KillroyII Loc: Middle Georgia

1. I am interested in finding out the proper use of "download" of photos... 1st, what I hope is OK is that I can save pictures to my local drive (and never share them in any way) and save both any data associated with the picture/circumstances and save any comments/suggestions other members make... and use these as my own personal learning experience... and or reference if I should want to take a picture of a similar subject and/or in similar circumstances.

Would my proposed use be considered legal/ethical/OK... with UHH and its users?

2. Also, I have been looking for the origin of the name Ugly HedgeHog (UHH)… there must be something behind this name.

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

With reference to #2, many have ask none have been answered.

Pixie Jackie Loc: New Hampshire seacoast

Interesting questions, Killroy. I'll be looking at the answers you get. I don't post any pictures because I don't want anyone using them, even though I think that most would use them, as you say, for reference only. Also, where in blazes did Ugly Hedgehog come from? -- Jackie

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

I only download other people's images for close analysis when they are having difficulties and ask for help. I sometimes will perform a bit of pp on them and upload the images back to the thread so that the owner of the image can review the changes I've made, and I delete the images from my hard drive afterward. I would never download someone's image for my own use without first asking them if it is OK. The fact that you won't use or share the image for some commercial purpose is besides the point. Its not your image to keep without first asking. There may not be any legal ramifications, (although on second thought there may be), but for me there are moral ones. Ask first. If the owner says no, would you download anyway?

AlohaJim Loc: Retired. Hawaii >> N. Arizona.

1.
There is always the risk of photos being used commercially or in other ways not intended once one uploads them online, especially for sites without security features such as copy blocking, download blocking, and/or watermarking (IE: Getty, Shutterstock, Adobe, etc). This was an issue awhile back for micro stock contributors because full images would come up on Google search engines.
2.
That said, images have to be extremely "high end" to be attractive to those that would "download" them and use for sale or other commercial use. The internet is flooded with digital images every day. I suspect 99.9% of them not worth the trouble of copying and selling commercially. Even top micro stock images sell for from 30 cents to 1.00 dollar on average per download for sale. Much much higher on some sites for premier work.
If that was the ulterior motive for some, why not copy from Flickr, Fstoppers, or Micro-stock, sites where the photo level is all pro end?

3.
***** That said. I would think that most photographers that post on a "community oriented" site like "Hedgehog" do so on an honor system and it would be reciprocal to respect that and not copy the images to one's drive.

4.
My experience is as a professional photographer with a portfolio at many micro-stock and personal commercial sites where many are on the "lookout" for even a part of our images that might be reused in a larger work and resold by another, or, even, sites themselves resell to 3rd parties and the images go off to the netherworlds. But, we do what we can. We copyright, send in hard data to the US Copyright office, etc.

5. FWIW, I'm new here, and have been enjoying the site tremendously. To be able to share and shoot images for the sheer joy of it without having to "gear up" and shoot and laboriously process for commercial sale, is a joy.

I hope this has been helpful and my point of view has not offended anyone.
aloha
jim

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

That is very much a legal use. As long as you don't share the image and use it for educational purposes there will be no legal problems, and most people also accept that as no ethical problem either.

On your second question it is as others say, a total mystery. The obvious thing about it can be discovered by looking at admin's other forum site! It is listed here somewhere and I don't even remember what it is about. But if you check it out carefully it is obvious that admin is, welllll... a peculiar guy! That applies to the name, but it is also the reason he has written what is simply, in my opinion, the best software ever for a forum.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Be aware that none of the "securiy" techniques to prevent downloading an image that can be viewed is anything like safe. To view an image it has to be downloaded! The only trick is figuring out how to save what you can see and that is not difficult.

The only secure method is to make sure they are not high end enough to be useful.

To that end, don't post an image any larger than it has to be. A 20 MP image is useful, but people only need maybe 1 MP to view it. Hence before posting reduce an image to the smallest size that will accomplish your purpose.

For example, here on UHH all images are initially resized to 600 pixels wide. That image has the Exif data stripped too. Only the download function provides a larger image. But if you post a 500 pixel wide image there is no downloadable image, just the thumbnail with no Exif data.

Hence if you want Exif data to be included, make the image larger than 600 pixels wide before posting. If it is larger than 600 pixels wide it can be saved... so first reduce it in size enough to make it unattractive. 800 to 1200 pixels wide is generally about right.

KillroyII Loc: Middle Georgia

Thanks for your feedback... you make some good points. I will stipulate that I would not keep anything long term... that would not be practical anyway in that it would be a burden to find what I was looking for... just keep the picture & article long enough that I have time to get back and look thru for learning purposes. I should have also said that I am a snapshot photographer just trying to advance my skills.

KillroyII Loc: Middle Georgia

Thanks for your feedback... you make some good points. I will stipulate that I would not keep anything long term... that would not be practical anyway in that it would be a burden to find what I was looking for... just keep the picture & article long enough that I have time to get back and look thru for learning purposes. I should have also said that I am a snapshot photographer just trying to advance my skills. ALso, there is Zero chance that any of those, or my personal photos, being used commercially or sold... that is not what I do and my skills are not at a point that I would ever even think I could sell any of my photos. I have also been enjoying UHH... and based on your feedback, and that of others, I think I will reconsider my approach... if I don't have time to study the photo/comments (for my education) when I 1st see it I presume I could bookmark it to go back instead of saving it locally. After all, my post was all about passing my thoughts by others to make sure I was not doing anything that someone would consider inappropriate.

KillroyII Loc: Middle Georgia

Thanks for your feedback... looks like you feel like I initially did... but I was just wanting to make sure. I have about decided to (in those cases where I see something I think I could learn from … but don't have time to do it then... instead of saving the picture/comments I can just bookmark it for a time when I can review/learn. I am more of a learn by doing person, so sometimes it will be a matter of having the time, and other circumstances, to take a picture under similar circumstances … and see what my results were... before I have really learned from it.

AlohaJim Loc: Retired. Hawaii >> N. Arizona.

Exactly.
We're all trying to advance our skills and pursue our artistic passion. DW and I have folders of "samples" we've collected over the years that give us examples of studio lighting, a certain "euro" portraiture "look", and so forth. We're intrigued by how masters shoot in the studio and location, how they post process (secret recipes). We call it "secret sauce".
As other posters have suggested, toward this end, doing what you need to learn and advance is fine.
**Warning. . . . compared to the "masters", we all feel like beginners . . . .

TheDman Loc: USA

Not only is that a legal use, but you have to download images on the internet to your local computer in order to view them!

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Very true.

To demonstrate this, all one needs to do is view an image online, then disconnect from the internet without closing the browser. As one can still see the image displayed, it can mean only one thing - the image in fact resides on the computer as a download. As a temporary file perhaps, but it has been downloaded nonetheless.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

I do see where you are coming from, but if you were to visit a site like 500pix dot com, you may notice that what makes an image popular is the subject matter. Not so much the technical side. Btw, do you realize that companies steal photos all the time without contacting the photographer? I see nothing wrong with downloading a few photos for yourself to improve your own skills. I mean, if you were to go to a bookstore and look at photos in magazines or books, you see a destination that you were not familiar with and on your next vacation you visit the spot and take a photo
of the scene, would you feel guilty?

If I didn’t want anyone to use my photos in any shape of form I shouldn’t be posting them on line.

Btw, the only thing I do is look at photos from others and the exif if listed. I’d never download any, hate to have clutter on my hard drive. I simply revisit the site. Pictures usually don’t disappear.

BebuLamar

I don't know about the law as I am no lawyer but if the images are mine I won't sue you if you use in the manner you described.