Artists are unique individuals regardless of their chosen medium - painters, drawing, photographer, and anyone creative is an artist in some way.  The creations of these people are covered by Australian and International Copyright Laws which means that they are protected against copying, reproduction, publication and other such things.

The key words here are "copying" and "reproduction".  If a photographer takes a picture that you want to paint you must, by law, get the photographers permission - if you don't then it is off to jail for you.  One local photographer has recently discovered a number of copyright breaches on material he had spent a lot of time and money producing.  His photographs are well known around the area and to discover that people are not only painting them they are also selling the paintings came as quite a shock.  If only they had asked first the chances are he would have said "yes".  But to copy a work and then sell it for a profit is down right dispicable - regardless of the artistic talent required to paint such a thing.  If the shoe was on the other foot and someone took a photo of a painting you had done and then sold it for profit you wouldn't be to happy would you?

Jon Poyner is without a doubt one of Australia's best wildlife photographers, yet again and again he finds people "STEALING" his work and using it for their own purposes.   Over the past few years his photographs have been stolen many times, by a Batemans Bay Real Estate Agent, a Charter Boat Operator, a Publishing Company, other Artists and photographers! Frankly it is time for them all to pay a fair price.  Jon is entitlded to make a living from his efforts.  He has spent a lot of money buying the best equipment and has an incredible eye for a great photo and I have known him to spend an entire day up a tree to get one photo -  so why shouldn't he get what is coming to him?  

The most recent breach was made by a Bermagui artist who had painted a number of images and had them for sale in a shop.  Legal advice has been sought and all of the people who have stolen the photographs can be taken to the cleaners - and should be.  Even if you purchased a photograph you are not allowed to duplicate it in any way.  Purchasing a photo grants you no rights to it in any way.

If you want to paint something then ask permission or purchase a license to do so.  In future anyone breaching copyright in this town will be named and shamed on this web site for all the world to see.