January 22, 2012

you'll thank me later...


seriously
i'm at the beach


but i know after yesterday's photos and now even more woodsy pictures today


you're starting to question me


but i promise


that once the sand and sea and jelly fish photos start showing up
and
i inundate you with more beach photos then any human should ever have to look at


you'll thank me


that i have a backyard full of pine needles and mushrooms
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ps...in the past few days, i have read on a number of blogs, the importance for watermarking your photos. that there really are people out there stealing what belongs to us. what's your opinion. what do you think about watermarking. how would you feel if someone in, let's say san francisco, stole one of your photos, called it his, printed it and framed it for a gallery in his hometown.
*



39 comments:

  1. I have been out of the loop online for sooo long. You were top of my reader and it warms my heart to see such glorious pictures.... absolutely stunning stuff. XXXXXX
    and yes watermarking is becoming a necessity in this digital age... keep your hard work and creativity protected against those less scrupulous than yourself. Glad I stopped by this morning I needed this. :)

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  2. It would be a mixed bag. On one side excited that someone thought it was good enough to want to call it their own and on the other side upset because they were calling it their own.......ahhhh i confuse even myself...lol Beautiful pictures girl! Lovely....looking forward to the beachy pictures too! Hugs! deb

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  3. It's stealing. End of story. I'm going to begin watermarking everything I publish now. PIA, but must be done. I never upload large rez files to my blog or to flickr and on most of flickr, I do watermark. I heard about Shana (Florabella) and her photos being stolen. It's thievery.

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  4. ps - adore your photos here!

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  5. I'd just have to write about it on my blog and call him an out and out liar and then also write to his local newspaper and provide proof to them that it is my photo.

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  6. First thing I noticed today was your stamp on these photographs...I think because it's been on my mind given what others have been saying the last few days.

    I'd be angry if someone stole anything from me -- my photographs, my art, my keys, my money, my anything.

    Reality is that there will always be people who have little belief in themselves to create something worth selling. There will always be people who are looking to make a fast buck off someone else's back.

    Theft always needs to be reported, no matter where or how it happens. And it happens everywhere. Sadly.

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  7. i started adding a mark to mine (even tho they're not high quality). just recently a blogger pal read a post by someone complaining of a blogger lifting her photos and using them on her blog w/o permission. my blogger pal went to the link the lady provided, recognized MY dogs, and let me know. she had used several of my pets as well as some sunrise photos and posted them on her blog as if they were hers. i left comments to remove them. she did, and left an apology for me at my spot. so now i add a text box on each one. they're not valuable, but they are mine.

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  8. Sadly I find it necessary to watermark. I was putting a small one in the corner; now I'm forced to place it on part of the main subject. Doing it that way makes it harder for someone to clone out and steal. I guess it's like having an extra lock on the door. May not stop them completely but if they're a lazy thief at least I've created an obstacle for them. :(

    Love your non-beach photos. lol I am looking forward to the water photos when you get around to it. :)

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  9. I used to watermark mine but haven't been for quite a while. It's clearly theft by someone but you can't really stop it from happening. The only thing you can really do is never post a full res image for enlarging. People might steal it for their own site, but they aren't going to reproduce it for sale.

    Very pretty photos today:-)

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  10. I've not watermarked.. and doubt if I will.

    I figure that the vast majority of folks who use photos without permission believe they have that right because they appear on Google Images. I see people using what they consider to be stock photography all the time. Sometimes even with copyright watermarks.

    They are of less concern than the guy in the scenario you painted. Someone like that is going to steal the image and use it if that's what he truly wants to do. He might remove the watermark in Photoshop and continue on as if it wasn't there.

    For now, I'm not willing to clutter up my images with a large watermark covering key spots in the photo.. so I guess I'll take my chances. At least for now. I hope I won't have to be convinced otherwise. :/

    Your photos.. as always, are magnificent.

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  11. Wohaaa great shots of your sandy beaches....ha haha you rock girl.

