Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Dogwood Delights

Spring is such a lovely time in the Pacific Northwest.  During March, April, and May trees and flowers bloom in stages.  First are the cherry trees and daffodils, then come the tulips along with apple and pear trees.  But right around late April, my favorite trees erupt in color.




That's right - the dogwoods!




Luckily, I needn't travel far to find a dogwood tree in bloom.  My neighborhood has many to chose from, in both dazzling white and lovely pink colors.




These flowering trees make perfect photo subjects.




On a different note - there's something I need to get off my chest.  Last week I attended a conference for work.  In one of the presentations, I was surprised to discover one of the photographs from my blog being used in a slideshow - without my permission.  I was shocked and upset.




I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that my photographs are copyrighted material, and use without my written permission is not allowed. 




I spent many hours creating images, downloading, sorting, processing, and editing my photographs.  I enjoy sharing these with you on my blog.  But these images are my property, and I'm very protective of them.  I have the right to decide who, how, where, and when my photographs are used.

This is why I don't allow copying of photographs without my written consent.  This includes pinning my images to Pinterest.  Once photographs are pinned to someone's board, I lose the ability to regulate their use. 




Please remember to respect the work of photographers.  Never use a photograph without first obtaining permission.  If someone does allow you to use their image, be sure and give the photographer proper credit.

Thank you.


Sharing with:  Weekly Top Shot.

19 comments:

  1. Linda, these are gorgeous!!! Wow!

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  2. Really beautiful captures, Linda. I love dogwoods. The pink ones are gorgeous!

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  3. Wish I were there!!
    I agree - spring in the PNW is where I'd love to be. I could make it back home in time for our spring splendor in northern MN, which comes in May. :)
    Gorgeous dogwoods & gorgeous photos, as always, Linda!
    I appreciate your reminder & message on the work of photographers - you were right to be shocked & upset. Permission should always be asked & granted before using someone's work & property.

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  4. I lived in GA for many years and the dogwoods became my absolute favorite tree. I sure wish I could plant some here, I bet they'd grow quite well.

    As for Pinterest, you can google how to find your photos and how to prevent them from being pinned. I'm not sure how well it works but it might be worth a try.

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  5. Good Morning, Linda! The Dogwoods are one of my favorite trees too. The blooms are beautiful. I do love the pink or reddish colors. But, the white blossoms are pretty too. Gorgeous photos, have a happy day!

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  6. Love your photos!!

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  7. Absolutely gorgeous! But it's not fair; they don't grow here, too cold. We'd plant lots of them if they'd survive!

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  8. Awww...I'm sorry that happened. I bet you were shocked when you saw your photos in a slide show! I've always loved your blog and especially your beautiful photos. I hope everyone will respect your copywrite. Loved the dogwoods....just beautiful!

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  9. Beautiful images! Yes, permission should be obtained before using a photographer's images.

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  10. These are just fabulous Linda! I get really ticked off when I see my photos somewhere else, but, there's not a lot you can do about it I guess.

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  11. Linda, you can see who has pinned your images by doing the following.

    First log into your Pinterest account.

    The Pinterest Search Source
    If you own your own website and post images of your work, there’s another, less well-known way to discover if your images have been shared on Pinterest. To use this technique, you’ll need to use the following URL:

    http://pinterest.com/source/URL

    But before you copy and paste the address, you’ll need to edit the part at the end which reads “URL” and substitute it with your website address, minus the “http://” or “www.” For example if I was searching for images pinned from my publisher’s (Macmillan) website, I’d use the URL from the Macmillan website: http://us.macmillan.com/and amend the Pinterest source URL so it reads as:

    http://pinterest.com/source/us.macmillan.com

    And when you copy and paste the above into your browser, you’re taken to a page that shows images shared and pinned from Macmillan.com:

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  12. The dogwoods are a favorite of mine too and they are blooming in Kentucky too.

    I would have flipped out at that conference. I would have never been able to keep my mouth shut either. Wow - that is really rude.

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  13. Great flowers - we used to have a dog-wood in out garden, but it did not survive the drought.

    I would have "gone ballistic" if it had been one of my images.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  14. Beautiful blooms, Linda!
    The grass and winter wheat are greening up and I see a few buds on the lilacs in front of the house. It's just been too cold.

    Alaska and Canada had warmer temps early this week than the Black Hills. We are a good 5-10* cooler than the Hills.

    I am amazed that the climate of the PNW is a lot more mild than ours. You must get warm fronts or currents off the ocean?

    I would be frustrated about the picture too. Even with your watermark on the photos, you should be asked permission to use your work OR given credit beyond the watermark (i.e. name and website).

    I rarely use other people's photos on my blog. If I do I give credit and/or a link to where I found the image. I like to share quotes that I find and always give credit to where I find them. I link to the home page and/or specific blog that I find the quote on. Sometimes I wonder if that is enough.

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  15. I sighed after looking at your photos. They are amazing. #WeeklyTopShot

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  16. I am so sorry that someone used your photo without permission. I think I would have talked with the presenter of that slideshow. SOoo wrong! Just to let you know I've read this 'borrowing' without permission (AKA theft) of photos online is not uncommon. I actually found one of my photos for sale on a European website:(
    On a more positive and happy note-your dogwood photos are beautiful! As I type this, I am enjoying a pretty view of ours.
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  17. Geez Louise, Pinterest sure sounds complicated. I don't indulge, I don't have enough time to read the blogs I follow much less spend all day on Facebook or surf the net looking for things to "pin"! I know the risk is out there for my photos to be "borrowed", I'm on the verge of bothering to look into how to protect them. If I spent any time editing them beyond cropping and adjusting the lighting I'm sure I would have gotten around to it already. Those dogwoods are stunning, one more reason for me to want to visit the PNW!

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