Pages: [1] 2   Go Down

Author Topic: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim  (Read 8693 times)

Enda Cavanagh

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 636
    • http://www.endacavanagh.com
Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« on: June 27, 2012, 11:14:07 am »

Hi everyone

Here is an image I took at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Ballintoy is situated in one of the most picturesque parts of North Antrim between the Giants Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and looks out to Rathlin Island and beyond to Scotland. The light was beautiful that evening and I managed to get several images I was happy with.

I captured the image using my H3D 39 back on my digitar wide DS with a 35mm xl Schneider and a 3 stop ND to slow things down.



You can view it in a larger size on my website by clicking here

You should click "View larger Image" above the top left of the image to see it in a nice big size for those of you with 24" monitors or bigger.
« Last Edit: June 28, 2012, 07:02:37 am by Enda Cavanagh »
Logged

sdwilsonsct

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3296
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2012, 12:20:37 pm »

Always glad to see your images Enda, but this doesn't fit on my laptop screen. Any chance of a smaller version? With a smaller watermark? Scott

Enda Cavanagh

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 636
    • http://www.endacavanagh.com
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2012, 01:31:13 pm »

Hi Scott. Just for you I reduced the size of the image :)
The watermark has to stay. I even found one cheeky bugger last week in the States who was selling one of my images!! There was even an option to download a high res version. He had swiped it from my website at 750 pixels wide....with a watermark on it. He reduced it down to about 400 pixels wide, removed the watermark sufficiently that you couldn't really see it and put it on his site!!!

Content aware beware. By the way to all photographers, Google has a fantastic tool now. Forget about software and exif data to tack your images. Now all you have to do is upload a photo. Doesn't matter about image size, title, exif data, whatever. It actually recognizes the features in the image and finds any copy of it that it can. I found a ton of images on different sites which were used without my permission. It can'f find them if they are flickr, Facebook or if they are in flash but still it's a great tool.

One photographer was joking with me about my image. He shoots amongst others fine art nude images. I screen grabbed an image from his site. I uploaded and did a google image search and found it on an escort agency website in Australia. Once I told him his photo was used to promote prostitution, that shut him up ;D

sdwilsonsct

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3296
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2012, 02:24:08 am »

Hi Scott. Just for you I reduced the size of the image :)
The watermark has to stay.

Thanks, Enda! In your position I would probably also watermark extensively. Too bad this needed.

Nice X-shaped composition, nice tight sun. My only niggle is that the elements are relatively bright considering that they are back-lighted. But you know that.  :)
Scott

Enda Cavanagh

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 636
    • http://www.endacavanagh.com
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #4 on: June 28, 2012, 07:13:36 am »

Ya I know Scott. I would much prefer not to include watermarked images. I really would. I thought initially having them at 750 pixel wide would prevent them from been used but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Anyone using them in blogs are what ever is no problem whatsoever as long as I'm credited. (mind you some cheeky buggers who wrote blogs claimed they took them!) When I did a Google search I found everyone from a car rental company to a Palates company both using images. I told them it's no problem to have them but there is a licensing fee. Of course neither wanted to pay a cent. They took them down and you should see the rubbish that was put up.

This is my image that the car rental company used initially. They even removed the watermarks!! http://www.endacavanagh.com/architecture/terminal_2_at_dublin_airport_dublin_ireland

This is the masterpiece they replaced it with!!http://www.carhire.ie/dublinairportdesk.php


Enda Cavanagh

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 636
    • http://www.endacavanagh.com
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2012, 07:15:24 am »


Nice X-shaped composition, nice tight sun. My only niggle is that the elements are relatively bright considering that they are back-lighted. But you know that.  :)
Scott

Ya I know Scott, you love your silhouettes. But which is closer to what the human eye can see?? :D

sdwilsonsct

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3296
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #6 on: June 28, 2012, 08:03:17 am »

I found everyone from a car rental company to a Palates company both using images. I told them it's no problem to have them but there is a licensing fee. Of course neither wanted to pay a cent.

