Photo's in Hubs: Can We Seek Out Photographer's Permission?

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   JessBrazposted 10 years ago

   Hello!
   So, I know there's always a lot of questions about how to provide proper credit when using someone else's photograph's in your hubs. I had a little bit of free time this afternoon and re-read some of the Learning Centre's Information about using photo's in your hub (To my horror, I may have been doing it slightly wrong this entire time... I always provide proper link's to the photograph's I use off of Flickr.. "User name JohnnySo&So via Flickr" with the URL attached... I never put in that little CC-BY thingy though.. Whoops. I'm in the process of going back and fixing that now)
   
   My question is this:
   I am currently writing a hub about the animals found in my favourite provincial park. I have a lot of original photograph's of the park itself, a video taken by me of all three of the animals I'm writing about, and I have original photograph's of two out of the three animals.. My problem is, the third animal in this hub (eastern wolf) is very reclusive. I've seen one with my own eyes, but wasn't able to snap of a photo before he disappeared. I searched through Flickr and found many photo's of this breed of wolf, but if I search photograph's that have Creative Commons License's, there are none (I've tried every variety of keyword search I can think of, and I still get nothing) 
   
   I have come across a great organization nearby that works to protect wildlife in my area and they have some great photo's of the Eastern Wolf on their website. There is no information about who the photographer is, who the photo belongs to, or even when it was taken.. Nothing.. Just a photo. I thought maybe I could save the photo and provide a link to the website in my hub, but I am especially passionate about this hub and I don't want anything to discredit it. Especially not something as simple as using a photo improperly. This organization had an email to direct all media inquiries too. I drafted an email introducing myself, explaining that I write for Hubpages and that I would like permission to use some of their photograph's/requesting information as to who the photographer was so that I might be able to contact them directly for permission to use their photo's.
   
   Sorry, so long winded.. lol... Is this allowed? Acceptable? I offered to provide a link & a blurb about their organization in my hub in exchange for permission to use some of their photographs. I haven't sent the email yet, because I wanted to seek some advice from other Hubbers before I send it off and possibly make a fool of myself.
   
   Any advice?

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      Cardisaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Can't you email the website owner to ask about using the photo? When I wrote my hub about the fire ants, I found the perfect photo but it was copyrighted so I emailed the website owner and she gave me permission. The same thing happened with my hub about gangs,  with the FBI, they also gave me permission. I don't think it's a good idea to use the photo without getting permission first.

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         JessBrazposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Awesome! That's exactly what I wanted to know.. If anyone else has just straight up asked for permission to use someone's copyrighted photographs.. I suppose it seems like a straight forward answer "just ask for permission" lol.. but I just wanted to see if anyone else has used this method of obtaining photograph's for their hubs with any success... and if it's acceptable.. What kind of info would you  have to provide with the photograph? If they give you permission, but it's a copyrighted photograph.. You surely can't portray it as a photograph that other people can take without seeking permission first..
         
         Am I just making this way more complicated than it actually is? I have a feeling I might be. lol.

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            LuisEGonzalezposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I search under advanced search,permission to use even commercially  for most of my images. But on certain occasions I have emailed the author and gotten permission to use their images. They usually want credit and a link and most are very gracious and will let you use their images.
            Write: "photo used by permission of the author" for those images where the photographer gave you permission . For others that you can use like
            "free to use even commercially" it is good (and usually requested) to include the link, the author's name and the copyright notice "CCBY"...for example. Just make sure to read the requirements for each copyright notice.

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         JessBrazposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I just took a look at your Hub about Gangs. I wanted to see exactly how I should link the photographs (provided I get permission to use them).. I guess if they say yes a link to the original source and a note of "used with permission from...." is all I would have to include?
         Hubpages checks hubs for photo violations, so if my hub is moderate and they check the link I provide, it would send them to a copyrighted photograph.. I suppose if I get permission I should keep the email so I can prove to HP that I obtained permission and didn't use it illegally?

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            Cardisaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            If you cite "used with permission from", that should be good enough. You can also place a note at the bottom of the hubs stating just how you got permission.
            
