What do you do to keep people from stealing your images?  Jim Goldstein has a fun (albeit incendiary for the audience) post up today.  The concept of free images on the internet isn’t new in 2009, nor do I think it’ll ever end.  I mention in his comments that I think it comes down to apathy, but it probably goes further than that.

So pardon me as I meander with my thoughts.

First, I think that it’s not so much apathy as economic apathy.  The price is generally low (online, at least), and the photographer has to go through incredible effort to collect.  In most cases, I’d wager that photographers don’t go through the effort.  How many hours of work to collect fifty bucks? I’m guessing that few victims call out the theives, so it’s worth it to try.

A second thought, which may or may not have anything to do with Gary Crabbe’s experience: without knowing the company that infringed him, I wonder if it might not have been relatively innocent.  A young developer trying to stand out snags an excellent pic & hopes she/he doesn’t get caught.  Now that person is in hot water.  Good, but worth destroying someone’s life (in the short run) for a few bucks?  Possibly – in my mid-thirties I’d probably press the claim out of principle.  Ten years ago, probably not.

I suppose I’m less empathetic now.

Third, and finally: it made me think about embedding copyrights in images.  You’ll notice that I put them there, but I keep them extremely low-key.  The problem I have is that they detract from the images.  Look at Jim’s new logo (all over his main gallery site).  It’s huge!  Contrast that with Trey Parker, who never puts an embedded copyright in his images.

I think I kinda lean in Trey’s direction, but I really really don’t like theft.  Ultimately it means less high-end photography for me to enjoy.

My family is a funny group.  We’re all individuals (oh man, are we ever!), and we have our own personalities. I’m the one who’s always been a little off-kilter when it came to photographs.  At parties with friends & family, I’m the “ninja photographer” – the one who takes photos when you’re not expecting it.  I’ve been that way since I first had access to a camera.

Then there’s my brother, Jason.  A physicist by day, official press of the bay-area indy film circuit by night (seriously, he has press passes to some of the festivals).  When he’s not resolving the complexities of time & space, he’s doing what he does: watching movies (nice original title, bro).

I don’t want to say that he’s not big on photography.  His work in physics has involved gamma-ray cameras, but you’ll notice that he only uses a camera phone on his site.  He’s just not that big on most photos.  At one time he used to have a camera & took a lot of photos.  Then at one point he just decided that they were bad: people took pictures so they wouldn’t have to remember.  He wanted to remember, so he wouldn’t take any more pictures.

Well, that’s kind it.  And at the time, I thought “bullpucky.”  I mean, pictures help you to remember, right?

Wrong.

I’m not the first to suggest this, but it’s really hit home lately: pictures, the snapshot that we take at vacations & family gatherings – they tend to replace memories.  I look at my pictures of my daughter – she’s always happy, smiling, running.  Is that her? Partly, but not entirely.  She’s also strong-willed, insistent, fearless, and prone to sullen tantrums to get her ice cream now,dammit.  But even now, I look back to her old photos & only see her happy.

I suppose that’s a good memory, but it’s not the complete truth.

So consider that my rambling thought for today.