ON-LINE

"I'm Sorry, We Can't Print That"

"Why not?" you ask. The lab technician behind the counter at Wal-Mart (or Rite Aid or similar kiosks or online photo printing services like Ofoto) tries to explain that your photo(s) look too professional. No, they can't quite explain why--they just know--and because of that, they refuse to print your images due to potential copyright violation. While that's perhaps a backhand compliment (after all, you ARE a pro photographer), it can present problems with your every-day photos of family and friends.  All this because folks have abused (and continue to abuse) the copyright of professional photographers, and professional photographers have been successful in suing photofinishers for allegedly being lax in their enforcement of copyright protection. We all know the story of so-and-so who doesn't want to pay the price for additional prints from the pro, so they take their prints (or even the proofs) to the quick-print kiosk and print up more copies for pennies each. Cuts both ways, huh? Some ways to avoid this problem is to only take your film or digital media to your regular pro lab, explain to the clerk (may take more than once, and/or discussion with the supervisor) that you are a pro photographer, and perhaps leaving your business card. Sometimes, you can simply sign a waiver that you are the legal owner of the images. Or, perhaps print them on your own photo-quality printer.

Safe Computing Tips

I'm sure you all know about the evils of spyware, adware, and malware. Some of the more notorious include keystroke loggers (that record your keystrokes, like when you're entering passwords and other personal account information), and more recently, screen-capturing programs, all of which attempt to capture your security information and transmit it to a remote server. As web companies move away from the simple "enter your userid and password" to a "click on the screen keypad to enter your PIN," so do the bad guys advance, with malware that instead of logging keystrokes, takes screen shots of your monitor whenever the mouse is clicked.  Cat and mouse. 

Here are some ways to practice safer computing: Keep your operating system up to date; use an Internet firewall, either hardware- or software-based (included with XP--just make sure it's turned on); use anti-virus software (Symantec, McAfee, etc.), and keep it updated; use a spyware scanner, such as AdAware (www.lavasoft.com) or the still-free Microsoft AntiSpyware beta (www.microsoft.com/downloads); never click on links embedded in e-mail, instead, type the URL into your browser; change passwords frequently, and don't use the same password for everything; whenever possible, keep sensitive info on computers NOT connected to the Internet (and don't forget about networked computers); when applicable, ensure you are on a secure site by double-checking that the URL starts with https (and you can look for the padlock symbol or other browser security notification); and consider using Firefox or other alternate browser instead of the more-frequently-attacked Microsoft Internet Explorer.

To Whet Your Appetite

Watch for our forthcoming PhotoSourceGROUP, a marketplace where you can upload images for online selling (hint: www.photosourcegroup.com).

Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio* (www.photosourcefolio.com) and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments via e-mail to wh@photosourcefolio.com. Fax: 1 818 831-0916. (*Display 6 of your own images for photobuyers to view on your own page on the PhotoSource website.) For on-line questions, contact Bill on the Kracker Barrel at www.photosource.com/board.