            I cited the fire ants hub as "Source: Used with permission by Sheri Amsel via Exploringnature.org"

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      Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      No, you can't do that.  It would be like someone copying your whole Hub then providng a link to the original - just saying where you got it from, doesn't make it right!
      
      
      
      Perfect. Send it, and there's a good chance you'll get permission.

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         JessBrazposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Marisa! I sent off the email a minute ago. Now just to wait and see. I can't imagine they would say no. There are an organization that operates mainly off of donations. I'm sure they would be happy to have a little extra publicity (even if it is just from my tiny little space here on Hubpages) .. That's the hope anyway.

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      Christy Kirwanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Jess,
      
      It sounds like you're doing the right thing! Even if photos don't have owner/photographer info on websites like the one you describe, they are usually copyrighted images, and you will indeed need permission to use them legally. It's great that you're taking the time to contact the owners!

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         JessBrazposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I received an email back this morning and was given permission to use the photographs. He also introduced me to a wolf biologist at a local university who has lots of original photograph's he might be willing to let me use..
         
         Plus, the media co-ordinator at this charitable organization has offered to provide me with some quotes  or comments or even an interview if I'd like to write something about them in the future. So excited!

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            Christy Kirwanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            That's wonderful! I'm so glad it ended up being such a helpful resource for you.
            
            When you cite the photos in your Hub, don't forget to add "used with permission" or "used by permission" to indicate that you have obtained legal permission from the owners. This Hub sounds like it's going to turn out awesome!

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   JessBrazposted 10 years ago

   Update: I sent the email, but since it's the weekend I'm not expecting a reply until the beginning of next week.
   
   I also found some great photo's on flickr and messaged the user. He was very gracious and allowed me permission to use his photograph's in my hub! So excited!

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      Cardisaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      So happy for you! Good luck and hope the other photo works out. Usually people are happy to have their work displayed with permission and back-link, even if the original copyright says "all rights reserved", they usually give permission when asked.

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         JessBrazposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks again for your help! It was very much appreciated.

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            Cardisaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Anytime

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      Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You can use many of the photos on Flickr without asking permission, it depends on the licence the photographer has chosen.   I wrote a Hub on how to use photos (and how to use Flickr in particular), which you might find helpful.  You'll find it on the slider on my profile.
      
      It is always a nice idea to message the photographer, or leave a comment on the photo, if you have time.   It can lead to some good relationships and sometimes the offer of more photos!

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         Cardisaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Marisa, I have been hearing that people on Flickr have been placing photos in their accounts which don't belong to them. Have you heard this? I have been kind wary about using Flickr, though some of the best photos have been found there.
         
         The other day I found a photo through Creative commons search - Google images. The file page was on Flickr.com but when I tried to get the download link I got a warning that the photo was removed for copyright infringement. It was weird because I could see the photo but could not download it.

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         JessBrazposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Marisa, your hub about using Flickr photo's is what introduced me to it! I was using freedigitalphotos.net for the longest time and was starting to find that most of the photo's weren't exactly what I was looking for or they led me to some other website that prompted me to buy them.. One day I was surfing around on HP and found your Flickr Hub... Changed the way I used photo's in my hub.   I had heard of Flickr before, but never used it... Your hub was very helpful and now when I'm writing a Hub, searching for Creative Common's photo's on Flickr is the first thing I do.

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            Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Glad it helped!   I've expanded it quite a bit now, to cover photos more generally, after feedback from Hubbers.

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               JessBrazposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Awesome! I'm going to head on over and check it out again.

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   Millionaire Tipsposted 10 years ago

   I know your issue has been resolved, but for future use, national park rangers are federal, public employees, and as such, their work would be in public domain. 
   
   You could try to find pictures of animals on national park websites, just be sure to verify that they are indeed public domain.

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      JessBrazposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That is an awesome tip.
      I did not know that. I'll have to surf on over to the Parks Canada website to see if I can find what I need... Thank you so much for letting me know that.

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         Millionaire Tipsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I don't know if Canada has the same rules.  That is US rules.

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