Still a Life

[Arthur Deomi]

War

 

[Arthur Deomi]

War...

 

[Arthur Deomi]

War...

 

[Sirius Glass]

Welcome to Photrio!

 

[awty]

There's no glory in war.
Wonderful pictures. The more things change the more they stay the same.

 

[Arthur Deomi]

There's no glory in war.
Wonderful pictures. The more things change the more they stay the same.

Thanks!

 

[Don_ih]

War

Where did the photos come from? Who took them?

 

[Arthur Deomi]

They are found vintage snapshots. Anonymous.

 

[Arthur Deomi]

They are found vintage snapshots. Anonymous.

They are from my personal collection. From estate sales, flea markets, sellers.

 

[Don_ih]

They are found vintage snapshots. Anonymous.

Very good. It wasn't clear from the title or posts.

 

[jvo]

do you have any information about these? are they simply images you've purchased and collected a la' John Maloof and Vivian Maiers photographs?

 

[Arthur Deomi]

Yes, I collect found photos. These pictures are from my collection.

 

[retina_restoration]

Yes, I collect found photos. These pictures are from my collection.

Which ones do you keep, and which ones do you sell on Etsy/eBay? How do you choose?

 

[Arthur Deomi]

Which ones do you keep, and which ones do you sell on Etsy/eBay? How do you choose?

I make fine art copies of original vintage snapshots from my personal collection and sell the copies.

 

[retina_restoration]

I make fine art copies of original vintage snapshots from my personal collection and sell the copies.

THat's not a choice I'd make, but you do you.

 

[Arthur Deomi]

THat's not a choice I'd make, but you do you.

Why that's not a choice you'd make?

 

[retina_restoration]

Why that's not a choice you'd make?

Essentially you're profiting off someone else's work, without their permission. Yeah, I know these old photos are mostly impossible to attribute to their creators, but there may come a day when someone recognizes a relative in one of the photos you're selling and objects to your monetizing them. That is why I wouldn't do it, but I'm not you, so....

 

[Arthur Deomi]

Do you object to photo books of found vintage photography?
Is the appreciation of great examples of accidental art a disrespect to a relative or a show of respect?

 

[retina_restoration]

Do you object to photo books of found vintage photography?
Is the appreciation of great examples of accidental art a disrespect to a relative or a show of respect?

All I'm going to say to this is: if someone found one of my family photo albums and started making copies of the photos and selling them on Etsy, I would aggressively pursue a DMCA takedown. But as I said, you do you.

 

[Arthur Deomi]

All I'm going to say to this is: if someone found one of my family photo albums and started making copies of the photos and selling them on Etsy, I would aggressively pursue a DMCA takedown. But as I said, you do you.

We differ on the 'art' part - I am only interested in and value the great photographic achievements in those found and disregarded pictures...

 

[Arthur Deomi]

All I'm going to say to this is: if someone found one of my family photo albums and started making copies of the photos and selling them on Etsy, I would aggressively pursue a DMCA takedown. But as I said, you do you.

We differ on the 'art' part - I am only interested in and value the great photographic achievements in those found and disregarded pictures...

You also got me thinking. I never considered deeply the ethical points of the situation, but what do you think about the whole thing of estate sales - purchases and sales of family albums, not the copies - the ACTUAL albums of your family? Is it OK or it should be seen as inappropriate?

 

[Don_ih]

purchases and sales of family albums, not the copies - the ACTUAL albums of your family? Is it OK or it should be seen as inappropriate?

If they're not sold/bought, they'd be destroyed. The random family album was not produced as a work of art but there's nothing stopping someone from repurposing it to be exactly that. But the lesson of Vivian Maier is that, if the photos gain enough attention, a rights holder will emerge. She is an exception to the norm, though. Most collections of photos and negatives won't make much money.

 

[Arthur Deomi]

But that still doesn't answer the question of how a relative would feel about photos from his family's album being published and shared around?

 

[Don_ih]

But that still doesn't answer the question of how a relative would feel about photos from his family's album being published and shared around?

Ask yourself how you'd feel. Most people probably wouldn't be happy about seeing their immediate family spread around like that - less upset about more distant relatives. But what is that feeling, anyway? Is it humility or embarrassment and should such feeling actually matter in this instance? You know if the photos are of your parents/siblings/children/cousins - most people who see the photos won't.

 

[MattKing]

But that still doesn't answer the question of how a relative would feel about photos from his family's album being published and shared around?

Back in the day, I had a bit of involvement with a photo studio that offered quite expensive services to family members willing to pay substantial amounts of money to have people retouched out of group portraits - e.g. the family black sheep or the now despised ex-spouse.
While those services are, I'm sure, much less expensive now, I expect that the demand to have certain items in older photos suppressed from public view remains strong.
If it wasn't for the Photrio rule against politics, I would be tempted to reference as an example all the available photos that have come to public attention as a ressult of the issue that is of great interest right now in the country just south of me - the one concerning a certain individual who owned an island, a plane and and one or more awful predilictions.
In other words, if you don't know who is in the photos, you have no idea whether there is anyone associated with them who would be extremely angry at their dissemination.