Posting Photography Online?

[Nonnavlis]

I've really been wanting to build an online portfolio of some-sort for awhile now (And possibly eventually move to selling prints, but that's a whole other issue), but I'm super worried that if I start posting my photos online, someone is going to take them. I considered using my DeviantArt, but I figure what with it being a whole site dedicated to art and photography, it really isn't terribly 'safe' if I don't want my shots pilfered.

So, I'm curious, do any of you all have online portfolios? What precautions do you take to protect your images? Do you think they are a safe way to display your work? Really I'd love to know any of your thoughts on the subject (And also see your galleries, for sure).

[Taxel]

I used to use dA, but I stopped a while back. No one commented, favorited, or looked at my photos so it was more trouble than it was worth. I now have a Shutterfly website for my pony/doll collections, and I really love it. Here is my site.

However I don't post any serious non-pony/doll photos online. I don't want them being stolen (I don't want my pony/doll ones getting stolen either, but I love to share my art). I don't think there's any way to make your art completely safe. If someone cares enough they can remove watermarks and screenshots can always be taken etc. Though I won't even pretend to know a lot about the subject, as I've never researched it or anything.

Though last I heard you should never upload art you care about to Facebook, unless they changed their ToS. I don't care enough about FB to keep up with that.

[Nonnavlis]

I could honestly care less if people look or not . Anything I do is for me. That's really to bad nobody stopped to look over your photos, though. I really love them. Pony photos with moody lighting are my favourite.

I have heard of Shutterfly, but have never seen it before. It looks interesting, though a little less... I guess the word would be streamlined, than I would like (That's minor, though). Can you redesign it's appearance like a regular webpage?

I agree completely. Thus far I as well have only posted what I consider to be 'play' photos. I'm to nervous to upload my proudest shots. I don't think there's a 'catch-all' for protecting against art theft either, and expect I may have to deal with it, I just want to lessen my chances.

Facebook has changed their ToS, but yeah, I would never support them.

[Koudoawaia]

If you're worried about someone stealing your photos, sign and watermark each one. That way even if someone steals it, everybody will know it's yours and not theirs. The watermarks is especially important for that. This relates to drawings but when somebody stole a picture I'd drawn for my mom, they'd been able to remove my signature but not the watermark. That was still there. So make sure you do watermark everything.

[Taxel]

I don't care *that* much, like it won't stop me from taking photos, but uploading to dA is a huge pain in the rear. It takes forever, so I decided if no one cared I wasn't gonna waste my time. xD

I'm not sure if you can do custom CSS/HTML, but you can change the page layouts pretty easily. They've got a lot of content display types and whatnot, so that's nice. It is kind of limiting, but its much better than Webs (which I was using for my pony site before) because its designed for photos. Though I imagine if you did your own coding or used layouts you like or something Webs would be fine, I just didn't feel up to that.

I've heard that in your lifetime (30 years after maybe?) you loose the right to your work, unless you get a copyright or something if its possible? I honestly know next to nothing about this, but I read an article where someone famous stole a photo from a man on Flickr but he took it 40 years ago so nothing happened to the thief? I dunno, but that really made me more paranoid. A lot of my best work has been online for years already though (writing and photography). Nothing I can do now.

Oh really? That's good. But yeah, I'd never make a photography FB. Or a Flickr or public Photobucket or anything like that. People think they have the right to take whatever they want just because its online, and photography tends to get no respect because its "just a picture" and "anyone could take it" etc. XP If dA had a mass delete option I'd remove all my photography, but deleting things is a HUGE pain there.

[Stuntmang]

I could honestly care less if people look or not . Anything I do is for me. That's really to bad nobody stopped to look over your photos, though. I really love them. Pony photos with moody lighting are my favourite.

I have heard of Shutterfly, but have never seen it before. It looks interesting, though a little less... I guess the word would be streamlined, than I would like (That's minor, though). Can you redesign it's appearance like a regular webpage?

I agree completely. Thus far I as well have only posted what I consider to be 'play' photos. I'm to nervous to upload my proudest shots. I don't think there's a 'catch-all' for protecting against art theft either, and expect I may have to deal with it, I just want to lessen my chances.

Facebook has changed their ToS, but yeah, I would never support them.

Ugh, my mind is elsewhere today. You have no idea what I initially interpreted "play photo" as.
Your best protection is unobtrusive watermarking and Creative Commons. Creative Commons is basically saying "it's cool if you use my work for noncommercial purposes, just make sure to give me credit for it." If you give people who would have originally stolen your photo the option of legally using it, you both get more exposure (due to the "give credit" part) and less theft.

[Taxel]

If someone was going to steal a photo from you, I highly doubt they're going to link back to your work just because you ask. If someone wants to steal something, they will.

[Stuntmang]

If someone was going to steal a photo from you, I highly doubt they're going to link back to your work just because you ask. If someone wants to steal something, they will.

Key word: Was. Putting it out there for people available to use makes people that would steal it are much more likely to give you credit. Remember that stealing is how a lot of great artists got started, and remember that most people don't steal to be malicious, they just want to use your work. Giving them a proper avenue to do so makes it so they'll use that avenue.

