After reading the articles we were assigned to it did change my perspective on my own work especially when it came to photographs. I remember back in middle school or high school I’d always use people’s photographs that were just on the internet because I needed the image for my assessment. I never gave credit to the photographer or artist because I never thought about it back then I thought you could just use any image without having to ask anyone for permission since it was on the internet. Over time I realized that it’s crucial to give credit to photos that you decided to use. When I got into college I started crediting the photographers or illustrators of the pictures I use in my projects and this reading gave me more of a reason to give them credit as it’s wrong to not give credit to the person who could spend hours trying to get the specific shot or finish that illustration that we decided to use. I should always be giving credit to these people because they deserve it. After all, at the end of the day, it’s their work.
I’ll give my thoughts on the Fairey Copyright Hope Poster case. I feel like Fairey should have just outright said that the poster was based on the photograph taken by AP. It wouldn’t have hurt anyone it would have just been giving AP the credit they deserved for taking the photo of Barack Obama. I feel Fairey lying about his original poster and not based on the photograph was wrong. He should have just been honest I don’t think he would have gained anything if he went along with the lie that the poster was original because if he did that in the end he’s the only one who’s going to end up losing everything and he did. If anyone is going to use someone’s work and put their own twist on it they should always give credit to the original creator no matter what.
