Rust Never Sleeps - Ode to Neil Young

I love old stuff, the beauty of decay.

Music inspires me.

I thought about Neil Young's alternately sweet and jarring compositions as I enjoyed photographing this building at the rail yard in East Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Broken Window with Sky

The Beauty of Rust

Growing Down?

PS - Take a look at this comment from Sabrina regarding my recent post on copyright. I wrote about net neutrality in terms of copyright. She explains the bigger picture of the issue.

©2009 John Nordell

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Registering the Copyright of Stock Photographs, Net Neutrality and Letters to Obama

These images will soon be posted with Photolibrary, one of my stock agencies.

The shots were part of a big batch of images I just registered online with the Electronic Copyright Office. Since I registered them before they were published, the process was relatively swift and painless. Registering published material takes more doing.

As soon as you click the shutter, you own the copyright to your image. However, if the image is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, you can go after legal fees and statutory damages if someone infringes your work.

In this wired world, it has become far easier for scoundrels to swipe your work. Best to embed your contact and copyright in the metadata of your photos. However, a recent American Society of Media Photographers report notes that sites such as MySpace and Facebook remove such metadata. I place a copyright watermark overlay on each image I post on Facebook and TwitPic.

The plots thickens in terms of fingering infringers. I have been in touch with the Copyright Alliance. Current issues include "net neutrality." As they explained it to me: "Net neutrality is over who monitors and controls internet space. So, if your work is infringed upon through the internet, who is held responsible? The internet service provider? The web application? The creator?"

The Copyright Alliance has a letter for creators to send to President Obama that affirms the importance of artists to the economy and copyright protection to the economy of artists. Last week, 11,ooo signed letters were delivered to the White House. Send yours now.

About these photographs? As most were taken when I was on my way somewhere to do something, they are about paying attention.

©John Nordell 2009

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What is the First Thing that Comes to Mind When I Say the Word "Copyright"?

I started a recent class with this question and received responses such as: "Complicated." "Legal issues." "Infringement." "Damn." "Rights." "Confusing." "Orphan Works." "Paperwork."

I then demonstrated how registering your images online with the Electronic Copyright Office is relatively speedy and painless. (About 15 minutes if your files are prepared.) I am a member of Editorial Photographers. One of the organization's online forums educated me on the finer points of electronic registration.

I recently registered these images, as they will be placed with one of my online stock agencies.

The inside door of a bathroom, along with a light switch, in a motel.

A shadow falls on the the Hall Tavern Visitor Center at Old Deerfield, a classic New England village. Historic buildings, like this one built in 1760, line the main street, and serve as instructional reminders of the past.

Looking through the blur of a tree's branches at the sun rising over the Connecticut River on a November morning in Turners Falls, MA

Just before dawn, moonlight reflects on the Green River in Greenfield, MA. The photographer twisted his camera sideways during this 4 second exposure to create this wave like effect of the moonlight's reflection.

A 31-year-old Caucasian graphic designer.

Each stock image I send out has a caption written in the metadata. The generic graphic designer is actually Peter Chilton. He is a teaching colleague, punk rocker and designer extraordinaire. He designed the header for this blog. I photographed him to demonstrate to students the use of fill flash.

How would you answer my opening question?

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