[Nonnavlis]

If you're worried about someone stealing your photos, sign and watermark each one. That way even if someone steals it, everybody will know it's yours and not theirs. The watermarks is especially important for that. This relates to drawings but when somebody stole a picture I'd drawn for my mom, they'd been able to remove my signature but not the watermark. That was still there. So make sure you do watermark everything.

I do intend to do so, but thank you for the re-assurance. I am sorry to hear someone stole your picture (Especially such a special picture) but it is good they were not clever enough to remove your mark.

I don't care *that* much, like it won't stop me from taking photos, but uploading to dA is a huge pain in the rear. It takes forever, so I decided if no one cared I wasn't gonna waste my time. xD

I'm not sure if you can do custom CSS/HTML, but you can change the page layouts pretty easily. They've got a lot of content display types and whatnot, so that's nice. It is kind of limiting, but its much better than Webs (which I was using for my pony site before) because its designed for photos. Though I imagine if you did your own coding or used layouts you like or something Webs would be fine, I just didn't feel up to that.

I've heard that in your lifetime (30 years after maybe?) you loose the right to your work, unless you get a copyright or something if its possible? I honestly know next to nothing about this, but I read an article where someone famous stole a photo from a man on Flickr but he took it 40 years ago so nothing happened to the thief? I dunno, but that really made me more paranoid. A lot of my best work has been online for years already though (writing and photography). Nothing I can do now.

Oh really? That's good. But yeah, I'd never make a photography FB. Or a Flickr or public Photobucket or anything like that. People think they have the right to take whatever they want just because its online, and photography tends to get no respect because its "just a picture" and "anyone could take it" etc. XP If dA had a mass delete option I'd remove all my photography, but deleting things is a HUGE pain there.

Very true, it is an extremely slow load.

If it's got other layouts and such, that's all I'm after. I've battled with code before and I'm just... my mind is no longer willing . I can't say I'm crazy over there ToS either, but I guess I'm going to have to bow down and accept a few displeasing terms no matter what I do on the internet.

Well that's... terrifying. I'm going to have to look into that. I would hope it was something of a special case involving Flickrs ToS, but yeah, that's really scary.

Ugh, no, me neither. I don't know what it is about those sites but people seem to think they can abuse them however they like. I definitely agree photos get no respect, which is just sad

You can de-activate your account, which would remove the pictures, but you would not be able to use it anymore.

Ugh, my mind is elsewhere today. You have no idea what I initially interpreted "play photo" as.
Your best protection is unobtrusive watermarking and Creative Commons. Creative Commons is basically saying "it's cool if you use my work for noncommercial purposes, just make sure to give me credit for it." If you give people who would have originally stolen your photo the option of legally using it, you both get more exposure (due to the "give credit" part) and less theft.

Oh dear!  Sorry Stuntmag, that wasn't my intention at all.

That's actually a really good idea for the Creative Commons, though for the moment I don't think I'd be alright with that. But, I can see how it would work. I will have to consider it.

[kaoskat]

You seem to have gotten some great advice! Best of luck with your photography!

[Sonata]

Your photos can be stolen from anywhere once on the web, really. I use the watermark deviantART has and always sign my stuff. I also have my own website, on which I use the images directly from deviantART. That way, they will still have the watermark. Watermarks can be a fit annoying, but they are the best you can get, I guess.

[DoctorMowinckel]

Watermarks or exif data. All of my pictures have exif data intact that says 'Copyright Edward Mowinckel', I used to watermark them, but after a few professional photographers said they don't watermark 'cause it takes away from the shot, I looked over my portfolio, and they were right. It does take away from the shot.

You want people to see your pictures, trying to restrict them or discourage people from sharing them is bad business. There's no such thing as bad press. If someone ganks one your shots, posts it to Reddit, it makes it pretty far up on the front pages, and there's no credit, that's a good thing, that's still a ton of eyes on your work. If someone goes to your portfolio, and sees that picture, they'll go 'Oh, I recognize this!'.

Don't worry about it. Put your work out there. Let people see it. It's never a bad thing to get more eyes on your pictures. You have to decide if you want to watermark your shots, or just use exif data, but never think people looking at your shots is a bad thing.

[melodys_angel]

You know you can watermark them in a way where it looks incorporated and meant to be^^

Theres also some html code that you can implement that will activate when someone tries to right click on your pictures

[Phekzhen]

There's nothing you can do to prevent people stealing your work short of not posting it online. You CAN post a large watermark over it, that way if it's taken, it's obviously yours, and it can't be photoshopped out.  Photography companies, like the ones that do senior pictures, do this, so the only way to get unedited ones is to pay for them to print them for you.

Flickr is pretty professional, and it doesn't let you directly save the images as image files. You could try Tumblr as well.

[Stuntmang]

You know you can watermark them in a way where it looks incorporated and meant to be^^

Theres also some html code that you can implement that will activate when someone tries to right click on your pictures

Said HTML code doesn't help, though. You can still grab the image directly from the source or do a screencapture of it.