Sunday, February 3, 2008

Orphaned Images


Did you know your images can become lost on the internet and then be scooped up by some stock photo sites or similar entities?

 Or simply used by anyone because they appear to have no owner... i.e. "Orphaned photos"

 You may think no one would want your art pics, family images or snapshots of your vacation, etc. but that is not always true.

 Search engines pick up everything posted on the internet - photos, blogs, whatever. 
Blog entries usually come with your name attached - but photos may come to search engines as what is called "orphaned photos"

  What is this and why should you care?
Ever do a google search and find random images that appear to no longer have an owner but they are posted on numerous sites?
 Even maybe on pinterest or on FB after they have been shared to the nth degree?

 Photo images especially are being ripped out of context all the time.
You may not care until you wonder if your family vacation photos are being used/sold.
 What about that sweet image of your precious pet, child or grandchild.

 You can protect yourself (a little) by placing a watermark or copyright statement on every image before you post it.

Yes, it seems like a bother - and only you can decide how important it is to keep your photos attributed to YOU!

 This is a huge issue for professional photographers but it also trickles down to occasional users and bloggers who post personal or family photos.

 Here is an article to create a simple copyright or watermark image for your individual jpgs. LINK: Create Watermarks / Copyright

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