Photography Etiquette

August 5, 2014 by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~ 1 Comment

With the invention of the internet, and digital photography, the world of photography has changed. Drastically.

Whenever someone takes a photo, that photo is immediately protected under US Copyright Law. Under the Federal Copyright Act of 1976, photographs are protected by copyright from the moment the shutter closes.

Just because it’s in the public domain doesn’t mean it’s yours to use freely, reproduce, enter into contests, send to magazines for use, redistribute, or edit. Purchasing a print doesn’t allow you the aforementioned rights either.

So, here are a few things to ask yourself next time you want to know if you may use a photo you found on the internet.

1. Did you take the photo?

2. If you answered no above, then ask this: Do I have permission to use this photo?

3. Is my permission in writing?

4. If three is yes, then is it limited to a one-time use, or can you use it repeatedly?

5. Did the photographer give you rights? Note: Most photographers don’t give rights to their photos. And if they do, they’re often limited to one-time use- such as for editorial content for a wedding magazine, for a beauty competition, or one-time reproduction.

I’m not saying that photos aren’t meant to be shared: on the contrary, sharing a watermarked version of the photographer’s photo from their Facebook page, Google+ page, Twitter account or what have you, is always a good way for the photographer to gain exposure. However, stealing a photo by right-clicking it, saving/downloading it your computer, printing it or reproducing it costs that photographer money, as photographers don’t make their money with a sitting fee, or by taking a photo of a landscape – their money is made when they sell prints to families, or prints of that gorgeous sunset.

The next time you want to share that gorgeous photo, please keep the following thoughts in mind, and realize that good photographs aren’t accidents; people have studied and perfected their craft to capture the beauty that is in all of us; the beauty that is all around us and they’d sure like your respect and understanding of their craft.

Happy Trails!

PS. For those of you wondering, yes, I’ve had photos stolen. And no, it’s not cool when someone claims your work as their own.

About ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western.

After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her mother, who told her she had to have a “real” job after graduating college), she finally took the leap and stepped away from a regular income; trading the business suit once and for all for cowgirl boots, a hat, and jeans. She has not looked back.

When Jenn first moved to The DX Ranch on the South Dakota plains, she never imagined she’d find herself behind a camera lens capturing an authentic perspective of ranching, and sharing it with others. Jenn has always been called to artistry, and uses music, writing, images, home improvement, and her first true love of horses to express her ranching passion.

Horses are the constant thread and much of her work centers around using her unique style of writing to share her horsemanship journey with others in publications such as CavvySavvy, the AQHA Ranching Blog, the West River Eagle, the family ranch website, and her own website.

Using photography to illustrate her stories has created other opportunities -- Jenn’s brand “The South Dakota Cowgirl” has grown to the level of social media “Influencer”. This notoriety has led to work with Duluth Trading Company, Budweiser, Wyoming Tourism, Vice, Circle Z Ranch and Art of the Cowgirl, to name a few. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Woodchuck USA, Arenus Equine Health, Triple Crown Feed and Just Strong fitness apparel. Her photography has been featured by Instagram, Apple, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Jenn’s work has been published internationally, has been seen in several books and has graced the covers of several magazines.

Jenn became a social media influencer by accident when she started to explore Instagram as a way to share her life on the ranch with folks that don’t get to experience it. It’s grown into an incredible platform that she uses to empower women, create an environment for self improvement and share life on the ranch.

When she’s not working, she loves to drink coffee, play with her naughty border collie named Copper, start ranch colts, and run about the country chasing cans. Her mother still thinks she doesn’t have a “real” job.

Comments

Raquel says

August 12, 2014 at 7:42 pm

Great post, I hate it when people take what is not theirs. I had an experience recently where someone actually took a watermark off an image of mine and posted it on their Facebook page. When I asked them to take down the photo, they blocked me from their page… Photographers like you don’t get enough credit!

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