There’s always a risk your blog photos will be stolen when you take the chance to share your world on the internet.
With all the bloggers out there, the sky’s the limit of possibilities for material to use to create blog posts. If you’re naive blogger like me it’s easy to become a victim of having your photos stolen used in someone else’s blog without your permission.
Especially when you have fantastic photography skills like I do. According to my cat, Dessy, that is.
With the arrival of a new year, that seems quite like the previous year, I’ve taken up learning something new from the safety of my home.
I’ve been doing research about using photos for blogs. You know, the cool stuff like:
How to name/label photos. How to upload. How to edit. How to improve SEO with photos.
And the last point led me to see if any of my photos show up by Google searching for my label that I’ve been putting on my photos. The very first search showed me this:
WTH?
I get it that dew drops aren’t just on my blog, and there are grasses and weeds, etc., everywhere, but I was positive that had to be my photo in the top search result. You tend to remember your most excellent creations when you see them, at least I do.
Sh*t – look at me, I took a screen shot of my Google search for proof, so am I using photos without permission too? I dunno?
After an hour of searching through my photos I’ve used on my blog, I was able to find the original photo on my server. In retrospect, I could’ve saved some time, I should’ve assumed it was on a certain post that is my most searched for post.
Here’s the side-by-side proof from my desktop search on my server folders displayed next to the other blog’s photo.
Yep, that’s my photo!
And now, what are the options I can take to address this unauthorized use of my photo and blog name? There was no permission granted, there isn’t even proper credit provided by the other blogger. And when I found the post on their website, it only stays there for a brief period of time, then is refreshed with a different post. Maybe I should just be flattered?
But, dang, the sky’s the limit on fines associated with copyright infringement, intentional or by mistake, according to this article on Search Engine Journal (read the article here).
It’s absolutely not okay to pull someone else’s photo off of the internet and use it without their permission!
What’s a blogger like me to do with this valuable lesson I’ve learned?
Provide a lovely warning to anyone who stumbles upon my blog. I did that when I first discovered how to put that copyright notice on my website.
And share a friendly reminder: If you’re a blogger that likes my work and would like to use a photo of mine, contact me, don’t just steal it. Thank you kindly!
Post Inspiration – Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “sky’s the limit.” Write about something that has or seems to have no end. Enjoy!
PS. More to come on what I’ve learned about photos on blogs once I review all the sky’s the limit comments, suggestions, and lessons learned from you…hint, hint, hint.
Wow, I’m so sorry. I don’t ever use stock photos for the fear of infringing upon someone’s copyright. I mean, like you say, the consequences are almost limitless.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Astrid and for joining in on the prompt today. I enjoyed reading your thoughts about your life.
I found one of my photos had been lifted from Flickr and used on a website. I left a comment saying that they should either attribute the photo to me or remove it. They removed the photo. My Flickr site is now limited to “Friends”.
I have freely given permission to many bloggers to use pictures that they seen on my blog. All they have to do is ask.
Interesting, Dan, thanks for sharing. I haven’t tried a Flickr account, so if I do, I’ll remember the “Friends” idea so I share only with those granted permission.
You’re so kind to fellow bloggers, and have great photos too – it sounds like you’ve figured out the sharing part well.
Not everyone has the time or the access to the things they’d like to photograph. I enjoy taking pictures, being in the places. If someone else can get more out of the result than I can, it’s a good thing.
Indeed, that’s a great perspective!
I’m sorry this has happened, Shelley. People with no photo skills, lazy and have no issue with stealing other’s photography are all over the internet. I am sure that my photos have been ripped off too. A right-click block won’t do any good because there’s always the trusty old screen shot. The best way to stop the theft is to not upload photos. Or, take your blog down!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, John. Yeah, I think there are a lot of naive people that do capture screenshots, or figure the internet is ‘public’ property so if proper credit is given, they can just use what they find.
I bet both of us will continue to share photos on our blogs, though. :-)!
Oh yes, that’s my niche in the blogging game. My conciousence is clear Shelley, I don’t rip off other folks’ property. 😎
Indeed – and thank you, there’s no need to steal anyone’s photo especially when you’re such a great photographer like you!
