Recently in Photography Category

There was a recent fury directed at TwitPic, a Twitter-specific photo sharing service, for updates to their terms of service (TOS). The new terms state that while you are still the copyright holder to your photos, TwitPic is free to distribute your images to promote their service, and share with "affiliated partners." It was interesting to see TwitPic singled out, a quick check of similar services proved that they have comparable terms with other services

The night my Twitter-stream lit up over this, I spent a good part of that evening pouring over the terms for similar sites. Instagram, for example, state if you use their site, you do grant them the right to distribute your material, as they think necessary for promoting their services. Some go a step further and include associated third parties, which is the case with TwitPic. An article by TNW Industry has a run-through of other services with similar terms.

The ToS for other popular photo-sharing apps, picplz, Color, yFrog, Instagram, Flickr, and Lockerz (fka Plixi), all have similar clauses to those of Twitpic - bar one MobyPicture.

I will point out, and included as an update in the article, that yFrog has since changed their TOS in the month I have looked at them, and now read more specifically and clearly. Not mentioned in the TNW article was both Posterous and Tumblr, maybe because they are blogging platforms and not just for photo content. Many people on Twitter mentioned moving to both of these services, but I do not see them as offering any different terms to what TwitPic already states. I am not sure why Flickr gets a mention though; it has integration of Creative Commons licensing, which I see as a positive point.

It is not that I think uploading to these sites is bad, many do offer their services free, and they do have costs and offer advertising based business models to justify. The successful TOS policies are the ones that state that they will not sell your content unless they ask you first. It seems that yFrog's new terms do include this.

I did offer some quick suggestions on Twitter to which services I would recommend after my scan of various TOS policies, and I have received a couple of requests via replies and DMs from followers asking for those again.

• MobyPicture - Praised by several sources for its concise terms on content ownership "All rights of uploaded content by our users remain the property of our users and those rights can in no means be sold or used in a commercial way by MobyPicture or affiliated third-party partners without consent from the user." That is it. That is all it should be. I think other services should take note.
• CloudApp - I have started using CloudApp, which is a standalone app for Mac. The reason I do not recommend it directly is because it is not cross-platform, but if you have a Mac, it is not a bad free app. My Twitter client for the iPhone, TweetBot, supports it for photos, videos, and for link sharing. CloudApp is not limited to photos, which makes it a nice area to drop files both publicly and privately.
• Flickr - Despite what the TNW post actually says, I didn't see Flickr's terms as potentially rights encroaching, so I'm going to recommend it. Flickr does not work directly with the way I like to share Twitter photos personally, but a few followers have mentioned to me that they were going to start using it for their mobile shares too. Many apps already support it, and Flickr comes with the extra bonus of Creative Commons licensing, so you have genuine flexibility in how you may set your terms.

The way these terms read may not be a concern with many people, but the nature of the Internet makes it difficult to know when unintentional or unauthorized use of our intellectual property happens. If it does matter to you then my biggest recommendation is to understand the terms of the services you use most. Also, revisit them to see if they have changed. Often we get emails from these services if there is an update to their policies, take that opportunity to review that their service still meets your needs.

Flickr is no doubt my favorite website.  I wasn't really into photography before Flickr, I would take a few pictures but nothing I would consider good.  I still wouldn't consider a lot of what I take good, but the community aspects of Flickr have actually boosted my confidence of lot of the pictures I do take.  A few of my images have even been selected for blog posts, websites, and tour guides, which for somebody who doesn't even consider herself a photographer, is very flattering.  I have also learned a lot from the community.  Being a musician, one thing you know is that you can't appreciate music unless you listen to a lot of it, that's why you're forced to go to a lot of performances when you're studying music.  The same holds true with anything really, if you are exposed to a lot of it, you start to realize what's good, you strive to improve your own work based on the things you find remarkable in other people's work.

Taking pictures and posting them to Flickr is fun, but I think the thing I love most about participating on Flickr are the sort of unexpected interactions that sometimes happen.  Today I was going through my email and noticed new activity on an image that I posted sometime last summer.  Alex and I were out geocaching, it was our crazy marathon geocaching day actually.  I should've calculated how many miles we walked that day, but it did feel like 10 when it was all done.  While I was on the footbridge at Bendemer Park, after we finished up a picnic we had there, I snapped this picture of two kayakers on the Huron River.  The funny thing is I remember thinking that, "I hope those kayakers don't think I'm weird for taking their picture", I wasn't even sure if they noticed either, but I liked the shot.  Anyway it turns out that one of the kayakers discovered the picture on Flickr and commented on the photo.  Thank goodness I now know that they don't think I'm weird!

