Astrophotos... Freeware or Retail

I agree with you Kieran. However, if she wants you to frame it and print it thats another story. I would certainly even consider adding a premium for your time and effort. If you don't you might get end up with a lot of work on your hands.

It's certainly nice when someone asks though. I am always pleased when someone asks to use an image. Recently I was contacted by a guy in the UK who wants to use one of my images in a book and also by Guy Hurst of The Astronomer (TA) magazine who wants to use one on the cover of a TA issue. They are all welcome to do so FOC.

You tend to see a lot of astrophotographers offering framed prints for sale. In some cases the quality of these guys images are not even all that great.

Kieran,
you are in an ineresting position! One which many artists would also hope to be in! It is true that once you have posted an 'image' in a public domain like a forums, people can obviously take advantage of those images. However, seeing as most are printed at a reduced screen resolution, and of a small size, there is not much to worry about at all.

However, it is nice to have a request to have your originals used by someone else for decorative purposes. I think you are right in classing them as 'freeware', but maybe only in this instance? Like many of the guys here that also take spectaclar astrophotography, there might be an opportinuty for exploitation of those that seek such images. Maybe even sending them to renowned book publishers for 'stock' photography and so on.

In terms of art, that is kind of a seperate issue I think (just an opinion). I myself have sold space art over the years. Mostly pencil and paints of anything from Armstrong on the Moon, to the Pioneer crafts and so on. Now, back then, I aimed to make them to sell them. This might even give Deirdre Kelleghan ideas! The photography you would like to have sold as art should have a signature of some kind on it. That way, people could know it is for sale. And you make a bit of money!

Do most of these 'exposure' photos come under art? That is subjective, and I won't comment on that myself. But if you can make a few bob from it, then maybe it comes under art? I don't know!


Seanie.

There is one problem with using the astrophotos for decorating/posters etc.
I'm not sure what type of equipment you use but I think most the digital cameras/imagers (not SLR's) produce relatively low resolution images. The monitor you are using right now has a very low resolution- either 72dpi or 96dpi if you are lucky. Most print work is produced at 300dpi- especially if you want a glossy detailed looking image. You could probably get away with 120dpi but even that is twice the resolution of most monitors.

Unless the image has been captured at high resolutions, chances are they won't blow up well at all- the image will look distorted and pixelated.

Dave P

PS- really like that last image!

Copyright law is usually invoked when someone tries to make money from,or avoids paying for, someone else's work.

Personal use of freely given work doesn't count as breach of copyright usually.
But good manners should apply about permission etc.

(The world's first copyrighted book "The Cathach of Columkill" still exists here in Ireland.)

Peter.

Unless the image has been captured at high resolutions, chances are they won't blow up well at all- the image will look distorted and pixelated.

That can be compensated for a little by resizing the image in photoshop. Using the bicubic option is best. It will produce a less pixelated image than just printing an image that is too low a resolution for the print dimensions.

I guess in the specific case that phoenix mentioned it depends on the 'customer'. You are happy for them to us the image for free, but do they know how to get it printed? Can they for example increase the size of the image, tweak the colours for printing and get it printed for wall hanging? Or are they going to download the version on the web page and head down to the chemist to get it printed at a ridiculous size? If they have no expertise or interest in doing the printing then you could offer to do it. That will obviously involve covering the printing costs, what you 'charge' for your time and expertise is up to you.

Personally in this case I would offer the images as you have for free online, but also offer to handle the printing for a small fee (or free since they are in the society, your call) plus printing costs . Thats what I do for friends/relations who want photos, some just want the CD of images some want specific images printed to 10x8 with a nice frame etc.

All of my images are Published and Copyright Dave Gradwell. So I would suggest that wherever the img is got from you charge even a token amount. I think we somtimes forget how much work, time (and money!) goes into any of our images. And also I think that people expect to pay for a quality product and I think that there is an impression out there that if it's free it's not high quality.

Dave Gradwell