Talking about this at lunch, someone was discussed who in these cases simply sends a bill, and it usually gets paid.

So they said.

Enda Cavanagh

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 636
    • http://www.endacavanagh.com
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #7 on: June 28, 2012, 08:07:14 am »

Ya I'm sure sometimes it works and sometimes not. The guy in the states I just threatened him with legal action (what action I have no idea ;D) and he took it down. He was simply committing fraud. He didn't have a high res. file.

Any company that grabbed the images for their own marketing I phoned and said they can use them for a fee and they just took them down instead. I left it at that.

Kerry L

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 177
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #8 on: June 29, 2012, 08:27:15 am »

Ya I'm sure sometimes it works and sometimes not. The guy in the states I just threatened him with legal action (what action I have no idea ;D) and he took it down. He was simply committing fraud. He didn't have a high res. file.

Any company that grabbed the images for their own marketing I phoned and said they can use them for a fee and they just took them down instead. I left it at that.


However that maybe, I'd still send an invoice to any end users as they still owe for the usage, regardless of how short a time. It may not get paid, but it will be a shot across the bow.

My experience in this has been, that the "right-clicker" is in the marketing side while the payment people are sitting a little closer to the legal side. It may touch a nerve and get them talking. The brighter blubs in the management should realize that this also starts a history file, should you or anyone decide to take action.
Logged
"Try and let your mind see more than you

louoates

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 836
    • Lou Oates Photography
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #9 on: June 29, 2012, 10:00:24 am »

Unauthorized use is a big problem for any of us who post any image on the internet. Most photographer web sites are smorgasbords of tasty images ripe for theft. If you sell stock photography you are getting ripped off everyday by someone stealing and removing whatever watermarks are used on those stock sites. Google image search will let you identify some of the illegal use but it's often difficult to really tell which is proper use and which isn't. That's because most of the stock sites have what's called "partner" relationships with other stock image sellers, most of whom resell those images on their own sites, collect the fee and, hopefully, return a portion to the original site for sharing with the photographer. This is not a transparant transaction. We need to rely on the honesty of the original stock site and their diligence in policing those relationships.

Actual thefts by end-users seem to be growing, many of whom use the images for their own use with or without removing the watermarks depending on their PS skills. Photography blogs are full of frustrated photographers all atwitter by finding someone ignoring their copyright. 99% of their attempts to do much about it fail. So if you are upset by finding unauthorized uses of your images, join the crowd. In time you will learn to live with this unfortunate fact of life and not waste a lot of time trying to enforce your copyright. 
Logged

Isaac

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3123
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #10 on: June 29, 2012, 12:47:08 pm »

I even found one cheeky bugger last week in the States who was selling one of my images!! There was even an option to download a high res version. He had swiped it from my website at 750 pixels wide....with a watermark on it. He reduced it down to about 400 pixels wide, removed the watermark sufficiently that you couldn't really see it and put it on his site!!!

Quote
Unlike a US citizen, you don’t have to register your photos with the US Copyright Office to file a lawsuit against someone in the US for any infringement. But if you don’t register your images, then you are not eligible for statutory damages and attorneys’ fees.
...
When entitled to statutory damages, you may be awarded up to $150,000 per work for willful infringements. ... Legal fees and costs also may be recovered from the infringer.
...
Because lawyers and lawsuits are expensive, it rarely is worth filing a lawsuit when you are eligible only for actual damages. It dramatically increases the incentive to pursue an infringement when statutory damages are available.
...
Once you register your images with the US Copyright Office, you likely will find it worth the time and effort to prosecute infringements that occur in the US.

US Copyright Tips For International Photographers
Logged

Isaac

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3123
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #11 on: June 29, 2012, 12:56:59 pm »

Ya I know Scott, you love your silhouettes. But which is closer to what the human eye can see??

At dusk we'll only see shades of black and white, but the camera will still record colours.
Logged

Enda Cavanagh

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 636
    • http://www.endacavanagh.com
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #12 on: June 29, 2012, 01:03:48 pm »

That's funny Isaac because I'm pretty sure the sunset appeared orange at the time and I'm pretty sure I could see the rocks quite clearly including the green algae on the rocks. I must have super human vision.

