On 8/31/07, K P kpbotany@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.