The other notable "crossing paths" incident also happened last summer during our camping trip to Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula.  One day we went geocaching in Escanaba, Michigan, in the UP, and I wanted to go visit the lighthouse while we were there.  I'm a bit of a lighthouse person, or anything having to do with the water, Great Lakes, boats, what have you.  Well the lighthouse had a small admission which also included a tour of a nearby local history museum so we went to both.  While I was in the museum I snapped my "scary mannequin photo".  As you can see it is a bit frightening, it's hard to resist taking a picture of something like that.  Well, a few months ago somebody who works at the museum found the image and mentioned that the mannequin did indeed need some help and they will be working on that during the off-season.  Of course when I showed the comment to Alex he said, "yeah that's the guy who was working in the lighthouse when we visited."  So I actually talked to this person without realizing it.

I think we're fooling ourselves if we think that this isn't a small world that we live in.  Things that we do months or years before can connect us in unexpected ways to people we may have never met or maybe haven't met yet.  I think this is a good thing!  Even the smallest action of taking a picture can be enough to make that connection or to share an experience with another person, even if it's for a short period of time.

Flickr never ceases to amaze me. Reading on Lifehacker I discovered the Calendar View of my photos.

To get one for yourself all you need to do is type in this URL http://flickr.com/photos/heidigoseek/date-taken-calendar, replacing my username with yours. It's super sweet!

Although it appears I haven't taken any pictures in December yet (well I have I guess I haven't uploaded them).

I've been wanting to try out Project 365 next year, Flickr Calendar View would be awesome for that! I'm all into this photo stuff now (mostly thanks to Flickr), I've been wanting a new digital camera too. My mom was also telling me about this photography challenge in Toledo yesterday on the phone...I looked up the info online and it looks pretty flippin' sweet. I've been thinking about signing up because I would love to just wander around my hometown and take pictures of stuff...

Happy Anniversary!
Originally uploaded by heidigoseek.

My husband is awesome, today is our 3rd wedding anniversary and he sent me flowers at work! He's the best!!!!!!!!!!

Flickr : anniversary, flowers, motorola

It usually takes me awhile to get this stuff up because I'm too much of a damn perfectionist, but I am finally done messing around with the pictures I took from Cleveland.  You can find them on Flickr for your enjoyment:

Heidi's Cleveland Pictures on Flickr

If you're wondering why it takes me so long I have to crop and adjust things in Photoshop.  I simply cannot accept the photos that come out of my camera.  Then once I get everything onto Flickr I go through and geotag them.  This time I did a blanket geotag using Plazes, then I fine tuned it with Google Earth.  I also adjust the tags a little more during this process.  I also like to research the things I take pictures of.  Most of the time I take pictures of things and I have no clue what they are.  I end up learning more about places I've already been that way.  I would like to try to get a little more of a trip narrative going on another site too.  I'm hoping that I can decide on what software I like using to prepare myself for how I want to document my Germany trip in August.

technorati tags: cleveland, flickr, travel, pictures, photoshop, geotag, google_earth, plazes

Art Museum, Cleveland OH

Originally uploaded by heidigoseek.

I've been enjoying myself in Cleveland since yesterday afternoon. Alex is here for a conference but I wanted to tag along on this one...I really enjoy Cleveland. Last night there was a dinner after the talks so I went down there to join them. I didn't realize there were so many excellent things to see on the way over there though! I took some pictures on my phone but I think I will walk around with my digital camera on Sunday to get better ones.

The conference is on the campus of Case Western Reserve University, I think. We passed the orchestra hall, many cool looking churches and this image is the back of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

I have the whole day to myself and my mission, since I knew that I was coming along on this trip, is to spend the day at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I've been there before, but I'm looking forward to going again, and I'm also looking forward to going by myself so I can just wander around. There's a science museum that I'd also like to visit but I know that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is pretty much an all day trip, there's so much to see there.

Tonight, I think I'm going to have dinner in Little Italy with Alex, Melissa, and Liz. At least this is what we talked about last night. Then, since Alex still has some talks to go to tomorrow morning, I'll use that time to wander around the area with my camera.

Flickr : cleveland, cleveland museum of art, geo:lat=41.503981, geo:long=-81.611767, geotagged, lagoon, motorola, oh, plazes, united states

Mackenzie & Friends

Originally uploaded by heidigoseek.

