Snail Shell

Copyright Infringement Update

After thinking things over I decided that, rather than being given credit for my photographs, I wanted my photographs removed from the real estate listing. I didn’t want a part in helping sell the property. I let the real estate agent know Monday and the photographs were just removed (Tuesday evening). The agent was put in a somewhat awkward position and I appreciate that she took action and corrected the problem.

Clarity in Adversity

I have been taking quite a lot of photos in the forest lately but I haven’t been too happy with the result. I find my photos aren’t as clear and in focus as they should be. At first I put it down to my wearing-out eyes and much disliked reading glasses but then came to the realization it was probably due to lighting conditions.

One of the great boons of digital cameras is being able to photograph under poor light conditions. But to do so has some costs. Having a camera set on auto iso will allow you to get most shots but the darker the lighting the higher the iso will go. That can create a graininess or noise to your photograph and diminish the clarity, even if you have a very steady hand.

Today I grabbed my small light tripod that allows me to shoot close to ground level. I set my iso setting to 200 which resulted in some slow shutter speeds when varying my depth of field by closing down my aperture. Even though on a tripod I put my shutter on 2 second delay to stop any camera movement. The results were pretty good.

Image

Halloween Mushroom

Copyright Infringement

Yesterday, while checking some online real estate listings, my wife came upon a listing for some acreage up the coast from us. On the listing were nine of my photographs taken from my other blog site kennethmcmillan-photography. My watermark had been cropped off each photograph. I contacted the real estate office, the web site designer and the agent and voiced my annoyance. The agent got back to me and said the photos had been given to her by the owners of the property. She apologized and said the photographs would either be removed or I would be given credit for them as per my instructions to her. I mentioned to her that just because something is published on the Internet it can not be taken and freely used by someone else. I am not a professional photographer and have many photographs on my blog sites and Flickr. I am happy to give people the use of my photographs at no cost if they ask permission to do so. I know of close to 60 sites who have done so, all giving me the proper credit. The removal of my copyright and signature in this case is very distasteful to me and has given me the impetus to pursue it.

If anyone finds themselves in my position there is an excellent WordPress post by Lorelle VanFossen called What To Do When Someone Steals your Content

Halloween Cactus

Our Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera or Zygocactus) seems to have the season rushed though it isn’t too unusual for this plant. At the beginning of Summer we put the cactus outside, behind the house, and completely ignore it. By the time it comes inside in early Fall it is so thankful for attention that it rewards us with these beautiful flowers.