Preventing Image theft is impossible but how do we show our best?

Just to open the discussion, how about using a modest image size supplemented by 100% cutouts.

100% cutouts are simply small portions of the image, say an eye or the right side of a lip or the dial of a wrist watch where one copies all the pixels of that region before any reduction in image size, from the full original file. This small sample needs to be say 400 to say 600 pixels wide and can totally explain and describe any qualities of the image that people would be interesting in knowing about. However, since you only post a modest image file of the entire image, in the first place, say 400-700 pixels wide, no one can get hold of a good enough copy of your work for publishing printwork!

Now what is your approach?

Asher

Searched

Asher,

After having a whole event copied and stolen (by a "friend" who was supposed to buy the prints and confessed otherwise) I moved to SmugMug and have a Pro Account. I am sure there is someway to combat my effors - I watermark all the images (too small really to be useful) and can right click protect so a message comes out, keep the images from being linked to other sites, and can keep them all thumbnails or choose what size to display them.. What all that means is that I have also created a separate directory for sharing my images here and elsewhere that is not visible on the website. It's not perfect at all, but, at least no one is wholesale copying an entire gallery to steal. Happens to all the wedding pros.

Kathy,

How can someone get useful files from what you show online? What size were the images stolen?

Asher

Asher Kelman said:

Just to open the discussion, how about using a modest image size supplemented by 100% cutouts.

Click to expand...

This is pretty much what I do when I post something to a forum and when the detail is interesting.

On my website, I usually just post a small image with a copyright notice along the edge that blends into the background. I don't like watermarks on the image. If I send someone a high resolution image, I'll include a copyright notice in the embedded image info.

As for the situation with wedding shooters, I wouldn't be surprised if people printed out web-sized images on their office printers on copier paper to send to the family instead of buying prints. Even though the difference in quality is glaring when seen side-by-side, not to mention archival stability, many people just don't think about these things and are a bit blinded by the gee whiz factor that they can download an image and make their own print. I certainly have family members who do this when I send them family pictures via e-mail or on the web. If I discover that they really want prints to put in an album, I'll make them for them, but I'm not entirely sure they know the difference.

Asher, Sadly if you know what you are doing a 640x480 image can easily be printed as an 8x10 there will just not be high detail.

In the days of the Apple Quick-Take this was the standard output and I had no problem printing 8x10s just alittle PS magic.

Prints - not!

I was told that they were on her computer for slideshow viewing. And yes, she did print an 8x10 at the local drugstore.

"Paranoia strikes deep."

The only sure way to prevent someone from "stealing" your images is simply to never show them to anyone in any form. It's that simple.

Short of such an extreme approach you will eventually have to relinquish some of your anxieties in exchange for using your photography to interact with the world. Let's be honest. Relatively few camera owners rely on their photography for income. It's a hobby, often a social hobby. So keep your perspective before you let "paranoia strike deep".

An addendum:

Of course if, like Kathy, you DO rely on your photos for income I would recommend using a vending machine archive, such as Photo Shelter or Digital Railroad, or using a Flash-based presentation format which makes image theft a bit more challenging.

Alternatively, if you only display your work in galleries and only offer tiny samples online you're probably relatively safe, too. (Although you may also be relatively obscure.)

Personally, much of my "professional" work is for publication. As such I work with professional book designers and publishers whom I absolutely trust handling my full-res imagery. Heck, the publisher I most recently worked with also published "Andreas Gursky", so I don't think they'd be keen to swipe my stuff.

The dilemma of Photographer's With Fantastic Prints!

Ken Tanaka said:

.........ou will eventually have to relinquish some of your anxieties in exchange for using your photography to interact with the world. L

Click to expand...

Ken,

I think you have boiled down the dilemma to its essence. I believe that one of the functions of art is indeed to externalize our own imagination and view of things in an impressive way and then let others enjoy it. Before photography, if you wanted an artist's work, you had to visit a home. a gallery or buy it.


Asher

Kathy,

Today, anyone can slide your image to their own computer. "Flash" does help protect against those who would steal them. These people likely would never have purchased anyway. Even with wedding photographers, the proof pictures get copied. My son did it. He had no money but had a great scanner. He's a whiz at photoshop and spent time and superb skill to produce an album for me far better than the original images. I was amazed and felt bad for the photographer. On the good side, the photographer is in the real world and gets his fee, which is front end loaded, "up front" so the pictures were pretty well paid for in advance.

For a wedding pro, I's suggest a slide show immediately after the wedding, say 2 days later, when the family are all excited and thinking of grandchildren. Then one can sell them albums! Not only that, if they order the albums in that time period, they get a 25% discount! So that is a marketing issue and requires the same skill as taking the pictures. If one has samples, then one has selling tools. So that is where one can make sure one gets sales.

As time goes on, the couple return, the others with cameras send each other pictures, the need for the photographer's prints decreases. It becomes part of history.

Asher

Less WEddings and more portraits

Somehow the G-ds are seeing that I do more portrait work than wedding work which is just fine with me. For portraits, the model is no online galleries. The marketing trend is to only show them in person via slideshow using a projector. Bigger images result in larger volume sales. Larger net profit with frame and canvas prints can result than with a labor intense wedding and album. A portrait shoot takes a few hours - Weddings can be multiday affairs. I'd be happy to have either! Today, a 60th birthday party.