July 16, 2014
A picture is worth a thousand words....
and if it isn't yours....none of those words will be happy ones.
There are some days I sit at the computer and watch the behavior of others and shake my head. And yes, there are days I shake it at myself too. Mostly for opening myself up into it and letting the craziness become part of my day. But I saw something last night that made me pause....so I want to write.
I am a photographer and lover of all things through the lens. And while I love to share what I see...I also want to keep some part of it mine. Human nature I suppose.
So I watermark. When I watermark photos for the internet masses....I find I need to watermark more than a single, simple lower right corner. Because...I have found my pictures find there way to other places and then no longer have my mark.
And for some a watermark on a photo...particularly a Bath and Body Works item photo....is madness.
I get asked a lot ....why do you mark your pictures....its only a candle, soap or lotion.
When I first started blogging on multiply, I never watermarked a thing. No one who shared through that social media did. I am not sure if it was a mutual respect thing we had or what but photos were never a problem. We shared pictures that belonged to each other and discussed.
When I opened myself up to Facebook and the masses via BlogSpot... Good Grief. I need a helmet.
I guess when I shared something and saw someone take it for their own benefit I expected a comment that it was mine....and when none was made...what I was told is..."it's the internet, and fair game." If you don't want it taken and used, don't post it.
Ah, civility.
So I tried to make the photos difficult for someone to take and use as their own. Which made the photos ugly.
So I made the watermark lighter and someone was clever enough to get it off to post on their blog.
And it came down to you either fret over it or move on....so I try to move on. Some days.
But it is difficult when someone uses your photographs for their own personal gains, makes sure to credit the other pictures they take and use to their source...and leaves yours without a single word said. It is noticed. And not only by me. I don't even know what to say to that other than my blog is one of original source information with the work being done by me and not paul parroted off of everyone else.
And I have had those who try to pick a fight with you, not because they have had any particular incident with you....but because they have a mob mentality regarding a stranger they call friend on Facebook and they think they too need to be a part of something. But when it's taken to the extent of calling my house over a picture....then a line is crossed. And I will have none of it.
Now with having my own blog page...I have learned the importance of making sure you drive viewers back to your pages...be it Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, , PinTerest, Blog or Twitter...by including some kind of watermark. When you are just starting out...how would anyone ever find you, right?
I am also more careful when I share links to others incredible pages not to give too much of it away on mine that my readers then don't go to the original source. I made that mistake once in the very beginning of my blogging...thinking I was doing good and then realizing what could happen.
And I do learn something new every day. Sitting here in front of the keys for long periods of time sharing all of me isn't something I went to school for... unless you count the school of hard knocks known as life as your educator. It's this thing I do because I love sharing with others who have the same addictions as I do, and I do try to do right always...
So about last night.....
The other day when I posted the new VIP TOTE picture I also knew about the new Fall Signature Lotion that was out in stores. Honey Crisp and Buttered Rum Orchard. It is the first of four scents we should see as Signatures this fall with a scent blend that smells like FR Vanilla Rum and Vermont Honey Apple together. Which is nice. This scent is showing up in stores now for the upcoming FALL PREVIEW that should come out in the next few weeks and that I have pictured on my blog and facebook for sometime now.
Because there wasn't a picture I could show yet, I made no mention of it other than what I have in my albums.
Last night on Instagram a person posted a photo of the lotion on her personal page. Un-watermarked. Of course in a manner of seconds, like everything... it was copied, pasted and shared all over. It was shared on a bloggers Instagram page with credit given to the owner of the photo immediately....who upon seeing it shared, told the blogger not to share her pictures.
I think I would have removed it....not wanting any issues....but the photo remained...and the likes were had off of it...and the nasty comments to the owner of the photo began.
Civility.
Yes, we all LOVE seeing something new...and it would seem others do not care who posts it... they want it at all costs and if you open your mouth up you will be met with a barrage of nastiness. Which is what happened... nasty comments to the owner for speaking her mind...
telling her NOT TO POST Publically if she doesn't like it..
"it's fair game" .and credit was given she should like it and now her comment will cause her to loose likes rather than gain them....
WOW.
That made me want to turn my Instagram private last night.
Then....the cropped down version of the picture showed up on other Facebook pages of bloggers who didn't give credit to the original poster...but one of the commenters mentioned who it was. The owner of the photograph on Instagram account is still open and the picture is still there.
But the picture isn't watermarked and the more shares and copies and pastes down the line...who it originally belonged to is lost....and only the bloggers may be the ones remembered for showing it first.
So I do get it.... both sides of it. The want of sharing something found....and being the original sharer wanting recognition of the work.
Some people do not want their pictures shared on blog pages. No way no how... Maybe they don't particularly like the blogger...(even though they are here every day reading) or they don't want attention brought to them for their own personal reasons.
Some love it...and the credit. Because it helps drive viewers to them.
I have marked B&BW things, like email postings and new items because there are those who come and take the picture and claim them as their own work. You know... like that kid in high school who copied off of your paper ALL OF THE TIME.
Sure, people complain what is the difference, most pictures are out in the public anyway...and I get that. But my thinking is I took the time to find the picture...post it...explain it...(sometimes I have early access to pictures no one else would) I did the work...and you came here to see it. Is it so hard to say where you found it?
And if it is so readily available everywhere....that you want to complain about a watermark just to complain...go look at your own publically found pictures then. Or if you really what to get at the heart of it...why complain at all?
Last nights incident reminded me again of how hard the internet can be....just a small fragment hardly worth mentioning...in the grand scale of things...
But sadly those small fragments all do add up.