Copyright Infringement Reports (Review guidelines in post #1 before posting here)

[David Drummond]

Bob was very correct. Many of us allow NWS/NOAA sites to use our images for various things, but they are absolutely NOT in the public domain whatsoever. The one's you see tagged NSSL photo and such, or in the one case you pointed out Chuck Doswell's photo, were taken when these people were in the employee in some fashion of said government agency, and therefore the photos were technically owned by that government agency and not the photographer themselves. Being those are supported by tax dollars generally puts them in the public domain. (Chuck as a long history of working in gov/edu agencies).

I haven't seen the guide, but I do have to wonder if a person writing such a guide doesn't have enough of these types of images of their own to fill said guide, exactly how much expertise the writer possesses to write such a guide. When you write something that is authoritative, the writer should back it up with his own experiences.

 

[Rich Long]

Bob was very correct. Many of us allow NWS/NOAA sites to use our images for various things, but they are absolutely NOT in the public domain whatsoever. The one's you see tagged NSSL photo and such, or in the one case you pointed out Chuck Doswell's photo, were taken when these people were in the employee in some fashion of said government agency, and therefore the photos were technically owned by that government agency and not the photographer themselves. Being those are supported by tax dollars generally puts them in the public domain. (Chuck as a long history of working in gov/edu agencies).

I haven't seen the guide, but I do have to wonder if a person writing such a guide doesn't have enough of these types of images of their own to fill said guide, exactly how much expertise the writer possesses to write such a guide. When you write something that is authoritative, the writer should back it up with his own experiences.

I disagree. I have been a spotter for many years but I have never bothered with photography. I know nothing about it really, but I do know how to organize non profits and spotter groups. I know enough from experience but what if i want to add some storm shots to use as an example? I don't have pictures but that doesn't mean that after 20 years I don't know what I'm doing.

Just have to be careful where you get the pictures at!

 

[David Drummond]

I disagree. I have been a spotter for many years but I have never bothered with photography. I know nothing about it really, but I do know how to organize non profits and spotter groups. I know enough from experience but what if i want to add some storm shots to use as an example? I don't have pictures but that doesn't mean that after 20 years I don't know what I'm doing.

Just have to be careful where you get the pictures at!

Perhaps... I've been eating for many years too but I certainly don't feel qualified to write an authoritative guide on cooking.

 

[rdale]

Perhaps... I've been eating for many years too but I certainly don't feel qualified to write an authoritative guide on cooking.

Wrong analogy...

If you've been a cook for 20 years but never eat cuisine food - are you qualified to write a cookbook? I'd say so. Many chasers don't take pictures for various reasons, but I don't think the photography (or lack of it) makes them less qualified to write about it. Heck - this thread alone is a GREAT reason to never take pics

 

[Robert Dewey]

Heck - this thread alone is a GREAT reason to never take pics

Or buy them from a stock photo agency... LOL

 

[Rich Long]

Perhaps... I've been eating for many years too but I certainly don't feel qualified to write an authoritative guide on cooking.

Why not? Do you not know what you did to make the food? I bet theres something that you make all the time since you were a kid. I'd say that makes you an authority on it. Don't sell yourself so short

 

[David Drummond]

Wrong analogy...

If you've been a cook for 20 years but never eat cuisine food - are you qualified to write a cookbook? I'd say so. Many chasers don't take pictures for various reasons, but I don't think the photography (or lack of it) makes them less qualified to write about it. Heck - this thread alone is a GREAT reason to never take pics

Many Rob? Really? Who? I don't think I have ever once met a storm chaser (or spotter for that matter) ANYWHERE that didn't have a camera of some sort in tow, even if it was a little $30 point and shoot. And I have met a ton of chasers/spotters over the years. There may be a few, but I'm going to challenge the "many".

My eating and cooking analogy was in response to his chasing/organizing analogy. (Note I said eating and not being a cook).

 

[rdale]

Many Rob? Really? Who? I don't think I have ever once met a storm chaser (or spotter for that matter) ANYWHERE that didn't have a camera of some sort in tow, even if it was a little $30 point and shoot.

Gotcha - I thought you meant "quality" photos, stuff like you do. I'd hesitate to put together a training manual with my $30 point-n-shoot material

 

[john.sibley]

Gotcha - I thought you meant "quality" photos, stuff like you do. I'd hesitate to put together a training manual with my $30 point-n-shoot material

I second the motion.

 

[Rich Long]

Many Rob? Really? Who? I don't think I have ever once met a storm chaser (or spotter for that matter) ANYWHERE that didn't have a camera of some sort in tow, even if it was a little $30 point and shoot. And I have met a ton of chasers/spotters over the years. There may be a few, but I'm going to challenge the "many".

My eating and cooking analogy was in response to his chasing/organizing analogy. (Note I said eating and not being a cook).

I see what your saying there, but I'm in Nashville, TN. Most of the time it's not possible (at least to my knowledge) to get great storm shots on the level you would get in the plains here. A lot of structure gets obscured. I guess I don't see a problem with legally using someone else's pictures. Maybe you do and thats fine. Everyone can have an opinion and I can live with that.

 

[David Drummond]

...although the $30 point and shoots these days are getting good enough for the internet!

I guess my whole point of that is if your are participating in some activity heavy enough you feel you have the experience enough to write an authoritative guide on something, then you should also have enough experience in said activity to have already build your own library of materials to drawn from to create said guide, or at least the skills to go out and gather those materials. This of course would remove any copyright risks whatsoever as well.

I'm not (and can't) comment on his guide specifically, as I haven't seen it, but from what other's have posted, it is good. But I have seen a lot of guides of various sorts pop up lately that have an tone of authority on a subject when the person writing them clearly wasn't an authority on the subject. Kind of a pet peeve of mine.

 

[Rich Long]

Gotcha - I thought you meant "quality" photos, stuff like you do. I'd hesitate to put together a training manual with my $30 point-n-shoot material

Ditto and that's exactly my point.

 

[rdale]

...although the $30 point and shoots these days are getting good enough for the internet!

True - my $40 Black Friday webcam gets better video than my 1-yr old $300 camcorder...

 

[David Drummond]

I see what your saying there, but I'm in Nashville, TN. Most of the time it's not possible (at least to my knowledge) to get great storm shots on the level you would get in the plains here. A lot of structure gets obscured. I guess I don't see a problem with legally using someone else's pictures. Maybe you do and thats fine. Everyone can have an opinion and I can live with that.

You bring up a good point there Rich. For instance, I chase the plains nearly exclusively, and have for 25 years. I certainly could write an authoritative guide to chasing the plains.

However, I wouldn't even attempt to write one about chasing in your area. Why? Because I have zero experience in chasing in that area, and as you pointed out, chasing storms there comes with their own unique challenges that only someone completely familiar with doing it in that area would have the expertise in doing it there, well enough to write an guide about it anyway.

Sorry, that was a bit off the copyright topic, I shouldn't have added that last line in my copyright response.

 

[Rich Long]

...I'm not (and can't) comment on his guide specifically, as I haven't seen it, but from what other's have posted, it is good. But I have seen a lot of guides of various sorts pop up lately that have an tone of authority on a subject when the person writing them clearly wasn't an authority on the subject. Kind of a pet peeve of mine.

I know and agree completely. I have researched other "spotter group guides" and they have been horrid.