The internet and the onset of the digital age have opened up a whole new world in photography for professionals and hobbiest alike.  The ability and opportunity for the hobbiest to share their photographs with friends, family and other enthusiasts around the globe is a wonderful thing.  The opportunities afforded the professional to market their work to a much larger market has been great for the industry as a whole.  New doors are opening every day.  New ways of marketing photos and sharing an artist’s photographic vision are only limited be the creativity of the photographer.

But with every new advance, there is always someone out there who will try to take advantage.  Copyright infringement and out right theft of photographs have so become common, that the average person thinks it’s OK to use someone else’s image carte blanche, without a care in the world.  It is becoming all too common.

I guess it is to be expected of people not versed in copyright laws, the average Joe that just sees a photo the he likes and wants to show it off and share it.  This is understandable of a technology that is moving so fast and available to everyone.  We can write that off to ignorance.

A serious problem arises from a professional agency that should know better.

Case in point, a photographer found that one of his photographs was used as a display print in a prominent location in the Austin, Texas airport terminal.  The image was downloaded for his Flickr webpage and used by the Austin Tourism Bureau in the airport.

See the story at Trey Ratcliff’s blog http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/05/28/austin-airport-not-supporting-artists/

This poor guy had no idea that his photo was used.  Not only did he NOT get paid for the use of the image, he wasn’t even credited properly.  The Tourism Bureau claimed it was of NON-COMMERCIAL use and they could use it.  Yea, right.

If a Mom in Peoria wants to use a photo she found on the internet to throw in a scrap-book to illustrate her 5 year old’s school musical, that’s one thing.  I doubt there are too many photographers, even the most self-important pro, that would have issues with that.  But when an established photo buyer, like the Austin Tourism Bureau, downloads an image, spends money creating a display print, and displays it in a heavy traffic area to ‘advertise’ the beauty of their town, that is not only unethical, it is criminal.

As an aspiring professional, I am conflicted.  Should I take advantage of the opportunity that the internet affords us to market our work, or do I hold back, worrying that one of my images will be pirated to make someone money without even the benefit of asking me if they can use it.  It’s awfully tough to try and make a living creating photographs when someone steals it and uses it as they see fit without throwing some coins my way for the effort.

People will always take and use photographs for their personal use.  Hell, growing up I had magazine photos of basketball players posted all over my wall.  It happens and will never change.  There is certainly no real harm in that.  But when we have people and businesses that know better, trying to beat the system, go the cheap route and leave the artist out in the cold, we will all suffer.