Don't Be A Copycat

We are now in the era where everything is just within our reach. Within a click of a button, information dissemination has never been so easy. What most people don't know, though, is that with every click, comes a bit more of responsibility. 

With this post, I give you my thoughts on sharing photos and giving credits to photographers. 

Photos are products of the creative eyes and minds of every photographer. I'm not just referring to professional photographers but to anyone who takes photos. I have said this before but I will say it again, I am not a professional photographer, not even close to being one. Whoever said that amateurs and hobbyists don't have the right to rant, to be credited or cited, they're wrong!  Photos  take minutes and even hours to compose, to capture and to post process. One shouldn't just simply share photos without acknowledging their rightful owners. 

Owning the camera doesn't always makes you the owner of the photo. So, what makes a photo yours?

(1) You took the photo. By that I mean, you composed the frame,  set the necessary camera settings, and finally, pressed the shutter. If you used a tripod or timer and still did the aforementioned then, by all means, the photo is yours.

I adjusted the camera settings, even set it on an improvised tripod, but asked someone to press the shutter since I'm on the photo.

(2) Pressing the shutter, however, doesn't always make you the photographer. For all you know, you're just used as a human tripod. If you set the camera settings, composed the frame, but asked another person to press the shutter for you (because you're part of the photo), then the photo should be still credited to you. In other words, other than pressing the shutter, s/he has no other contribution to the framing and composition of the photo. Take the image above as an example. I made all the necessary details to make this photo possible. I even set the camera on an improvised tripod. This is considered as a modified version of a self-portrait. However, if in any case that person framed and composed the photo at his or her own will, then the photo is his or hers, even if you set all the necessary camera settings. 

This copycat situation's getting out of hand that I have no choice but to put watermarks on my works. 

Are you not allowed to share photos that are not yours? Well, you still are. After all, nobody can really stop you. Some photos needed permission before being shared but most photos are just Google-able and so easy to share. 

We get it, our captures are so awesome (kidding, but you get the gist) that you want to share or use the photos as your cover or profile picture in numerous social networking sites. BUUUT, using other's photos as your entry in a photography contest,  now that's just shameless. Someone did this to me and trust me, it's not the best feeling in the world. You could be sued, you know? I don't want to discuss all the details of copyright here, just simply give credits to the photographers whenever you use their photos. If you don't know how to properly credit them, then simply acknowledge that's not your photo/shot. Have the slightest decency, don't claim it.  Be responsible, have the balls to acknowledge that it's not your work.

Respect others, respect their work and creativity, but more importantly, respect your own creativity. Would you rather be known and praised for the works that (you knew) are not yours? I don't think so. Remember this the next time you click that "Save As" or "Copy". Think before you click. Give credits, don't be a copycat.

If you want to know more on how to give credit where credit is due, read this article by Chris Gampat , Sharing is Caring: The Proper Way to Credit Photographers. I swear this article made my day. I'm just a shutterbug but I can totally relate to him, well said and no filters, if you know what I mean. :)

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