Is it Cool to Ask for Bird Photos from Other Birders? (1 Viewer)

[Noctua_Grace]

Hey everyone!

So, here’s something I’ve been curious about. You know how it goes—someone spots a rare bird, and suddenly a bunch of us show up at the same spot, binoculars in hand. Some of you come armed with those awesome long-lens cameras and snap these incredible shots. Meanwhile, the rest of us (me included) are just there with our bins, soaking it all in.

I’ve heard some photographers might not be super keen on sharing their photos, which totally makes sense—it takes skill, patience, and a lot of effort to get those perfect shots. But I’m wondering, is it okay to ask for photos if someone’s got a great shot of the bird? Like, is that a normal thing to do, or is it kind of awkward? I don’t want to step on any toes, but it’d be so cool to have a photo to remember the sighting, especially if I didn’t bring my camera.

What do you all think? Is it cool to ask, or is it better to just admire from afar? Any unwritten rules I should know about?

（Since this is a question about birding etiquette, I thought the ‘Birds & Birding’ section would be the perfect spot to ask. If this belongs in a different area of the forum, please let me know!）

 

[Kits]

If someone has amazing equipment and taken fantastic photos of a rarity (or any bird), they may not wish to share their work especially with a stranger.

I wouldn’t ask someone to share their work.

 

[Mono]

You can ask, but I would make it clear that you just want it for personal use.

If you just want it for memories then you could ask to take a back of the camera shot with your phone.

 

[Farnboro John]

I should say its OK to ask, but as Mono says it has to be for just you and don't be surprised or offended if the answer is no. Also, try to ask privately as a photographer may be retrospectively offended if one person asks and then a load more simply freeload!

John

 

[Noctua_Grace]

You can ask, but I would make it clear that you just want it for personal use.

If you just want it for memories then you could ask to take a back of the camera shot with your phone.

That’s a fantastic idea—thanks for sharing! I never thought about just snapping a quick phone pic of their camera screen.

 

[Noctua_Grace]

I should say its OK to ask, but as Mono says it has to be for just you and don't be surprised or offended if the answer is no. Also, try to ask privately as a photographer may be retrospectively offended if one person asks and then a load more simply freeload!

John

Such a helpful tip about asking privately—thank you! It does make me wonder though: if watermarks solve the credit issue, why don’t more birders/photographers proactively share their shots? Is it just about time/effort (editing, sending files, etc.), or are there other concerns?

 

[Mike Crawley]

I have a friend who “borrows” her memory photos from twatter/X or faecesbook.
Only for her personal use and not passed on to anyone. Her reasoning is that the picture is in the public domain and freely available.
She tells me that she edits the picture so that the date matches her sighting and includes the photographer’s name in the description. Obviously, she doesn’t try to edit watermarks added by the photographer.

 

[kids]

my cameras automatically copyright/watermark my images , I wouldn't be offended in the slightest but one can always refuse

 

[Farnboro John]

Such a helpful tip about asking privately—thank you! It does make me wonder though: if watermarks solve the credit issue, why don’t more birders/photographers proactively share their shots? Is it just about time/effort (editing, sending files, etc.), or are there other concerns?

I share via flickr but with all rights reserved, so you can look but can't touch (legally). I doubt if I'm the only one who occasionally gets requests from authors and other publishers for the use of the odd shot - mostly unpaid with a credit, maybe a free book, maybe a small payment. Such people prefer to have photos not previously published in anything else. Personally I don't want that risked by allowing a free-for-all on my best pictures.

Photos I put on BF are substantially lower resolution than the originals.

John

 

[Jim M.]

is it okay to ask for photos if someone’s got a great shot of the bird?

"Asking for photos" is ambiguous. It could mean asking for the original raw file or a full resolution jpeg, e.g. via email or dropbox. I would say that is generally inappropriate. What would be fine is to ask if the photographer is going to post any of the photos online, e.g. on Flickr, Facebook, or eBird. Most bird photographers would welcome more attention for the photos they post online. And if you want to retain a copy for your own personal use, you could at least take a screenshot of the posted photo or download a low resolution copy. (If you want to post a copy of the photo – you should contact the photographer online for permission.)

 

[markm]

I was at Marazion last week for the booted eagle and one of the other birders asked if he could take a photo of my camera screen . I has very happy just to email the photos while we waited for it to show again .

 

[Patudo]

If you spotted the bird for the togger would it be OK to request a couple of shots?

 

[Lisa W]

If been asked, and emailed photos to others before. Doesn’t bother me at all.

 

[bluebirdstreet]

all the good photographers are very proud of the pictures they take and like to show off, so i don't imagine it would be a problem to use one of their pictures. Also if they post it on line any one can copy it or use it and they can do nowt about it. If they don't want anyone to use it don't post it on line in the first place. i love looking at all the pictures on here, some remarkable pictures for sure.

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

If you ask for a JPG you show that it's just for yourself, as a memory. The original much larger RAW-file is the property of the photographer and has a unique code. A small JPG (800x600) looks much better than a picture of the preview screen.

No one can use this JPG for unwanted commercial purposes since the number of pictures (resolution) is too low. When someone asks me if I can share a JPG it's clear that his/her intentions are good.

 

[JTweedie]

It's not something I've ever considered, but you could ask if they planned to share it online such as on social media or a photo site and then ask for a link to it.

 

[jurek]

Easier is just to save a restrictions-free photo posted online. Some photographers have inflated opinion how valuable are their photos. But rarities are usually photographed by many people.

 

[Dyrlege]

Share and smile! You don't always need to give away the Hi-res file, and it must always be acknowledged

 

[Mark Batten]

If been asked, and emailed photos to others before. Doesn’t bother me at all.

I think it is fine to ask. Happy to sent files of images provided asked first. There are some individuals who lift photo's for blogging and this has happened at least once to myself.