Thank you, Shelley! I try to do my best. 😎
You’re doing a great job, John!
My son is a graphic designer and photographer and has had this happen many times (taken from his Twitter posts). Once he saw a woman wearing a T-shirt with one of his designs! It’s sucks. It’s a pain to have to contact the offender and remind them it’s not ok to steal someone else’s work. But that’s what happens when you’ve got talent and post great work like your photos.
WOW, I can’t imagine being a professional designer and having my work stolen – sorry to hear that about your son’s experience. I don’t know how I would’ve handled seeing one of my photos on a t-shirt!
I do need to try and contact my offender, and see what happens. This experience has been an eye-opener for me.
Thank you for the compliment, I enjoy experimenting with photography and the feedback shared by readers like you!
The internet is a place where anything can happen, so it doesn’t surprise me that you have had photos stolen. I don’t know if the same has happened to me, but I wouldn’t doubt it. I hope you have the safeguards in place to keep it from happening in the future, Shelley. You take excellent photos that should be yours only.
It’s easy to check to see if the photos have been stolen or used somewhere else. Go to Google, click on Images, then on the small camera icon, and upload the image or the URL of your image and hit return. I did that again, and found that my image was used on TWO blogs, not just the one! UGH.
Thank you for your compliments, I appreciate your feedback!
I need to do something to protect my photos because I also am an expert photographer, according to my cats. Lol! Thanks for the post!
Welcome to the “My cats think I’m a professional photographer” club! If you find a great way to protect your photos, share away!!
Sad that people think they can just willy nilly take someone else’s photos. I don’t really know how to stamp mine, but mine are just amateur snaps … but still. I only know of one case where another blogger took one of mine. It was just a picture of a Crayola Crayon and my printed name of the color, but I knew it was mine. I contacted her and said thank you for sharing my photo, but please ask next time. I never heard from her again. I have seen some of my photos on a google search page. Don’t know how they got on there.
It is a strange experience to see my photos on someone else’s blog. I do need to contact the person – I actually found two blogs that used the photo. Grrr
Can you tell if the photos of yours are on your own blog that shows up in the search. Go to Google, click on images, then on the camera and upload your photo to see who else may have it.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts – I do need to reach out to the other bloggers to request they not use my material!
Sorry about that
Thanks, Alice, I hope it hasn’t happened to your photos!
Not that I’m aware of
Whew!!
I often do wonder if any of my photos have been “stolen.” I would dislike the process of contacting and having that conversation with the person who used an image without asking. I was told when I started putting photos on Twitter, I think it was, to copyright and label photos. I still wonder……..
I imagine that you do have photos that were stolen. Do a google search on one that you’ve received lots of feedback on. On Google, click on images, then on the camera icon, then upload the picture or the URL and hit return. You’ll be able to find out if it’s been used anywhere besides your blog. I did that and found two websites have used my photo without my permission! I don’t use Twitter, so I wouldn’t know if anyone is using my photo there. I think about that on Instagram and Pinterest often (but Pinterest is all about sharing others photos!).
Thanks for the info Shelley. I just did an image search using bushboy photos and found lots of mine. I did find one photo that still had my name on it on a website where you do jigsaw puzzles online. There wasn’t any contact information or anything just a whole lot of pictures made into jigsaw puzzles. It’s an old site that doesn’t get used much so I see reason to bother as in a way my photo is attributed to me
You’re welcome! I think your watermarks on your photos deter most folks from stealing them. A puzzle made from one of yours would be a cool thing!
It did look OK 🙂
Bummer. Some people (as we have seen lately) have some weird sense of entitlement don’t they?
Yes, indeed!
I wonder if people think because it’s public, it’s ok? I know on Facebook, posts are shared millions of times.
I wonder that too. It’s one thing to share on Facebook, that typically keeps the origin of the person with it? But, it’s another to use it as a post on someone else’s blog as though it were their own. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
I’m sorry this happened to you. It is frustrating. You try to do something unique and good… then this.
