06 May 2012

Another site giving away "free" images for download

I recent found yet another website allowing downloads of "free" images which, of course, are not free.  The site is based in Indonesia so I guess I have buckleys trying to get them to remove my many, many images which are being given away.  I have removed link to this site because of the stupid comment I received which I have deleted!   I have tried to contact the site via their email address which of course is false (it bounced twice) and I have left a message on their Facebook site and will continue to do so until they remove ALL of my images.  I have sent a DMCA notice to their server in the US (Limestone Networks) but even a reminder email has not elicited a response.  The site is still online and still giving away photographers' copyrighted work.  I will continue to send reminders to Limestone until they tire of me!

As a last resort, I will find an IP lawyer in Jakarta to pursue an action for copyright infringement but I had hoped that Limestone would co-operate as GoDaddy did awhile back when they took down completely another infringing site offering similar free downloads.

Update: 19 May 2012:  Site has now been taken down.  See my post re Limestone Networks.

3 comments:

  1. First of all, your photos are outstanding.

    Secondly, I'm as irritated as you are with copyright infringement. My blog is already populated with Pinterest rants. DMCA notices are a specialty of mine.

    Submit your DMCA notice for mybiru.com to the following email addresses:

    sweet@szaharani.com (domain registrant)
    annizar@mahdi.gmail.com (domain registrant, 2nd email)
    abuse@softlayer.com (host)
    root@networklayer.com (host)
    abuse@networklayer.com (host)

    Send your take down notice to ALL these emails at once.

    Things should start jumping for you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for taking the time to check out the servers. I have just sent another to Limestone and will await their response. If zilch, I will send emails to all of the above.

    Pinterest is still infringing my work and I am getting tired of sending them DMCAs which they do act on but its a PINA.

    Cheers
    Sheila

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sheila, if you don't have success, post about it on Red Bubble's Copyright Protection group. There are always some techies who seem able to help find the real host/contact that works. If the host is in the US they are required by law to remove the infringement when you submit a takedown (DMCA). I have not personally had to figure out how to go further, but have read a bit about it. Essentially, if a site host is not complying, they have a provider, a phone or cable co, that you might go to. They can't use the DMCA's safe harbor if they aren't complying with it. Good luck, I know some of them make lots of extra work, and I hope your IP lawyer will be able to BILL them for the cost of all those images they gave away. Sounds like maybe a scraper site?

    ReplyDelete


After Topaz

Using Topaz Spicify, the image has been enhanced in both colour and "pop". This may be a tad OTT but when printed out, it looks rather good (even if I say so myself!!).

Elderly gents

Image enhancing filters

I have recently been experimenting with different filters for post processing images. Topaz has been one of them. Using the adjust filter, one can change rather dramatically an image which may (or may not) need enhancing. Purists argue that one should not enhance or change an image but in this era, we are bombarded with enhanced movies so it seems a natural progression to enhance still images. The pic directly above is the original image (shot RAW and converted using Adobe Camera RAW).

Rather boring shot of Sydney Harbour

I am going to show how a somewhat boring shot of Sydney Harbour (if there ever could be one!) can be turned into something a little more spectacular. Below is the original shot (shot in RAW format with my Canon 5D) and taken off the back of the Manly ferry.

Sydney Harbour

Sydney Harbour
Rather boring shot of Sydney Harbour

Conversion

Using Adobe Camera Raw ("ACR"), I converted the raw image with parameters: Blacks 7, brightness +31, Contrast +61, Clarity +77, Vibrance +7, Saturation 72 and a bit of Curves which brought me to the below image.

Harbour

Harbour

Flood filter conversion

I then produced a "reflection" using Flaming Pear flood filter. For those unfamiliar with this filter, it gives the image a perception of a reflection (poetical!) and I see it often in publications and I find myself examining ALL images with reflections to see if the photographer had used this very handy filter. I have details of the conversion if anyone is interested but to post it would be a tad boring. Flaming pair flood filters can be found here

Reflection

Reflection
Sydney Harbour reflection using flood filter

Sea of Hats

I was on my lunch hour when I was strolling around The Rocks area of Sydney when I saw a group of private schoolgirls on an excursion. As soon as I saw their hats, I knew that there was a good opportunity to get a good snap. As luck would have it, they started to cross the street to where I was standing. I knew in my head the image I was looking for and I had to be above them. With an enormous amount of good fortune, a ramp up to a shop in this old area of Sydney was a few metres away. I raced up the ramp and shot this image. It was taken with my Canon 70-200 f/4L at f/5.6 which gave me a shallow depth of field leaving the centre hat in sharp focus and the rest of the hats out of focus. I submitted this image in late 2005 to the Black and White Spider Awards and it won Outstanding Achievement - People and also won me the Photographer of the Year 2005 - amateur. It really is nice to get recognition of one's work and even though I am now a professional, it still gives me a warm feeling when I look at my certificate!

Sulphur crested cockatoo in flight

This is an image on which I have added a "flood" filter. It is quite effective and quite a nice shot in any event. Flood filters can be found here and they are worth every cent. There is always a debate regarding "Photoshopping" images but as long as one is honest about the origin and digital changes to the image, I think its legimate. The original image, taken in our garden, of the cockatoo actually landing on the lawn, had a piece of its left hand side wing missing so I "replaced" it in Photoshop CS4. Cockatoos actually dislike water and when they start attacking the timber balustrades on our verandah, all I have to do is get out the spray bottle and walk towards them. They are endearing creatures, very intelligent but are enormously destructive. They are very long lived (up to 80 years) so don't even think of buying one unless you plan to outlive it and put up with the high decibels of squawking! I really hate seeing them in cages and they must long to be free when they see a large flock passing by.

Surfing the storm

Late one afternoon, I was snapping at Avalon Beach, Sydney, when a storm approached. This did not stop a late surfer. This image is available as a print via my RedBubble site. Click on image which will take you to the print site.

Sydney Opera House abstract

An abstract look at the famous icon. It is very difficult to take any pics of the Opera House as everyone and their brother has done it before. For this particular image, I used Optikvervlabs filter.

Leopard seal

I took this shot of a leopard seal exhaling bubbles at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. This is, apparently, one of the few leopard seals in captivity. Apparently it was found injured awhile back and is happy in its huge enclosure at the Zoo along with its mate. Through a stock library, this image is to appear as a full page in a textbook.



Alice

Alice
A portrait of an elderly lady
This is one of my favourite images of Alice, an elderly aboriginal lady who sadly is now deceased. I would occasionally see her at Circular Quay in Sydney and she would often smile at me. I used a Dragan filter to bring out more texture to the image. I am often asked if I have ever been challenged when photographing candid subjects. Only on one occasion, I was asked not to take a photograph of a female street performer which was odd as that is where they often make their money. So, of course, I acceded to her wishes. Many buskers or street performers expect payment for taking their photograph and its something I always do as its their living, as taking photographs is mine. One of my most popular galleries on my website is one of Sydney Aborigines and I have many kind comments on my work. I did have one person, a Sydney academic, who actually called me a thief as she was under the erroneous impression that I was selling images of these colourful folk without payment which in fact is not true. I have model releases from many and I have made subsequent payments to them.




The smoker

The smoker
An elderly man puffs on a cigarette

Mudda Mudda

Mudda Mudda
My favourite subject
Mudda Mudda (aka Cedric) is an aboriginal busker who is often found at Circular Quay, in Sydney, accompanying other aboriginal buskers. He has such a great face and this image won me a UK award last year for traditional portraiture here