Google Plus

[Richard Mahoney]

Just following up on the previous posts regarding Google+ ... I've just noticed, to my dismay (understatement), that Google appears to have migrated all of my images from Google+:

http://gplus.to/rmahoney

to my own `special' page on their Picassa Web Alblums here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103151169282950538741

And if this in itself wasn't enough, they seem to be kindly providing viewers of Picassa with the opportunity to purchase prints of my images through various suppliers. Is my reading of this accurate, and if it is, am I alone in finding this reuse of copyrighted materials somewhat -- well -- hard to credit?


Kind regards,

Richard

[Darin Boville]

Hey Richard,

Now way! For a test I just ordered one of your prints--for 19 cents! Thanks!

Remind me to NEVER post high resolution images to anywhere...thanks for bringing this to my (our) attention, Richard. Sort of amazing.

--Darin

[Frank Petronio]

I successfully - I hope - deleted all of my Google, Facebook, Tumblr, and other social networking sites. I still am logged into here and RFF, as well as useful sites like my bank, Blurb, etc.

But to Hell with social networking and all the security and privacy issues they provoke.

I dumped my smartphone too, and now I find time to read books instead of mouth-breathing at some stupid screen.

From a marketing level I don't think it's worth it for a photographer now that everyone is doing it.

It's just noise.

Let me know how many jobs you get truly because you were on Google or Facebook....

[QT Luong]

And if this in itself wasn't enough, they seem to be kindly providing viewers of Picassa with the opportunity to purchase prints of my images through various suppliers. Is my reading of this accurate, and if it is, am I alone in finding this reuse of copyrighted materials somewhat -- well -- hard to credit?

Here's the setting to change to prevent that:
http://www.colbybrownphotography.com...dise/#ordering

Let me know how many jobs you get truly because you were on Google or Facebook....

Not sure about those two, but I know a few photographers who were discovered on Flickr and got good sales/jobs.

[Brian K]

Just following up on the previous posts regarding Google+ ... I've just noticed, to my dismay (understatement), that Google appears to have migrated all of my images from Google+:

http://gplus.to/rmahoney

to my own `special' page on their Picassa Web Alblums here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103151169282950538741

And if this in itself wasn't enough, they seem to be kindly providing viewers of Picassa with the opportunity to purchase prints of my images through various suppliers. Is my reading of this accurate, and if it is, am I alone in finding this reuse of copyrighted materials somewhat -- well -- hard to credit?


Kind regards,

Richard

Richard if they are offering to sell your work then it's not Google who did it but a pirate. A few years back this happened to me and a bunch of other photographers, and my work wasn't even on google, they stole it off my web site.

[QT Luong]

Brian, the default setting on Picassa allows other users to order prints from your uploaded images.

[Brian K]

Brian, the default setting on Picassa allows other users to order prints from your uploaded images.

QT, the point is I never uploaded ANY images to Picasa and neither did the other photographers who's work appeared there under someone else's name and NOT credited to the actual photographers.......

[r.e.]

It should not surprise anybody that Google is using Picasa servers to store and serve up Google+ photos. It owns Picasa. Similarly, Twitter is using Photobucket (which it doesn't own, but is in partnership with) to store and serve up Twitter photos. As part of Google's use of Picasa, there is talk that Google intends to integrate Picasa further into Google+ and that it might even do away with the brand name.

In addition, one can use Google+ settings to determine whether photos appear at all via Picasa and, if so, whether they are private or public.

Surely people here know that a photo uploaded to Google+ that has been made public can be downloaded by anyone, at will and for free.

I can't imagine why anybody in his right mind would pay for a copy of a photo that has been uploaded for public consumption to Google+. That said, I haven't looked at the issue of whether a print of the rather low resolution photos that I make public on Google+ can be purchased, how the money gets channeled and how one opts out.

It took me a couple of tries to replicate what Mr. Mahoney is talking about, but in the end I was able to. According to Mr. Boville, the price of a print of one of these low resolution photos that one can download anyway is 19 cents, presumably plus postage Perhaps someone else here knows the ins and outs of this. Maybe it's the initial infrastructure for a system in which people can market high resolution copies of the low resolution images that the post to Google+? In which case, sounds like a good thing.

Meanwhile, I'm not planning on having apoplexy over this.

[QT Luong]

The images you upload on G+ are automatically transferred to Picassa, so if you are using G+, you'd better figure out how Picassa works, if only to avoid the kind of surprises mentioned by Richard. Although professionals know better, many users of photo sharing sites (inc. Picassa) upload their images at full resolution.

[Darin Boville]

According to Mr. Boville, the price of a print of one of these low resolution photos that one can download anyway is 19 cents, presumably plus postage Perhaps someone else here knows the ins and outs of this..

Actually there's no postage at all. I had "my" print sent to the local Walgreens One-Hour lab where it was printed that same day and is waiting for pick-up. Total is 21 cents.

My plan is to pick it up later this week and make a judgement about the print quality given the low resolution of the original. After that I'll either mail it to Richard (no charge!) or destroy it if he prefers.

I don't think having a low resolution image online really matters but to have it available for 21 cents *from the photographer* cheapens (literally) a work beyond all reason.

--Darin