Lithonia Operator I myself took that photo of the rail burns off the web here, and drew on it, and posted the new image. I was in violation.
Personally, I thought you could have successfully employed "fair use" in that instance, since it was your intent to question the authenticity of the photo, and not to discuss thoughts ideas or concepts portrayed within the photo.
I'm no lawyer, but that's the way it looked to me.
Downloading is downloading. Reproduction is reproduction. Regardless of resolution or size.
Now, if someone prints a low-res image off the web and sticks the photo in the cigar box where he keeps his collection, and that's that ... then the chances of getting caught are slim to none. But it's still a copyright infringement. There's very little grey area in this.
I am not trying to give anyone a hard time. I myself took that photo of the rail burns off the web here, and drew on it, and posted the new image. I was in violation.
Did Steve ever mention what he wanted the 'postcards' for?
I didn't think it was relevant to the particular prototypes he expressed interest in, but before the age of widespread image sharing on the Internet via broadband, there was an industry providing 'railroad postcards' for people who wanted small but detailed photographs of their 'favorites'. I myself had a collection of several hundred of these, in typical washed-out printed color; at that time, the only other alternative was to pay what was often an arm-and-a-leg price to photo traders (usually they would have pictures of things like the Black Marias that never showed up in magazines, perhaps because publication would destroy the novelty value and monopoly source value of photographs).
To my knowledge, if there are new postcards being actively marketed to railfans, I haven't seen them. What this implies is that he might find pictures on the Internet, crop and resize them to appropriate format, and print them as if they were camera photographs -- using a personal inkjet or dye-sub printer for that purpose. Not sure that single non-commercial printing of an image for personal use only is anywhere near the problem that, say, downloading of the corresponding digital image would be; it's like the difference between a cassette dub of a digital music file vs. storing an MP3 on a non-copyright-protected device.
Convicted One is right on. Take it from a retired professional photographer. You have no right to use anyone's photo in any way (with a limited exception for certain formal educational uses) without permission of the creator. Photos are protected by US copyright law. Once photography became digital, abuse became rampant; but they are still abuses, and illegal.
Now, a lot of people (amateurs) don't care, and will give permission; but you have ask; you cannot just assume.
steve-in-kville I want a print of a certain NS loco.
Just a word of caution. If you are going to use an image created by someone else, get their permission before displaying a copy ANYWHERE. People get very territorial whenever they see someone else displaying their work.
Doesn't matter if it's a scruffy image snapped with a 2 megapixel oldiephone, if you are able to create interest in the image, then you are likely to raise jealosy from the images creator.
Regards - Steve
Are you looking for a photo of a particular model of loco? Or are you looking for a photo of a specific unit, as in UP #4218.
If your tastes fall on the Canadian side of the line
http://www.railpictures.ca/
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Try this: http://www.trainweb.com/directory/roster.html#sthash.tpl9VwJf.dpbs
Especially this: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/modelListRR.aspx?id=NS
Do a Google search for "locomotive roster photos or pictures", etc. That's how I found the above < 1 minute.
- PDN.
https://www.railpictures.net/
For most of your rail picture needs.
I'm not aware of someone producing postcard sized photo prints of locomotives, especially current in-service ones, but hey, this is America, if there's a market for something like that you can bet someone will produce them!
Short of going on-line to various railroad museum sites and checking out their gift shop sections I can't say where you should start looking.
Is there such a thing? I want a print of a certain NS loco. Would be neat if someone produced trading cards, eh? That would be fun!
I do not need anything big. Postcard size is enough. Thanks.
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