Isaac

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3123
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #13 on: June 29, 2012, 01:12:36 pm »

As I expect you know, it isn't dusk until the sun goes below the horizon.

Also, it isn't unusual for people (yes, me too) to be both sure and plain wrong :-)
Logged

Enda Cavanagh

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 636
    • http://www.endacavanagh.com
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #14 on: June 29, 2012, 01:23:35 pm »

I was going to mention that. (the 1st bit ;))

Isaac

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3123
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #15 on: June 29, 2012, 02:07:45 pm »

It wasn't yet dusk, but I think sdwilsonsct was slightly concerned about the surfaces which face away from the setting sun and don't even have much indirect light.

On those dark surfaces, the camera will still record colour, but at lowered light levels we'll progressively see less colour and more gray.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2012, 06:28:19 pm by Isaac »
Logged

JMPhoto

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 22
    • Kansas City Photography: Weddings, Portraits, & More
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #16 on: June 29, 2012, 04:27:51 pm »

wow I can not believe you had issues with people stealing your images

I have had numerous people try to re-create my images but never steal. I must not be good enough for that ;)

Either way very nice work

Slobodan Blagojevic

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 18090
  • When everyone thinks the same, nobody thinks
    • My website
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #17 on: June 29, 2012, 07:45:00 pm »

... My only niggle is that the elements are relatively bright considering that they are back-lighted...

+1

In addition, there are three other related issues: contrast, saturation, and white balance of back-lighted or shaded areas. Contrast and saturation tend to be less pronounced there. White balance also differs. This applies regardless of whether one is using a gradual ND filter or manual blending in post processing. There is a standard "shade" white balance in most processors for a reason.

What it means for your image, Enda, is that I would lower the contrast and saturation a bit and then experiment with a different white balance for the shaded area. When it comes to the sky, I kind of dislike that muddy orange you got (probably a result of the ND filter) and would also try to play with different hue and saturation levels for orange.

Back to playing with the shaded area. When experimenting with different WB settings, I would try two distinct approaches: one would be the "shade" WB, in which case it would kind of blend in with the overall warm feeling of the sunset. The other approach, in general, though not sure if specifically for this image, would be to accentuate the contrast between the warmth of the sunset and the coldness/bluishness of the shade by making the shade even more blue.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2012, 07:48:35 pm by Slobodan Blagojevic »
Logged

luxborealis

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2798
    • luxBorealis.com - photography by Terry McDonald
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #18 on: June 29, 2012, 09:10:47 pm »

I'm going to open a can of worms here that seems to be always hovering in the background of many of the posts on this forum...

Much of the the criticism of your image, Enda, revolves around the difference between nature as it actually exists (or, at least how the critics perceive it) compared with how you, the photographer (dare I say artist) chooses to portray it.

There is no doubt that your images are grounded in realism as they so beautifully portray landscapes with such detail and drama. However, ss it your intention to re-create scenes exactly the way they exist (or how others expect them to be)? Or do you prefer to use "artistic licence" when making a photograph? Or a bit of both?

[Edit - spelling error]
« Last Edit: June 29, 2012, 09:45:02 pm by luxborealis »
Logged
Terry McDonald - luxBorealis.com

Slobodan Blagojevic

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 18090
  • When everyone thinks the same, nobody thinks
    • My website
Re: Sunset at Ballintoy Port in County Antrim
« Reply #19 on: June 29, 2012, 09:41:41 pm »

Terry, my approach is related to the concept of "believability," however contentious it might be in itself. Thus, neither a replica of  "scenes exactly the way they exist" (btw, who can possibly know that... even our memory can not recall it fully), nor total artistic license (which might include, say, a purple grass, or kangaroos in Himalaya, or, god forbid - or not - naked ladies ;)). Rather something in between, based on the laws of human perception, resulting in a pleasing, yet believable, enhancement of "reality" that, at the same time, carries the artist's message across.
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up