I guess this was the first year Alex and I actually hosted a holiday event at our place. I think things went well, we had about 75% of the Hansen family there. I'll be in Indiana next weekend celebrating with my mom, brother, and nephew (Alex is going to a conference in California and my sister has to work).

I'd like to get some Library Camp notes up on this blog but I'm working on getting them up on our committee wiki first. I'll have to modify them some for the blog so I don't know how much time this will take me.

Today Sarah should be coming over so we can finish our presentation for Thursday (crossing fingers that we can get it done!)

Flickr : 2006, bunnies, easter, easter 2006, easter bunny, elmo, fox, geo:lat=42.2113, geo:lon=-83.67485, geotagged, hickory, mackenzie, stuffed animals

Library Camp - Lunch Conversation

Originally uploaded by jefoto.

Ooh hey! Here's a picture of me eating lunch with a group of people from Library Camp...

What a wonderful experience and a great day all around. Even after Library Camp was over the day kept getting better...I'll certainly write more about it later. Today is going to be another one of those days. We have to get ready for my in-laws to come for Easter, I have to do some more grocery shopping, and I'm thinking we're going to go back downtown today with my in-laws. It's supposed to be a nice day so we'll probably go wandering down Main St. and Kerrytown again.

Flickr : Les Orchard, kerrytown, kozmodeli, librarycamp, lunch

Outdoor Office

Originally uploaded by heidigoseek.

I've been waiting all winter for days like today!

I didn't have class this morning but I did meet with Sarah to start getting things together for our class presentation next week. On my way back from the library where she works (which is where we agreed to meet) I was so thrilled that I didn't have to be anywhere else today. I had my windows open, turned the radio up loud, and I was thinking about summer all the way home. When I got home I immediately went to the patio and got my computer out. You have no idea how much I love wireless internet...no idea at all.

The only downside is the video I've been watching for class pretty much all day, it's boring the living daylights out of me. I don't want to gripe about my class assignment because I actually enjoy my class, but this particular video has sucked all creative energy I had earlier this week completely dry. The video is about the ILS at school, which I think would normaly interest me, but this presentation of it isn't doing much for me. The concepts aren't that hard to understand, while I know I'm "learning" things, I don't feel like I'm learning anything that I couldn't get by just playing around for some time on my own. The actual "cool things" mentioned in the video aren't even new concepts for me, I've already knew they existed or that they could exist so it's hard to get excited about that too. The video is a bit technical too, not so technical that I can't understand but technical enough that my brain is turning the information off...I just want the gist of it, that's all I need to understand, when I want to know more my brain turns itself back on. Unfortunately I'm only 3/4 of my way through the whole presentation (it's 3 hours long!). I'm taking a mental breather so I can work up the energy to finish it off.

I have a feeling that tomorrow all of my creative energy will come back...I'll be attending Libary Camp at AADL! I am absolutely excited about the entire experience too. I love the idea of loose and informal interaction and I'm excited about the wide variety of people that will be in attendance. I think I'll also literally be "camped out" at AADL. Last week when I was on the website (either trying to renew my books or see how many millions of dollars I owe in a library fine), I saw that they were doing a retro game night! Alex and I usually losers on a Friday night so I want to go down there and check it out. What I love is that the tournament is for kids and adults (oh yeah, and it's at the library).

Mental drain headache seems to be going away but I still don't know if I have the energy to finish watching the video...I think what might help is a beer...almost dinner time now...I'm thinking chicken on the grill...

Flickr : computer, geo:lat=42.2113, geo:lon=-83.67485, geotagged, office, outdoors, outside, patio

Spring Table

Originally uploaded by heidigoseek.

Ok, we had dinner guests the other night and this is the kind of silly stuff I do before they get to our apartment...I take pictures of my table. Normal people would actually take pictures of the people they're with but I always forget such things once company actually arrives...plus I just feel silly sometimes getting the camera out all the time.

The flowers are from Trader Joe's, and ironically, a week later, they're still somewhat alive! This must be a new record for me.

The dishes are new too, I wanted something a little more brighter and springier than what I had. We went to Dollar Tree and got a whole new set (plates, cups, bowls, placemats, and towels) all for something like $20. I think I'm really like my mom in this respect, I'll set my table for just about every season, the only problem is I'm running out of room for dishes...

Flickr : flowers, geo:lat=42.2113, geo:lon=-83.67485, geotagged, spring, table