Artistic Photography and Social Networking

Artistic Photography is where photography is used as a mean of artistic expression or to achieve enlightenment, social commentary or other ideological themes. Many new DSLR owners are quite interested about Artistic Photography with digital photography, the major reason is the easy to achieve artistic effects with a digital file – Adobe Photoshop is the Digital Darkroom in case of DSLR Photography.

Artistic Photography and Social Networking : Introduction

In general, in the artistic photography the photo is referred to as fine art and demands to interpreted in the way of a fine art. According to this definition, photos are not always away from the truth, but it is the interpretation of a moment. Such artistic photos are usually a part of the so-called series. The consideration of the entire series, rather than a single work can facilitate the detection of the intended statement. In artistic photography, the artist’s creativity knows no bounds.

Artistic photography are at least partially has the following divisions :

1. Documentary
2. Featured
3. Portrait
4. Industrial
5. Architectural
6. Advertising
7. Nature
8. Landscape
9. Experimental photography
10. Documentation and photographic interpretation
11. Nude Photography

Artistic Photography in Modern Era

In the era of digital communication, Flickr, deviantArt and other photo community including non-photo related social networks like Pinterest, Facebook, various forums, Google Plus has been important to become “famous”. The websites which straight forwardly are for Artistic Photography like Flicker, deviantArt enables to use custom hard-coded logo, gives the chance to use various copyright in few clicks, also some websites can act as a marketplace to sell the usage rights by the buyer.

Flickr and deviantArt are communities with full of innocent fun and are often useful, but with the times we live can also be harbingers of dangers or half disappointments, especially to the detrimental type of the non-photography users who are more uninformed and therefore more gullible. The online availability of hundreds of thousands of new pictures every day, makes these database stores very interesting for a new category of “pirates”, the freeloaders of images.

It is those who go around on the internet in search of photographs is better if “free”. It is a heterogeneous group, composed for the part that interests us by so-called journalists, graphic publishing, advertising medias, photo editor, or more sifting through the network for files, often regardless of the nature of the license associated with each image. It is a malpractice and so widespread that it is hard to find on the web.

Well, only because of our awareness on the subject, we were able to curb the improper use of a series of photographs by media groups, newspapers and agencies. Hanging out on the Internet we have found no trace of dozens of similar cases related with the detrimental users. The absurd thing is that, it is largely non-professional, amateur photographers who would willingly granted permission to publish almost certainly even free if only they had been contacted in some way. Although this represents a problem that long run for professionals, in fact, this kind of photographers usually satisfied with the glory or the receivables.

Artistic Photography and Social Networking : The mandatory carefulness

Although the philosophy of Open Source, Free Software Foundation and Creative Commons is intelligent and charming, those who share their photo collections online and believes that they are potentially interesting in the eyes of freeloaders, would in our opinion very well to always opt for the formula of Copyright. Nothing and no one forbids it to give free of charge through a special release where also the images protected by copyright, as well as there is nothing to do and no one can escape the effect of your legal action in the event of fraudulent or unauthorized use of the same photographs. If someone uses an image for commercial purposes without being covered by copyright law, it will be easier to hold to account than it does with the various formulas of Creative Commons licenses, created with the intention for protection.

First it begins with reading the Privacy Policy, Rights on the third party Social Media. The case of deviantArt is fully different than Flicker. But both are fully different from the legal disclaimers set by the social media like Facebook, Google Plus etc. Facebook is the primary place and target of the art stealing group, whether the usage is personal and innocent or personal and perverted or full commercial.

It is not difficult to find a local company of lowest GDP (PPP) is using a good quality photo of my sister which is of higher quality and resolution. It is an example situation and actually closer case happened. A local company who manufactures soap will not hesitate to use my Sister’s Photography from Timeline (as it is of bigger size) to make her a model for their product specially in the Country’s where the value of Copyright or scope of DMCA is less. It is quite easy to enforce the copyright laws in U.S. or India, furthermore they have good administrative relationship; it is difficult to steal a photograph by an US citizen from an Indian Photographer or vice versa due to various reasons. But the situation is difficult where the countries do not fall under Commonwealth countries or any similar specific group. So the required steps specifically for Facebook are (As Google is very careful about Legal Rights, Provides the DMCA service free of cost) :

1. Know the scope of DMCA, it is the same like of removing scrapped content.
2. Using graphical image instead of non Edited photographs in timelines
3. Using images of lower quality to share
4. Publishing images in the Artistic Photography related Social Network like deviantArt first (to get the CC License) and publish in Facebook like media giving a link to the art on the first website.
5. Or, to take Copyright of the work first without publishing anywhere.
6. Or, to publish on own domain with clear cut legal notice like our website (see the footer linked webpages)

 
You can personally contact me if you are in trouble using the Contact Us form. Definitely read the Security Tips for Facebook. By the way, Facebook, Google Plus has algorithm for face detection and Facebook can use your Photograph irrespective of Copyright (read their legal disclaimers).