Found this cool article on photography and wanted to share it with you. 5 steps to perfect portraits

Photographs. Generally, they're used to promote products or services, to enhance life, to save memories, or to simply radiate beauty. Not many people think of the ramifications of stealing photographs, especially in the computer generation where theft of such intellectual property is simply a click or two away. Not many people think of the ramifications should a personal photo from someone's site be posted all over the net.

I know the arguments. If the person did not want the photo to be seen or taken by anyone, then they should have set it for private viewing. Photos on the web that are not specifically copyrighted are public domain and are therefore free to be taken.

Those arguments are wrong.

According to copyright law, anything posted by the author, photographer, or artist on a website is protected by copyright law. Now, certain images or works relating to "fanfiction" or "fanart" are sometimes ignored by the owners of those copyrights because of the free publicity that comes with them, but this is no guarantee that they will not take you to court. Also, just because a photo is posted for all the world to see, does not mean that it is public domain...even photos of celebrities. These pictures are the work of others and therefore protected. The only way that they can legally be used for any purpose is to ask the author, photographer or artist.

Then there is the ethical standard that is being violated here. Recently a photo of a celebrity was posted on a website. This photo was sent to the person who posted it, on the condition that it not be posted anywhere else. That agreement was violated, and the photo distributed anyway. This picture contained images of the celebrity and his family including a minor. The same argument came into play. He posted it on his site, therefore it was public domain. He didn't post it as private, therefore it's ok to take it.

The fact is, it was not only a violation of copyright law, but also unethical to take that photo and post it elsewhere. That is someone's family who's privacy is being violated. They did not agree to have their picture all over the web. They had no idea. Just because a celebrity was involved however it had somehow become "OK" to violate their rights. It wasn't, isn't and never will be "OK".

Just because you can do something, doesn't mean that you should. Just because it is extremely easy to take a photo from a website without asking, doesn't mean that you should. Just because it is a celebrity involved, doesn't mean that people's rights can be violated in such a manner. They cannot. Think about this...How would you feel if you suddenly found that your child's photo was being bandied about on a website without your permission? How would you feel if your family photos were being used for no other reason than that one person in them was "hot"? Would you appreciate it? Would you think that it was "OK"? I sincerely doubt it.

My son is my life, and the pictures in my house reflect that. I have pictures on every available wall of him, some of which I took myself. As a photographer, I'm always taking his picture, and have a lot of them that I've had enlarged to 8x10 sizes. I never thought that I could have other things made though.

There is a site that I found that can blow up my favorite pictures to create a Custom Comforter for my bed. Not only can they make comforters, but blankets, pillowcases, and...yeah, even shower curtains. Actually, this is the only site on the net that can do shower curtains with your favorite pictures.

The site is extremely easy to use. All you do is enter, upload your photo, and you're on your way. You can even put custom text on your special keepsake just to make it even more personal to you.

Looking for a unique gift for someone, or just want to create something special for yourself, I highly recomend this site.

If anyone is looking for a Christmas gift for me, go to the link below, and see what Krissy wants for Christmas!

Gift Idea

This camera is one of the best on the market, and comes with the lens! With SLRs that is rare. Usually the lens is sold seperately. I wants!

Most people like digital cameras for two reasons...a)there is an instant gratification of seeing your picture immediately. It saves time and money to know what you have before wasting all that with processing on film that isn't worth anything. And b) the cameras are easy to use and require no more than a computer or a place for you to get those all important prints. Hundreds of stores now have the kiosks that will allow you to simply print out your pics from the memory card of your camera. Simple. Easy. Quick.

Some of us, however, like digital cameras for another reason. The professional photographer is especially aided by this little piece of technology. Again, it saves time and money, and brings in more business as the customer can view their photos almost instantaneously. It's a valuable tool for those of us who are professionals.

I own a Kodak Easy Share Z700 4.1 MP with 5x zoom lens. It's not the best on the market, but I happen to love it. My pictures are crystal clear, can be printed beautifully and edited to whatever ends I choose, and sharing them is as easy as touching a button. I love it! I also do photo shoots for people when I have time in my schedule. Anything from sports pictures to portraits, artsy to candid. It works well for all of them.



As much as I love my camera though, there is one that I've got my eyes open for. I want a professional grade digital SLR of at least 10 MP. Now those aren't cheap. Not by a long shot, but I want one anyway. Now how to find one? That shouldn't be too hard. I found a site that has every digital camera imaginable at good prices. I actually bookmarked the site. Canon camera carries not only cameras for the amateur, but for those of us who are professionals too. Christmas is coming up, and with it, you'll have family events you'll want to capture so you can laugh or cry about them later. Get the digital camera you want today on Canon camera I know I'm going here when I'm ready to get my SLR, that's for certain.

*this is a sponsored post