On 8/31/07, K P <kpbotany(a)gmail.com> wrote:
I don't follow?
The photographer only turned some knobs and actuated the shutter.
Other people and forces created the world. The photographer is but a
infinitesimal part of what it really took to make any image of our
world.
Yet because of the properties of our law the photographer or those he
designates are the only ones with standing to demand credit under
copyright.
Those who would complain about trivial preferences on credit would do
well to remember they did not create this world, they likely did not
invent their art, and their labors are infinitesimal compared to all
the work by man and nature which came before them. By comparison with
these great things an individual passage of text or a photograph is
tiny achievement, and without them these works would not be remotely
possible. We all stand on the shoulders of giants...
Its something of a tangent for our discussion, but it's interesting
food for thought. Under these sort of absolute terms the authors of
our text and of our images both contribute similar tiny amounts to
the wealth of our world. We should be appreciative and respectful,
but there is no sense in letting it get out of hand.