Digital Watermarking
In addition to the visible copyright notice, each image on my site also contains a number of digital security features, or watermarks. The watermarks securely identify the image as mine, without interfering with your enjoyment of the image. The watermarks will survive manipulation and editing of the image, and even printing and rescanning of the image.
If you view the image in a viewer that is aware of digital watermarks, such as Adobe Photoshop 4.0+, will see a small copyright symbol alongside the file name. There will also be some way of identifying the owner of the copyright (me!), usually by visiting the website of the authors of the security software.
These watermarks are readable over the web. They can even be detected from a scan of printed version of the image. So if you use my images without my consent, I'll be able to find you. I'll ask you, politely, at first, to stop. If you don't, then I'll have to resort to more formal measures, which neither of us will like. On the other hand, if you ask for my permission to use them, then I'm unlikely to withhold my permission for any reasonable use. (And you'll always find me in a good mood: the fact you want to use my pictures will flatter me: and I like flattery!) If you want to use them for non-commercial purposes, all I will ask for in return is an acknowledgement. If you want the picture for commercial reasons, we can negotiate a mutually acceptable licence.
You can find out more about digital watermarking systems at the web sites of Digimarc Corporation and Signum Technology.