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My Reasons for Offering Some of My Photos Through a Creative Commons License

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 20:56:42 -0500

When I first began posting my photos online I did so without thought to anybody stealing them. Soon I became aware of the potential for theft, but I wasn’t too concerned about it. I didn’t post anything that would be a huge loss to me and though I hate to think of my children’s portraits ending up in the wrong hands, I enjoyed sharing my photos with family and friends - just like so many other people do. Was I going to be paranoid about it or realize that the risk was minimal when you consider the volume of photos available on the Internet?
Then began the inkling of a thought - I wanted to do more with my photos and perhaps offer my services for payment. This still seems like a pipe dream, especially when you consider the countless number of photographers to emerge since digital photography became popular. But then I thought, if everyone else does it, why don’t I try it too? I’m not trying to create a full-time career. I’ve got nothing to lose.
But losing my photographs without any attribution becomes a problem now. If I want to make a name for myself, I would prefer to have credit where credit is due. As long as I post photos on the Internet, there is no way to assure that won’t happen, but there are a few things that will make it harder. As I mentioned before, I am using smaller, low-res photos on my blog. People may still be able to lift them, but at least I know they aren’t getting the a great quality image. I am also putting a watermark on my photos. The best kind of watermark should be much larger and go across the middle of the image, but I don’t like how distracting that looks. (After all, part of the reason I have this blog is to showcase my images.) My watermark is smaller, and sure, someone savvy might be able to clone it out, but for the average person who doesn’t realize that lifting photos is unethical, it might dissuade them. Or perhaps if they use it with the logo, at least I’m getting the credit.
When I opened my online shop, I considered canceling my Flickr account. I love Flickr, but I don’t have time to participate in the groups and other photo-sharing opportunities like I used to. (There are ways to connect with other photographers on SmugMug too, and, unfortunately, I don’t have time for that either.) I did not have a watermark when I uploaded my photos to Flickr, nor did think much about downsizing the photo files. It would take too much time for me to do all of that now, so I have been thinking about a Creative Commons license for a while.
Reading this article about Creative Commons for photographers gave me the push I needed to learn more and apply the licenses to my photographs. Flickr makes applying the license easy with built-in tools on their site. First, I deleted all the photos I do not want to share under this license - mostly photos of my children, though I left a select few. Then I selected the license I wanted in my settings and applied it to my photographs.
I am using the most restrictive license Creative Commons offers. It requires that whoever uses my photos should give me credit (preferably with a link back to my work), it needs to be used only for non-commercial purposes, and they cannot change my work in any way. Having the license does not guarantee that people will follow the rules, but I am sure that people who do not follow the rules are probably going to steal my photos anyway.
The advantage of doing this is that now my photos will appear in search engines when people are looking for photos under the Creative Commons license. If my photos are used, it may generate more traffic to my photostream and website. It certainly doesn’t hurt to try it out for awhile.

If you’d like to take a look at my Flickr photos, click here. And tell me if you have any experience using Creative Commons or if you have an opinion about it?

Waiting for Spring

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 09:50:41 -0500

Article on Homeschooling in Atlanta

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 09:39:06 -0500

Thanks to someone who posted it on a homeschool e-mail list I belong to, I was able to read this informative article on Access Atlanta entitled, “Home schooling breeds new culture of learning.” It talks about how many Atlanta venues are offering homeschool days and discounts to homeschoolers. It also offers some nationwide and state statistics on homeschooling, which I found very interesting. I thought you might like to read it too.
Speaking of homeschooling, I have been wanting to write more about homeschooling on this blog. Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time. So please be patient with me. And tell me what you think about this article.

Click here to read the article.

College Tech Forum

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 16:41:18 -0500

If you or anyone you know likes technology, uses it, and sometimes buys it, you might be interested in my husband’s new blog and website, College Tech Forum. He has created it to assist faculty and students, but I think anyone will benefit from his recommendations. My husband is a computer geek, and he constantly listens to technology podcasts and reads about technology whenever possible. He keeps me updated on the latest gadgets to hit the market and the reviews that follow. Whenever possible, he finds an excuse to buy some new kind of gadget, and I have to say, we use it everyday.
The site is new, so there’s not much there yet. He’ll be adding more content as he has time, so you’ll want to check in periodically. If for nothing else, you might want to check out the photography on his site. Guess who’s providing it?

