Day One
Copyright - What you need to know by Janet Jones
Although initially, I wondered what knowledge I could gain
that would benefit my future from this session, I decided to do some background
reading.
Janet Jones qualified through the National Council for the Training of Journalists. The National Council for the Training of Journalists was established in 1951 to deliver a premier training scheme for journalists based in the UK. They are dedicated to providing a world-class education and training system that adapts and changed as the demands of a fast-changing multimedia industry require.
I realised that as a journalist Janet Jones would come across
many occurrences of copyright issues, and felt that as a photographer I needed
to know where I stood on the copyright issues with my photographs but also in
filming the issues I may come across when filming etc. As Janet currently lectures on the
journalism and media communications modules at Glyndŵr University, I felt her
knowledge would be up to date and worth hearing what she had to say.
Janet started off with the following statement – “Copyright is
the right to control, profit and be credited for any creation you have
created”. Janet then confirmed she was
going to go through a number of myths regarding copyright issues and whether
they were true or false.
Myth Number One: Copyright can protect ideas
Janet confirmed this was false, only tangible creations can be
copyrighted. It is a civil offence to
use copyrighted work, and you could therefore take action, but you can't
prevent someone else creating their own work based on a similar idea. Copyright law grants intellectual copyrights
to a creation (separate for physical for this you need to apply for a patent)
Moral rights
·
paternity rights (owner)
·
integrity rights – how it’s used
Myth Number Two: post your work to yourself to prove copyright
Janet went on to say although this is true in part, she went
on to explain in full how it works.
Posting your work to yourself will prove “document of proof” to file. Sadly the strength of evidence will not be
strong enough in court unless it was sent by recorded post to a solicitor. Janet also confirmed that if you are employed
then copyright proof is yours but your employer holds true copyright.
Janet then confirmed the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act sets the following time frames:
·
Original literacy, dramatic, music or artistic
work – 70 years after the author of the work dies.
·
Film – 70 years after the death of the last
principal director, author or composer dies, this has been extended from 50
·
Sound and film recordings – 50 years after the work
was created or first released.
·
Broadcasts & cable programmes – 50 years
after the broadcast was made.
·
Typographic – 25 years after the work was
published.
After copyright ceases then the material is classed as being
in the public domain
Myth Number Three: I can use 10% of original material without
infringing on copyright
Again, Janet confirmed this was false, you must ALWAYS ask
permission before using any material and always give sufficient credit to owner.
Myth Number Four: Everything on the Internet is in the public domain
and so free to use
Under copyright law, materials are still protected under any
circumstances, so again Janet confirmed this myth was false. Janet did go on to explain there is ways of
protecting materials on the Internet.
Protecting Internet copyright, Janet recommended that we watch
an interview on You Tube Policy by Margaret Stewart found appropriately on You
Tube! (www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoX-YihV_ew)
These are the following points I noted from watching the video
in the session:
·
You Tube database, id matching for finding
copyright material
·
Some companies allow copyright to be used by
other users videos as it may lead for their benefit for business
·
The id matching
and database matches will only work with registered users to You Tube system
·
Progressive rights management through You Tube
allows companies to set their rules through You Tube to have constant control
over their copyright
Janet then gave an example using Phil Barrett a photographer at
PB Artworks (www.pbartworks.co.uk) to
show how you can reduce the chance of your work being copied. Phil always publishes using low resolution
images and puts a watermark over the image to discourage reproduction. This was something I had already picked up on
from using Deviantart (http://www.deviantart.com),
although interestingly Phil’s website doesn’t feature a watermark on his
photographs, but I am in the process of designing my own watermark/logo to put
over any images I upload to this site, or in the future to my own website.
A Copyright agreement should be under your conditions, if you
hand over full copyright then charge a higher fee, but Janet recommended that
you try not to hand over 100% use and/or control of your work.
Websites that might be useful for further information:
www.copyrightservice.co.uk
– UK Copyright
www.cla.co.uk – Licensing
Agency
www.prsformusic.com –
Music
www.theaoi.com –
Illustrators
www.dacs.org.uk – Design
& Artists Society
Although initially I wasn’t too sure about this session, I
actually found the session interesting and useful. It did correct some of my preconceived ideas
about copyright and strengthened my resolve to insure my work is protected
especially on the Internet. Since the
session, I have taken a look at the www.copyrightservice.co.uk
website and found it to be very easy to read and navigate. I found the page “Top Ten Copyright Myths” (www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/copyright_myths)
managed to dispel some of my other preconceived ideas about Copyright law
too. This page has now been added to my
favourites, as I am sure I will be referring to it often when I potentially set
up as a freelance photographer.