Thanks, Ally. It is frustrating. I’m thankful that it taught me some new things to work on, so I’m grateful in a way that it happened – it gave me something different to blog about. That part has been a blessing.
Glad to see you back – I need to click on over to your site to see what you’ve been up to!
Google has a “search by image” to look for individual photos. It’s always a disappointment when you find your photo being used by someone else. There are so many millions of photos out there that are free to use, why take someone’s?
I did that search too and found another blog from overseas using it too. UGH. Yeah, there are plenty of free photos out there, why steal from a blog? Makes no sense to me.
That’s too bad… and it sucks that someone thinks doing that is okay. I wouldn’t be surprised to find my – and many blogger’s – photos “stolen” since it’s quite easy to do. I have posted so many photos over the years, though, that it hardly seems worth checking each one. I just have to believe in karma.
Yeah, it sucks. I love your take on it being a karma thing, that’s a good way to look at it. 😉
I’m so sorry this happened, Shelley! Did you confront the blogger? Maybe you said this in your post and I’m forgetting–coming to this a couple days after reading. I do think some people are clueless when it comes to attributing photos.
Thanks Rebecca. No, I didn’t confront the blogger because when I try to click around on the website, it goes wonky. I think it may not be a legit website? I dunno? It does appear that many people are clueless about using photos properly. I hope my lesson helps someone learn more about what not to do. 😉
That is annoying Shelley and even if you use a watermark or copyright, people can just Photoshop it out … how easy is that and you don’t put any effort into taking your own photos. Sorry this happened to you. I had a strange experience a year or so ago. I did a post called “Fall comes calling at Council Point Park.” I was e-mailing someone about the Fall colors here in Michigan and remembered that post to show them. Instead of going to my blog and searching for it, I went to Google (not on purpose, wasn’t thinking) and up comes a link for a church bulletin and embedded within the bulletin was my post, using my title, text and photos … then at the end they mentioned a harvest festival they were having and the activities associated with it. Of course no attribution. I didn’t make a big deal out of it as it was a church-sponsored event but it was not in Michigan which was even stranger. I don’t even remember what state it was. I closed out of that church bulletin and said to myself “I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that.” I didn’t save the link and a few months later I thought of it again and Googled and nothing came up.
Yes, it appears that it is quite easy to have your information stolen. I’m sorry it happened to you too. Thank you for sharing your situation so others can see how it happens to content too, not just photos.
I guess they figured that putting the post into a small church newspaper would be a safe bet – it was just happenstance I Googled for the post rather than searching for it on my site, which is what I would normally do. Very weird.
Well, this is horrible. Hope you can straighten it out.
Oh and BTW, did you notice you misspelled ‘current’ wrong? You have ‘cuurent
or something like that. Too many ‘u’s. LOL!
I think you’re the one that told me a long time ago how to find if your photos have been stolen?!
Oh, dear, nope, didn’t catch the typo! You’re a great proof-reader!
Shelley, it’s called Google Image Search. Here’s the link. https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en
Just drop your image in the open line and it’ll search the interweb and see if your photo appears anywhere else. Good luck.
I’m a stickler for misspelled words. Sorry. I go insane when big media giants, like the NY Times of Washington Post misspell words. I go insane!!! LOL! It’s all good.
Thank you, Cindi, I appreciate the link. I may spend some time researching to see if any other photos have been taken and used elsewhere. I’m with you on wanting the spelling to be correct. It drives me crazy when an actual (aka, not a non-professional blogger like myself) writer for a newspaper makes mistakes that aren’t caught before going to print. There are times where it can be entertaining. Thanks for sharing the link and your thoughts!
wow – this is interesting
and a while back – a blogger i follow names ruth hendricks found her photos out there too
she had one of a school bus in a foggy morning and well- even with watermarks and labels it seems hard to stop folks from taking images
i wish wordpress would not give the option to save photos so easy – i think IG does not allow that
Yes, it appears it happens more than we suspect. If only the social media cops would focus on that instead of censorship. 😉