Click here to visit College Tech Forum

Puddle Fun

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:20:27 -0500

Note: This sneak peek has been added to this & my last post.

Three Years Old

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:57:41 -0500

Driving to the park today, Aidan gave me a running commentary:

“We’re going this way?” he asked.
“Yes, we can go two ways. We’ll go this way today. It’s pretty, isn’t it?” I said.
“Oh. These trees have flowers.” (Uh. Not exactly.) “Pretty. They’re pretty.”

“School buses!”
“Yes, school is getting out, and the children are going home now.”
“That bus is following us.”
“Well, we’re following it, and there is one behind us. It’s following us.”
“Yeah. We’re following the school bus.”

“Look at all the cars. Going slow.”
We come to a stoplight, and it turns green.
“Go! Go!”
“I can’t just go, Aidan.”
“Why are you going slow? All these cars. They could race. Race. Go!”
Pause.
“A police car!”
“Yeah,” I say. “A police car.”
“We’re going under a bridge.”

We arrive at the park, which is a park we’ve never been to before. I don’t see anybody from the parking lot.
“Where are we going?” he asks.
“I don’t know, Aidan. We’ll just walk around and see if we can find our friends.”
“Oh, okay.”

Signs of Winter

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:01:27 -0500

Crape Myrtle

Ben

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 09:59:00 -0500

Clementines

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:24:48 -0500

The William Harris Homestead Field Trip for Homeschoolers

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:23:13 -0500

All Georgia homeschoolers are invited to the following:

What: Take a tour through the William Harris Homestead to learn about the lives of Georgia’s early white settlers in the 19th century. The Homestead is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it boasts a log house, barn, smoke house, cemetery, natural spring, and other out buildings that are standing in their original places. Tour will take approximately two hours. Participants will be divided into four groups and rotated through four units as follows 1) log house with spinning wheel/loom demonstration, 2) the cellar, candle-making, herb garden and cemetery, 3) a Civil War interpreter will talk about daily life as a soldier, and 4) natural spring, a talk about the Native Americans who inhabited the area at the time, and a hay ride. For more details about the tour, click here.

When: Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Time: Arrive at 9:30a.m. to pay and be divided into four groups; tour starts at 10:00a.m. Please don’t be late! You must arrive in plenty of time to pay and get organized in order for the tour to start on time! Please also be aware that you will need to sign a waiver of liability, which will be handed out that morning.

Where: The Homestead is located off Highway 11 in Monroe, approximately three miles south of Hwy. 316. For a map, click here.

Cost: $9.00 per student 5 years and older; one accompanying adult is free; children under 5 are free. (Donations are always appreciated.) You must pay with cash or check and have the correct amount ready!! Make checks payable to The William Harris Homestead.

RSVP: shelli@mamaofletters.com No later than April 1, 2010. Let me know the number and ages of your party. Thanks! We must have a minimum of 60 paying students/adults for the tour to make. PLEASE SHOW UP IF YOU RSVP!

Wear comfortable shoes for walking. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy after the tour is over!

All ages are welcome! But please be aware that the log house and other areas on the Homestead are not baby proof! There are, however, many grassy areas that you can take children who may not have the patience to endure the whole field trip.

Again, PLEASE RSVP by April 1, 2010 and SHOW UP! We are counting on having at least 60 paying students/adults to make the tour go. If we don’t have 60, we may have to cancel.

In case of inclement weather, the tour will be postponed.

Please feel free to pass this information on to any interested homeschoolers. For questions and to RSVP, please e-mail me at shelli@mamaofletters.com (Though I appreciate comments on the blog, please e-mail me with questions! I may not be able to get in touch with you otherwise.)

The William Harris Homestead’s website is www.harrishomestead.com

Hope you can make it!
This is a great tour!