lilprince:

aigue-marine:

“(Cosplay) Fotografien sind kein Freiwild.”
= „(Cosplay) Photographies are no unprotected game.”

This is a remarkable quote Amapola – a great cosplayer and photographer I really admire – puts into every comment and every caption below all photographs or galleries she publishes. And she is right. (Cosplay) Photographies are no unprotected game.

I finished my Stephanie Brown Batgirl costume in September 2011 and have been featured on various websites and in various forums since then.
Some features, reviews and comments truly honored me, but in 99% of cases there was always one aspect that irked me. Nobody had ever asked for my permission. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Today I even found a forum which had shamelessly added its own watermark to my cosplay pictures.  You cannot imagine how angry I was when I saw it.

I know that the majority of people who shares cosplay pictures on forums, etc. has no ill intend, but posting a picture without the cosplayer’s permission is just like stealing a fan artist’s painting.

Cosplayers are artists too!

Cosplayers are artists too and you cannot simply upload their work on any website you like. You wouldn’t want a holiday snap of yourself to get posted in various forums without your permission either, would you?

 I want my (and any other cosplayer’s) work to be treated with respect.

TO CUT  A LONG STORY SHORT:
- Ask COSPLAYERS for PERMISSION before posting their pictures ANYWHERE!
- In case that they give you the permission to post their work ADD a SOURCE. CREDIT the COSPLAYER AND the PHOTOGRAPHER!
- NEVER REMOVE their WATERMARK or simply add YOUR WATERMARK to THEIR WORK!

I am serious about this. If I ever find pictures of me in a forum again which has not asked for my permission I will make them remove my pictures immediately – no matter how nice the feature, review or comment might be. I will also add watermarks to all of my cosplay pictures in future.

THIS ^^^^

I’ve had this happen to me several times and mostly I really don’t mind but I have “contact me” links on ALL of my pages, tumblr, dA, facebook, twitter, whatever, it’s there. And yet some how I never get any messages asking if they can use my pictures. It’s my image, it’s legally mine. You CANNOT use it without my permission, as well as the permission of the photographer. 

Yup, I’ve seen photographs I’ve taken of cosplayers turn up on websites…websites where people are making money from advertising…and they haven’t asked my permission or the permission of the cosplayers to use those photos. It’s really not on…