo online, such as for genealogy purposes, I will often crop the original or add a photomark to it so if it does get copied, I can easily prove I have the original and not a copy if need be.
ReplyDeleteTo Debby's point, most photos have EXIF data attached to them and there are free viewers widely available to view said data which can include locations and times the photo was taken.
I will be more selective with photos and some will not get published on the blog.
DeleteThat is a tricky thing. I've had friends have photos taken from their blog and the watermark removed. You can fight it. One did. (A millionairre!)
ReplyDeleteYou can do a photo search, but really, what can one do without the means.
I am vigilant about posting photos without any location ID on them. I export them to my hard drive, with that scrubbed. It was terrible when I was teaching, and trying to teach this to kids.
Okay, this is one solution. Thanks.
DeleteI don’t post photos of living family members. Everything else is in the public domain.
ReplyDeleteI had already decided to use this policy.
DeleteIf I put "Hiawatha House blog" into the google search, your blog comes up for anyone to see so you are already sharing everything with anyone who is looking, Red. If you don't want something shared, you don't have to include it on your blog.
ReplyDeleteThere is no privacy anymore really, unless you can move back to Wakeham Bay and have no phones!! :)
We let search engines look for our blog because we want readers. I will be more selective from now on.
DeleteI think you have to expect that anything you post online may show up elsewhere. You technically own the copyright, but good luck enforcing it, unless you resort to legal action. I suppose you could ask them to remove it if it bothers you.
ReplyDeleteTo my way of thinking, as long as I get credit, I'm fine with other people using my photos. I know of at least one that turned up on a poster for an art exhibit in Milan! (And I was not part of that exhibit, at least not to my knowledge.)
All photos I've found, the credit has been given to Hiawatha House.
DeleteActually with a blogspot blog, as Hiawatha House is, google own the copyright. Google can distribute, sell or delete anything from any of these blogs as the blog writer doesn't technically own it
DeleteI have been wondering the same thing lately. I sometimes worry about all the family stuff I have shared on the internet... photos and family history. I guess the internet is going to find us one way or another. We live in times of very public sharing.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to make it easy for people to use my photos.
DeleteThis is why I have never posted pictures of anything to identify myself or my family or my location on my blog or elsewhere. I lack trust in other humans!!
ReplyDeleteI did not know location was so important.
DeleteHave a statement saying Please don't use any photos without permission. Copyright: then your blog name.
ReplyDeleteI had a few people just emailing me for use of some of my photos.
Okay, I've seen others with similar statement.
DeleteI accept the fact that people can find me, because I'm listed on the university website, I've written a book, and of course I write a blog. I put a copyright on my photos too, but I also make a point of not posting family photos.
ReplyDeleteIf we are at all active these days we will leave a trail on the internet.
DeleteWhat I don't steal from others they're welcome to have.
ReplyDeleteIf it is on the blog it is most likely on the Internet someplace. I used to watermark my photos...it is a pain in the neck to do that anymore..
ReplyDeleteI decided not to worry about it.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to see what's out there in blog land. I will be more selective on what I put on in the future.
ReplyDeleteI don't think too much about this stuff. Maybe I should, I dont know. My thinking is that my blog is a backwater that most people have no interest in , they have bigger fish to fry.
ReplyDeleteI once took a photo of some children in a park and posted it on my blog. The older sibling was lifting the younger one to get a drink from a water fountain. I didn't do anything wrong by taking it as I was in a public place and I only took it because it was a nice photo of co-operation but I got a fair bit of negative feedback about taking photos of children and removed it. I'm still a bit sad about that because the sentiment had merit
Essentially, I think that when we release our photos into the ether of The Internet, we have kind of lost them. However, I think it's nice to acknowledge photographers. Once I posted a picture of Echo Helstrom - Bob Dylan's first girlfriend in Hibbing, Minnesota. The man who took it caught up with me and insisted that I should acknowledge his copyright which I was very happy to do.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you asked this question as it is something I have wondered about. I will be interested in what your readers have to say.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we are able to retain such control unless we are recognized artists or a business with a copy right interest to prosecute. I assume anything I put on line goes out of my control. That's one reason I constantly change my birthday at different sites and also refuse to post a picture of myself or those close to me. I think of my photos and posts as the contribution I make to the worldwide web that I enjoy. Very thoughtful question on your part. And congratulations for your very interesting and important to teaching assignment all those years ago
ReplyDeleteIt is a dilemma.
ReplyDelete