Getting started in Photography by Mark Devereux & Paul Herrmann
This session instantly appealed to me as it was discussing a Photography Network, which ever option i choose after university, i felt this session would benefit me whether i chose to work freelance or for a company.
Redeye is a non profit organisation, it’s the broad picture of
photography. Redeye is a resource for
photographers providing the following:
·
Networking and advice
·
Information
·
Details of upcoming Events – portfolio sessions,
lectures, workshops, symposia, debate
·
Big projects – Light box, Look festival, National
photography symposium
·
Volunteer, contribute
·
Ethics & good practise
Paul then went on to explain how
Redeye membership is aimed at developing photographers. Redeye helps photographers in the following
ways:
·
Contacts & networking – a monthly newsletter
with current up to date information
·
Opportunities – details of events, and
invitations for commissions and bursaries
·
Discounts - substantial discounts on most Redeye
activities, and on a range of other activities and services (including
equipment rental and studio hire)
·
Exposure– A showcase for your work, with your
own page on Redeye's website
·
Knowledge – access to essential support for
career development
The cost is £50 per year including VAT, or just £30 for
students and those joining up to a year after graduating.
Photography is rapidly changing, Paul then shared his recipe
for success in the photographic world:-
·
Work hard & be nice
·
Logic, Rhetoric & Maths – Iain Bennett
·
You have to be burning and you have to have your
shit together – Christopher Bogert
·
You’ve got to have something to say, it’s got to
be worth saying, then the pictures have to say it – Francis Hodgson
Paul from his years of experience as a photographer and
director of Redeye shared what he believes to be the attributes of a top
photographer.
·
Interests, knowledge & research
·
Marketing, talking & writing
·
A strong “Voice”
·
Personality
·
The work ethic and good business
·
Long term commitment & motivation
·
Craft & ideas
There are four main areas a photographer needs to be focused
in to succeed. Paul said these were
Photography, Communication, Efficiency and Motivation. When starting out there are a lot of things
to consider initially the main decision to make is on the business side of
photography.
Being employed versus working freelance
·
You and your business – all time and energy into
your work, don’t rely on sponsor
·
Get some business help
·
Consider Ethics, business growth & stability
Paul also mentioned there are alternative ways of working,
some of these are as follows:
·
Bypass institutions
·
Collaborations and collectives
·
Community based projects
·
Cross disciplines
·
Digital/online
Paul went on to confirm that if you decide to work for
yourself there are a few things you need to be aware of fees, copyrights and
licensing. “How do you work out how much
to charge for your work?” Paul explained
that you needed to work out your “minimum work fee” or “break even” point. There is a simple formula for this: Total
annual overheads divide by reasonable jobs in a year.
Paul then asked the question - So what do you do if you get
asked to work for below your minimum fee?
If you do it once are you setting a president, bear in mind you could be
creating a loss leader, yes you might get work from doing it but over time you
can't make a living from it.
When quoting for a job always consider when you can re-use the
photographs. If you choose to work for
free, then very carefully consider the long term implications and benefits from
this for you. Always remember copyright
and licensing, restrict when your client can use your photographs ensure you
always get credited for the photographs, and how much usage the client will get
from them and the potential new clients you could get from people seeing your
work.
Paul finished by listing 20 things a photographer can do to
increase their business:
- Attend openings
- Attend festivals
- Get business advice
- Use social media sites
- Use meta data
- Use a watermark on your images
- Set yourself projects for motivation
- Get involved with partnerships and collaborations
- Have a Website/Blog
- Use slide shows or portfolios
- Ensure you have personal business cards
- Write
- Give talks
- Apply for grants or funding
- Try to get written about
- Investigate the best options for producing photographs
- Exhibit your work
- Create your own photograph books
- Enter competitions, see who is judging and viewing your work
- Create your own newsletter and issue it a couple of times a year
I really enjoyed this session as it provided a lot of helpful advice. As i stated earlier whether after university i choose to work freelance or for a company, this session has given me the practical photographic guidelines to ensure my business is a success whilst also detailing the benefits to a photographer of Redeye - The Photography Network.
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