    And about watermarks. Sooo true.
    But my sweet friend one can still steal yours and just cut of the edge. Right the pictures will not be in proportion anymore but still. It might be an idea if you put them in a spot like the side or middle. I know dealing with the struggle because I don't like my name to show up in ones face first because it looks kinda out of place. Still wanted to share with you some thoughts.
    Hugs and happy beach uh...sorry garden day.
    Dagmar

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  12. beach?! couldn't take it, huh? hee hee! well, i look forward to seeing your shots, but honestly, i'll probably find the tree limbs and mushrooms just as beautiful. enjoy the warmth!

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  13. Because I have had friends saddened and disappointed that their photos have recently been stolen online, I vote for you watermarking yours, beth. You have such amazing professional photos, that I'd hate to see you upset to find them with someone else's name on them next week.

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  14. Never ever enough forest photos.
    And this whole photo ( and words ) stealing thing goes away if I ignore it right? I don't like watermarks, have never considered using them because my photos are meh, but I do use the high res images and maybe I could at least stop doing that? I've wondered about it in terms of words. Again, not that I have real cause for concern, but still.

    Hopefully we are all looking out for each other and through the six degrees of separation thing there is some protection and awareness in that.

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  15. First off...photos amazing! More beauty of nature..please.

    I am beginning to upload my photos in a smaller jpg so that they can't be enlarged (I did it also so that I don't use up all the picasa space limit before I have to pay for more space). It never occurred to me that someone could indeed steal my photos. Now I want to go back and painstakingly reduce all my photos sizes. I wonder how long that would take?

    I've been using picnik for applying text to my images on one of my blogs and though it takes some time to do I am getting better at it.

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  16. I am conflicted about the watermark issue. I used to watermark all mine, but I really felt it spoiled the "viewing pleasure" (if that doesn't sound too conceited) of everyone else, just incase some horrid person might want to steal the picture. It also felt arrogant, as if I assumed my photos were worth being stolen. I don't think they are ... but even if they were, I don't know that having one stolen matters more than putting trust and "beauty" out into the universe. Maybe I'd feel differently if it actually happened to me.

    Also, the only way to truly prevent theft is to stick a watermark right over the whole image - and then what's the point of even having the image at all? I could easily clone out the watermark you have on these photos.

    It's definitely an interesting subject for thought.

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  17. Took a jelly fish photo on the beach and it was so disgusting I had to cancel it. But love your closeups. What type camera do you use.

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  18. Gorgeous photos like yours probably need to be watermarked. My run of the mill ones, not so much. LOL. I am PATIENTLY waiting for the beach photos..... I can never see too many beach pics.

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  19. I watermark everything I put on the web...but it's easy enough to clone or patch out. For the past few years I have been uploading low res files...I won't put anything out on the web that is over 600x900 (and even that might be too big!!!). And someone stealing photos and printing them and putting them in a gallery...HOLY CRAP! That is bold...and I hope karma will straighten that out!

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  20. You should water mark them if it gives you peace. Sometimes people get pictures and don't realize they shouldn't. It might be just a 'misfortune' of someone not knowing the rules.

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  21. Lovely photographs and words accompanying them. I believe that I would find anything interesting on the beach.

    None of my photographs are very good, but you are absolutely correct. I think that I'll try to watermark mine, but really don't know how. I have a friend who knows. I'll ask her.

    Love the blog!
    Joey

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  22. I do watermark, but if someone wants to steal, they are going to. A watermark doesn't have a chance against Photoshop. Once you put something out in cyberspace it, unfortunately, becomes fair game.

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  23. I don't watermark my images because I think it detracts from the viewing pleasure but I can understand the issue of stealing and how upsetting it can be. I think if people are going to steal they are going to do it whether an image contains a watermark or not, I just try to counteract that by only uploading low resolution images.

    Loving the forest images. Gorgeous.

