permission

Rugby Star Apologizes to Photog for Sharing Photo Without Permission

Typically, when a celebrity is called out for posting a photograph without permission, they lash out or deny any wrongdoing. It's so common we've almost come to expect it, which is why it's such a nice change of pace to hear that New Zealand Rugby star Sonny Bill Williams actually apologized to the photographer after having a photo pulled from Instagram for sharing it without permission.

Street Photography and Photographing Children

Imagine, you’re partaking in Pedestrian Sunday at Kensington Market on a sunny summer afternoon in Toronto, Canada, walking around with your Fuji X100F in hand looking for that Cartier-Bresson “decisive moment.” Suddenly you see a child leaning against a dilapidated, graffiti-splashed wall the likes of which would make Banksy nod in approval.

Taking Photos Without Consent is Like Unwanted Touching: SF Street Fair

Folsom Street Fair, the annual BSDM fair in San Francisco, upset photographers in 2016 with its "Ask First" campaign that asked photographers to receive permission before taking photos of people on the public streets of the fair. This year, the same event organizers have released a warning that compares taking photos without consent to sexual assault.

Did I Just Give My #Permission? Hashtag Consent for Photo Usage is Trending

The New York Times published an article about brands using user generated content (UGC) without explicit permission. When a woman named Shereen Way posted a photo of her daughter to Instagram with the hashtag #crocs, Crocs pulled the photo and posted it to their website with other user photos.

It was only much later that Crocs sought explicit permission from Ms. Way, which she declined. And how did they ask for permission? “Please respond with #CrocsOK.”

Crowdsourced Instagram Photos of Snowstorm Land on the Front Page of the New York Times

Yesterday's front page of the New York Times featured a story about the snow that has been falling on the Northeastern United States. Accompanying the article and dominating a large portion of the page were 9 Instagram photos of the snow as snapped by Times readers.

Poytner points out that this appears to have been the first time the New York Times published audience-submitted photographs on the front page of its printed newspaper.

Do the Right Thing…

This is a story about a spur of the moment idea that evolved into something beyond my original intent. It started this time last year when my good friend, Puck, threw an additional wedding ceremony and party here in the States for those of us who were unable to make it to Edinburgh, Scotland for her main event. Puck and I had agreed that I’d be shooting wedding portraits for her as my gift.

Anti-Theft Service Lenstag Can Now Help You Stop Gear AND Image Theft

We're big fans of anybody who helps to stop gear theft, and so naturally, we've always been big fans of the free service Lenstag. Initially unproven, the service made its first recovery a couple of months ago, and as its database of registered gear expands, it can only get better.

But Lenstag isn't just resting on its laurels and waiting for that moment to come, content with what it has achieved. No, the service is branching out with an awesome new feature that will help you keep track of unauthorized use of your images as well!

SyFy’s Heroes of Cosplay Show Accused of Copyright Infringement

Earlier this month, the Syfy channel -- which is owned by NBC Universal -- debuted a new show called Heroes of Cosplay. The show pits nine big-time cosplayers against one another as they try to make a name for themselves in this world of fantasy costume play.

It's a big show on a popular network that is backed by an even bigger company, so you can imagine how surprised photographer Bryan Humphrey was when he saw that the show has used his photos of some of these cosplayers without so much as asking permission or even notifying him -- and forget about payment.

Photographer Gets DKNY To Pay $25K to the YMCA After Copyright Infringement

NYC-based street photographer Brandon Stanton's work has attracted quite a few eyes since he launched his Humans of New York photo project in 2010. Among those eyes were marketing folk at the clothing company DKNY.

Stanton and DKNY had a copyright infringement scuffle yesterday that resulted in DKNY donating $25,000 to the YMCA.

David Bowie and Morrissey Butt Heads Over Cover Art Photo Usage

When we run into issues regarding photo usage, the photographer is typically involved in one way or another. A company may be trying to use their work without paying, or they might find derivative works of their photography in an art show.

But in this case, neither of the two people involved actually took the photo in question, they were in it. David Bowie is leaning on EMI UK to change the cover art on the re-release of Morrissey's 1989 single The Last of the Famous International Playboys, because it features a previously un-seen candid photo of the two musicians hanging out in New York.

Gap Uses Flickr Photo for Clothing Graphic without Permission

Flickr user Chris Devers recently found that one of his photographs had been used by The Gap as a design for children's clothes (here and here). The photo itself was published under a Creative Commons license requiring attribution, non-commercial use, and no derivative works -- usage conditions that were completely ignored.