The biggest bennie of attaching a Creative Commons license to your work is the unanticipated adaptation of that work in a share-alike universe. What? That is to say, I love the chain reaction that ensues from a single act of licensing — seeing the places your work travels, usually with proper attribution and adherence to the license.
One of the reasons I post some of my images under a Creative Commons license (Flickr) is to offer a creative option for non-profits or educational institutions. Most of my attributed images have been used in that context. The other day, however, I got notification from an artist who’d taken one of my licensed photos and created an original drawing from that work. That was a first. So, I’ve posted the transformation from pixel to pencil below.
When I first joined Flickr, I did what many people do: I added an © All Rights Reserved tag to my photos. I came from a world where to do otherwise was inconceivable. It was because of a benevolent Flickr icon (and outstanding wildlife photographer) that I changed my paradigm and grew to embrace the idea of Creative Commons — a project which seeks to expand the amount of creative work available in the commons.
Creative Commons was launched in 2001 to “give everyone from individual creators to large companies and institutions a simple, standardized way to grant copyright permissions to their creative work.” A variety of Creative Commons Licenses give creators the flexibility to stipulate usage and permissions.
Mashable posted a list of Creative Commons resources: 25+ Sources for Creative Commons Content.
Raven in Flight - ©ingridtaylar
A drawing by A J Tudury
Click on drawing to see the rest of A J Tudury’s photostream at Flickr.
The Photo: We were shooting a super-high surf at Ocean Beach when I noticed the ravens having a time of it in the wind. They’d launch off the bluff over Ocean Beach and remain nearly stationary in the strong headwinds. At times, their plumage looked split and spiked for all of the wind pressure. My favorite raven shot of the day was Super Raven — an avian caped crusader. When I’m shooting animal action like this, my standard setting — tweaked as necessary — is: 1/800 (whatever ISO and aperture I need to achieve that), spot-metering, especially important for white or black animals, some exposure compensation if spot-metering. If the animal is standing still, I’ll slow the shutter to allow for a lower ISO or different aperture settings.
I had a chance to check out your Flickr collection, Ingrid. Your photographs are spectacular!
Thanks so much, Tovar. I always hope a photograph here and there captures the true essence of my subject. They say you should photograph what you love. I’ve found that if you do, something you love will emerge from the shot.