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  24. How do I watermark my photos?
    Well, I must say that I'm loving the woodsy shots! Have fun.

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  25. love the photos as always; your watermark looks nice. it would tick me off to no end if someone stole my work.... did that happen to you? may very bad karma follow that person forever..... or at least until they cry uncle and repent....

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  26. I love your photos, I think it is horrible that someone would frame them and put them in a gallery in his hometown....I don't watermark but my photos are not the calibre of others.
    have fun, always love your nature shots. hugs.

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  27. your woodsy world is a wonder:)

    soak up that ocean breeze
    and sunshine
    ....I look forward to the share!

    watermarking, huh.
    wow. never thunk of such a thing.
    dang.

    wallow in your wintertime intermission,
    Jen

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  28. UMMMM i would be...honest to goodness pissed. please tell me this didnt happen to you????

    I LOVE these photo's by the way...gorgeous bokeh!

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  29. wow, good question... not sure how you'd ever find out if your pics were stolen. food for thought for me, thx

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  30. Great question, and individual as to the answer, I think. I never watermark my images.. but I'm not a proffesional either. It would suck if someone stole the image for commercial use, but I really don't like the wording on the images , I find it distracting. If someone is going to steal my images, that sucks, but so be it. But I'm not trying to make money with this either.. you are a professional and that's a big difference.

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  31. I am so happy that you have gotten away to a nice warm place:) These photos are so beautiful! Your nature photography has really taken off! Can't wait to see your beachy views:)

    I have never taken my photography seriously enough to add a watermark but I certainly do consider it stealing for someone to take and use an image like that! Did that happen to you? I will have to look into the size of my online photos...to tell you the truth I don't even know what resolution they are or how to make them smaller:)

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  32. love love these photos Beth .. watermark debates have been around a long while haven't they! Seems I read somewhere that if you put the watermark on the edge of your photo all the thieves do is crop it off ...one really has to add it in the middle to stop a determined theif... sad..

    have a marvelous intermission!!

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  33. I'm very conflicted about the watermarking issue and of course I'd want credit for a photo that is mine.

    That said, I probably won't do it -- not because I don't think someone wouldn't want it (though sometimes I feel exactly that), but I don't like the look of it on the screen. And really, if someone was going to be creepy enough to steal almost any photo in this post, they could easily recrop and get the mark out.

    I guess I don't like to think of people as being that bad. And I don't want the extra hassle of it. But then, I'm not a professional photographer. If I was, I might feel differently.

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  34. Oh boy.
    I've been on the fence with this one for ages.
    I read all of these comments in hopes of being swayed in one direction so I could finally make a decision about it. But... I'm still on the fence.

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  35. I think it is a good idea to watermark, why not? and I usually only upload low res-versions.

    it is too bad that people take advantage of other artist's work, it's so wrong.

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  36. it's such a hard decision. i went to a class once, everyone had their photos watermarked. the photog teacher wiped a bit of photoshop over the corner and printed it out.- he said there is no safe way of watermarking your photo, unless it is through the faces or right through the middle with black bold marking... even then there are ways. it's a tough decision but i can never place my work photos on my blog or flickr. that is the only sure way, at least those won't be stolen.
    such a good topic.
    XO

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  37. I already answered the watermarking question, so I'll just say... beautiful woodsy photos!

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  38. I have no idea how I came to your site, just up late blog surfing and oh so glad I stopped in. You have an amazing talented eye for your craft. God creates the beauty and you have captured it so well. I am crazy for your rustic woodland photos especially the Lichen. Its my favorite to try and capture the detail.

    I do watermark but I also upload low res and not pictures of my best work. In the past have seen friends work on Etsy being sold. Its sad in many ways.

    I hope you will not mind if I tag-a-long and come swoon over your work from time to time.

    God bless.

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**I love reading the comments you leave, as they make me feel like we're sitting in my kitchen, having a cup of tea, discussing life and wondering where all the time has gone ...beth