Looking After Your Copyright
WildArt POTY - Looking after your Copyright
The digital age has increased the ability for the misuse of images and many people assume that because an image is on the internet then it is free to use. In most circumstances this isn’t the case and as a photographer there are various ways in which you can mitigate the risks of your images being misused. Commonly this takes the form of a watermark on the image bearing the photographer’s name, but embedding copyright and contact information in the metadata is also advisable.
Above: Embedding copyright information into your images is a good habit to get into. ©Rob Read
Every photographer, whether you are a professional or amateur, is protected by copyright laws that prohibit the unauthorised use of their images. If you fired the shutter, then you own the copyright to the image unless you subsequently sign those rights away in some form of contract. Agreeing to enter some photography competitions (most commonly the free to enter competitions) can mean that hidden in the terms and conditions of entry is a ‘rights grab’ where the photographer loses control of their copyright to the image. It’s imperative that you check the terms and conditions of any competition that you consider entering to make sure you know what you are getting into.
WildArt Photographer of the Year is run by professional photographers who understand the importance of retaining and protecting image copyright. In common with most reputable and professionally run competitions, the rights WildArt POTY requests on entry to the competition are limited to the use of images for competition promotion, for publication in all forms of media surrounding the competition and in the competition book. Any additional uses (such as merchandising and prints for example) will be negotiated separately, are at the individual photographer’s sole discretion and subject to the payment of appropriate royalties.
It is imperative that our judging process remains anonymous at all times, and we specifically ask that watermarks are not included on images. In fact, any image bearing a watermark will be immediately disqualified from the competition process. Therefore, embedding a copyright notice in the metadata is advisable and is included in our guidelines on preparing your images. This can simply be your name, but it helps to also include a contact email address in the dedicated contact box. As a competition, we ask for this to help us protect you as a photographer and your rights over your own images.
Regardless of whether you enter competitions or not, embedding a copyright statement and contact information is a good habit to get into and can be automated as part of your image processing workflow. Including copyright and contact information in the metadata of your images means that no one can claim that they didn’t know the image wasn’t free to use and/or they couldn’t find a way to contact you for permission to use the image.
We have received a number of emails from competition entrants unsure about how to embed their data. There are plenty of videos available online that can help you understand how to complete the process, but we’ll address this with a video tutorial of our own shortly for the popular software programs Lightroom and Photoshop.
I am always available to provide any of our entrants with advice on this process, so please don’t hesitate to drop me an email.
Rob Read. February 2021.