Photographs - and Feelings

Every single person on this earth is betrayed by someone, at some point in time, in some little (or, sometimes big) way.  It is the consequence of being a human being, of trying to be nice and pleasant  and respectful to everyone (if you were raised that way, like me); or it's the consequence of always telling the literal truth, no matter how hurtful.  Each of us is an individual, and we all have individual beliefs of right and wrong, of fairness and unfairness, of  following the rules, or breaking them.  I try to follow most rules - but I occasionally break them through ignorance, I openly admit that.
   I admit that I love to look at photographs - whether I took them or not.  I used to have boxes upon boxes of photos from Chincoteague and Assateague Islands - photos of ponies, all things to do with Pony Penning, friends, family, homes and familiar sights and places.  I lost all of those, including childhood book and old family photos fourteen years ago.
    Family members have shared a few old photos with me, but I have taken a lot of photos straight from the images pages of both Yoohoo and Google search engines, and, in the last five years from Facebook shares.  I also purchase photos from dealers on line.  I have personally taken over 7,000 photos in the last fourteen years, and I have them on memory cards and memory sticks and in my personal computer.  I also have a lot of photos that other folks have taken over the past 100 years or so - photos that caught my fancy, or showed something I'd seen and remembered - or were just great, artistic photos.
    For the past three to five years, I have tried to identify the source of every photo I post on my blog - I do not cut off views of copyright indicators, such as names of the photographers, or studio names.  People are apparently stealing photos to use for personal gains, and cutting off copyright information from the photographic views.  I have never done so - and I will not do so.  I have never sold any photos from my blog or my Facebook postings.  During the past year, I have tried to post who took various photos that I use, or, if they are just on an image page, I leave everything blank, other than a description.
   I have been particularly happy to share photos taken by Deb Iddings Noll; by Beached Paws Photography; by Patty Ann (Vamvas) McMahon; by Allan Sklar; by Gina Aguilera, author of the book (and app) Identifying Chincoteague Ponies; by a lot of other people, whom I try to give credit to; and by DSC Photography.  I have tried to emphasize that the photos by these people are for sale, and I try to list how to contact them, when I utilize their photos - via their websites, or via Facebook.
   I know that I have sent at least 100 paying customers to DSC Photography's site, and to the shop that sells their photos on Chincoteague.  So, now, I'm going to complain about my own "hurt feelings."  I belonged to multiple Facebook pages that shared photos of Chincoteague ponies - but no more.   I posted, on Facebook, that I had completed the blog page about the Chincoteague Pony Auction, showing photos of the foals on Assateague, and at the Auction, and listing the names of sires, dams, and the amount the foal was sold for.
   I did this on very little sleep, and I thanked DSC Photography for using the photos that they had taken at the end of the blog.  I started getting nasty comments immediately because I didn't recognize all of the people who had taken the photos.  I asked folks to identify their photos, and I thanked them and identified them before the photo section began.
   The next day, I was removed from access to six Facebook sites that have one of the two owners of DSC Photography as page administrators.  I have been essentially black-balled from all but four Chincoteague Facebook sites.  -  But - and I had to laugh - DSC Photography kept my 5-Star review of their business and website on the top of their page.  (I deleted it myself 6 weeks after the black-balling began.)
   I apologize, again, profusely, to any and all photographers whom I have harmed in any way, or have "ruffled their feathers."  Watermarks and copyright marks are easily available and easy to apply to your photos before they are posted anywhere.  I tried to point viewers to purchase legitimate copies of the photos that are/were copyrighted. 
 
If I post and share one of your photos, it's because I believe it is beautiful and should be shared with those other people who will appreciate it. 

I'm Baa-aack.... And I Owe An Apology

Sorry. My business took a lot less time than I had anticipated.... I opened my e-mail this morning to find a note attached to one of my blog URLs. The note was from Mr. Randy Bray, of Corvallis, Oregon. I used/posted a photo of his on December 22, 2008 - a beautiful photo of Sleepy Hollow Farm in Vermont. It had been posted on Webshots.com with the comment - "I use this for my screensaver." Usually items on Webshots are free to download and share if one makes no money from the use of said item; and if an item is copyrighted, it states so on or under the photo - as in yesterday's photo that I posted of Forego.
The photo of the farm in Vermont had no copyright notice on it when I pulled it up. Mr. Bray contacted me this morning, asking who had given me permission to use his copyrighted work. And the answer is no one. In looking back over his collected work on Webshots.com this morning, I found a note stating that all of his photos were copyrighted in 2009. I have removed the photo from my blog. I have promised Mr. Bray not to use any of his photos in my blog, with or without his permission. And I humbly apologize to Randy Bray for unintentionally posting a photo he had copyrighted.

The kits are fine - Lovey was chased by a raven back into the apartment this morning, so I have no idea of what mischief she was up to.... Banichi was talking earnestly to me early this morning (which usually means he has a shoe string in his mouth and is bringing it to me) - I was surprised when he brought my bra back to bed. (I wonder if he's trying to tell me something?) I will be heading out shortly to walk Rosie and Remy. And we had a thunderstorm last night - I know it's still humid because the backs of my ears are sweating.... 'Til tomorrow!