Schmap and online photo rights

FlickrMail

From:	Emma J. Williams
Subject:	Schmap: Toronto Photo Short-list
	Hi Dave, I am writing to let you know that one of your photos has been short-listed for inclusion in the fourth edition of our Schmap Toronto Guide, to be published early January 2008. www.schmap.com/shortlist/p=37643212N00/c=SF28043015 Clicking this link will take you to a page where you can: i) See which of your photos has been short-listed. ii) Submit or withdraw your photo from our final selection phase. iii) Learn how we credit photos in our Schmap Guides. iv) Browse online or download the second edition of our Schmap Toronto Guide. While we offer no payment for publication, many photographers are pleased to submit their photos, as Schmap Guides give their work recognition and wide exposure, and are free of charge to readers. Photos are published at a maximum width of 150 pixels, are clearly attributed, and link to high-resolution originals at Flickr. Our submission deadline is Sunday, December 30. If you happen to be reading this message after this date, please still click on the link above (our Schmap Guides are updated frequently - photos submitted after this deadline will be considered for later releases). Best regards, Emma Williams, Managing Editor, Schmap Guides

Oh, I felt so honored that _anybody_ would want to use my picture _anywhere_.
In fact, I still do, although I'm (almost) worried about how the colors would come off and stuff - if published, that is.

and then I read the Toronto Group's discussion on the topic:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/tdot/discuss/72157603553406157/

As I see it, there's nothing wrong with this.

Hell, sure I would've loved to read that somebody wants to pay for a 6' x 8' fine print, frame it, make it part of a traveling exhibition across 6 continents and take me along - but I guess that doesn't happen very often without making some serious efforts to expose myself, does it???

Digital age. Everybody who has a camera is a photographer now. We post for all to see. Free - because we have something to show. And everything that's online is - FREE.
The quantity of images created and shared worldwide say in the past year probably exceeds that of every exposure over the first 120 years of photography.
Schmap, or in fact anybody, could take your picture from Flickr and publish it in some online thing and you would never know.

True, free online exposure in Schmaps might not even affect Flickr visits at all.
But as I wasn't looking to actually SELL this picture (not yet, but why not give it a chance now?) - I don't see how a measly 150 wide thumbnail with my name next to it would misrepresent me as a photographer or pull money out of my pocket.

Should I find out the city is getting splattered with posters using a picture of mine for a travel agency or sg, or just as in the mentioned travel brochure, without asking my permission and giving me proper credit - now that would be a violation of copyrights all right, see you in court.
But that's why I don't upload anything larger than 1200px @ 72dpi, I guess. Anybody who wants to see the 10 MB version can ask me for it, right?

Re: why average pictures get chosen. It might be just the different photo editors' not-so-refined taste, I figure. Plus it must be a quantity over quality priority for them, too. They want LOADS of pictures.
(A good thing that you can turn the offer down if you think it's not your best - then go push your best! Also, trying to be more selective and post only the best in the first place could be a way to go. Why post something you don't stand by a 100%? I'd turn the offer down AND delete the picture so that it doesn't happen again.)

To sum it up, I say yes and don't feel exploited. Should they decide to use it, I'll be happy about the exposure and I'll drop a thank you just as all the other people do. Save the link, take a screenshot, thanks a bunch for noticing.

I mean, that would appear if anyone searched "photography" and my name, isn't that so?
Post more, add more tags to turn up in more searches.
And possibly start searching where I could market my photography lucratively.