If you’re a big-name photographer with a staff and legal resources, you turn this over to the lawyers. But for most of us, that’s probably not the best approach. Here’s my own story.

In April, I noticed a ping from a New York-based commercial website that had (poorly) incorporated one of the images from my smoke-photography tutorial into a page selling, among other things, a bunny bank and a stress ball. There was a visual theme, but it was clearly slapped together clearly and thoughtlessly, as might be expected from a company that would steal images from photographers’ blogs.

So I mulled my options. I could simply ignore the infraction and consider the link back to my site sufficient; or I could email the site owners demanding the image’s removal; or I could skewer them on photography forums or my own blog, perhaps creating a tsunami of photographer indignation that would shame them into better (and legal!) behavior.

Instead, I sent them an invoice. I set a modest but significant fee, included a limited license for online use of the image, and emailed the invoice to them with a polite note. Who knows… maybe they’d pay it. Or maybe it would compel them to remove the image. Either result would work for me.

Curiously, I got a quick response to my email

I am very sorry for having used your image without your notice. We were under the impression that crediting an artist and their site would be sufficient means for citation. We can remove your image from our blog by the end of the day.

So what they’re saying is: We thought we could steal your photo, and if we acknowledged who we stole it from, you’d be good with that.

Is it okay to steal your neighbor’s car if you put a sign in the window with the real owner’s name and phone number?

Is it okay to steal a song from a musician’s website and use it as the soundtrack to a TV ad without compensating the musician?

Jeesh.

If you’re suffering from any confusion, the simple fact is that photographs are the legal property of the photographer, period. The photographer can allow others to use their images, through licensing (contracts, Creative Commons) or by selling the images outright. Or they can allow them to be used by neglect, by posting them online and and not minding if they’re stolen.

I will license my photos. But I won’t allow them to be stolen. Particularly when bad graphic design makes it look like a bunny is on fire.

Downtown Seattle from Century Link Field

iPhone photo of downtown Seattle, Washington, from the 300 level of Century Link Field. Tweaked in Photoshop using the “faded glory” adjustment in Topaz Adjust. I kinda like the washed watercolor effect with the evening light…

Clothing

•     Wear clothes in which you feel comfortable.
•     Keep the tonal range of clothing in the same group; don’t mix lights & darks in the same outfit. Solid colors generally work best.
•     Dark to medium colors will help to make you look thin and work well with dark backgrounds.
•      Medium to light colors look the best on lighter colored backgrounds.
•     Earth tones are good for outdoor portraits.
•     Be sure the clothes you select fit properly; loose clothing may make you look larger, while tight clothing can bulge or distort.
•     Bring several outfits; coordinate your outfit from head to toe. Bring all clothes on hangers. Be sure clothes are not wrinkled.
•     Select 2-3 complementing solid colors; avoid large prints, stripes, busy patterns and bright colors.
•     A black shirt or top is often a good choice.
•     Bring appropriate shoes, socks and a belt (if appropriate) for each outfit.
•     If you plan to wear a tie, bring an appropriate jacket or business suit.
•     For executive portraits, be sure your clothes are appropriate for your type of work and clothes are clean and pressed. Men may wish to bring multiple ties; women may wish to bring multiple accessories.
•     Each person in a group portrait should be dressed in a similar color or tonal range.

Hair and Jewelry

•      Bring appropriate jewelry for each outfit, but keep jewelry simple and to a minimum; you are the focus of the portrait, not your jewelry.
•     Wear your hair in your normal style.
•     Do not change your hairstyle immediately before your portrait session; schedule your haircut/styling a week before your portrait session.
•     Neatly trim your beard/mustache, or have a good clean shave a couple hours before the photo shoot.
•     Bring any hair care/styling products that might be needed for touch-up.

Skin, Make-up, Etc.

•     Avoid sunburn and tan lines.
•     Minor blemishes and scars usually can be removed in the retouching process.
•     Women keep make-up simple and natural; avoid makeup with sparkles. You may want to bring your makeup to the session.
•     Your nails will show in some portraits. Be sure fingernails and toenails are clean and polished.
•     If you wear glasses, wear them. Keep in mind, that the highly reflective nature of glasses can create some problems, so you may want some images without the glasses as well, though your photographer can work with you to minimize any reflections or distractions caused by the glasses. If available, an identical set of frames without glass is great!
•     If the shoot is on location, be sure to bring a small mirror.

Your photographer should point out any issues with your hair or clothing, but unless the shoot includes a stylist, fixing these issues will be your responsibility.

Finally, be sure to choose a photographer with whom you feel comfortable. Talk to them about their style, get a feel for their personality, and look at their portfolio to get a feel for their vision. Share with the photographer your ideas, or other portraits that you really like. Be sure all the business details — including price, timing, props, locations, photo delivery, etc. — are clear before the shoot.

With all of that taken care of both you and the photographer can concentrate on getting the best images without distraction. Relax, be yourself, and let your personality shine through the images. In the end, that’s what all this is about!

After a Photomatix bath, a Photoshop toweling off, and a little Topaz Adjust Spicify lotion...

I was organizing some old photos this morning, and recalling a digital processing technique detailed by Rick Sammon in his book HDR Photography Secrets for Digital Photographers.

 The secret in question is processing a drab photo using Photomatix and Photoshop and Topaz Adjust (Spicify!) to increase color, contrast, and general interestingness. And I gotta say, I’m pretty sold on the results. I won’t detail every minute step here, but compare the photo above with the original unprocessed image below, and I think you’ll notice a difference. Note that I did shoot the original in RAW, so there was more info to work with, but such processing can even improve JPG images. And I’ll admit that I didn’t spend a lot of time on this image and am not completely satisfied (halo, chromatic abberation), but I wanted to show the dramatic difference possible with a few simple tools.

Makes me wonder what other diamonds in the rough are in my hard drive, just waiting for a nice polishing…

Original, unprocessed image

House A is a 4,000+ square foot rambler tucked into the woods south of town, adjacent to a wildlife refuge upon which a herd of elk grazed blissfully under a cold winter sun. Just three years old, it was built with great attention to detail (a tub that fills from the ceiling?!?), and is bright, spacious, and perfect for entertaining, particularly if you have a lot of friends to entertain.

House B is just out of downtown Olympia, in a quiet westside neighborhood. In the back yard of a modest home is a cute little house that you could be forgiven for initially considering to be  a garden shed. It’s from a design by Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, and is built on a trailer chassis. So technically, yes, it’s a mobile home. While tiny, it has in common with House A a keen attention to detail, gracefully squeezing into it’s tiny footprint a kitchen, toilet, living space, closet, storage, and a sleeping loft, all illuminated by plentiful windows and two skylights.

Because it’s fun, because it may make you think about what you need to live and where you may fall on the continuum between extravagant and simple, and because I’ve yet to completely understand the universe’s lessons for me in this curious juxtaposition, I present without further comment images from the two homes.

Kitchen:

Bedroom:

Bathroom:

Interior:

Living: