What do you think?

Hello all!

I was lucky enough to get three Highly Commended pictures at the GDT European WPOTY and the other day I received the following mail:

Dear Mr Barrio,

publishing one of Germany's most traditional photo magazines, we followed with great interest the award "Europäischer Naturfotograf des Jahres" and enjoyed seeing a lot of gorgeous photographic works. Congratulations!

We are going to show the best images in our next issue and on our homepage www.photographie.de. But we would prefer to do a bit more than only showing them: We liked you (as a experienced wildlife / nature photographer) to tell our readers some little tricks and secrets to take award winning pics. So, it would be great if you could do us the favor to answer the following questions by mail:

- What was the decisive thing to take the winning image? (knowhow? OR equipment? OR experience? OR location? OR patience? OR time? OR perspective? OR ...)

- Where and when has it been taken?

- Did you planed it for a long time or has it been shot spontaneously?

- What were lightning conditions like?

- Which parameters did you use: f-stop, exposure, ISO

- Which lens and camera did you use?

- Has there been RAW-processing and / or post prod?

- Did you use any additional equipment such as a tripod, a filter, a camouflage tent ...?

In order to get the best printing results, sending us a JPEG file with maximum resolution an minimum compression (up to 20 MB by mail; or try wetransfer.com, it's free), would be perfect.

Due to our deadline, I needed your answers as well as the JPEG until November 11th.

Thanks a lot for your cooperation!

In the rules is written:

"(7) Copyright and reproduction. The photographer must have all rights to the photographs.

The GDT and the sponsors reserve the right to use the awarded photographs of the contest for

such commercial purposes and publications in all media that directly affect the current contest

and later contests. The use of the photographs for this purpose is free of charge. The original

exhibits of the exhibition may be sold by the GDT if the proceeds from this transaction are

assigned to a purpose of public interest, in particular wildlife conservation projects. The GDT

also reserves the right to use the photographs for publications other than those previously

mentioned in return of paying a fee to the relevant photographer."

This magazine is not a sponsor and, should the GDT want to use the pictures for promoting the contest, I guess it would be the GDT who should provide the images...

Would you think they are just asking for high resolution images for free?

Say you're not at home and ask GDT to do it. That way they are responsible should anything go wrong... like unauthorized usage.

Would you think they are just asking for high resolution images for free?

This does have the whiff of 'free content' behind it...I too would pass it at GDT...

But having re-read the terms and conditions with respect to copyright, it seems a little ambiguous:-

"The GDT and the sponsors reserve the right to use the awarded photographs of the contest for such commercial purposes and publications in all media that directly affect the current contest and later contests"

Could they argue that publication was directly affecting the current and future contest?

You could tell the magazine that you would be delighted to write copy for them to accompany the image...and ask what their rates per 1000 words are? After all, knowledge of tricks and secrets has some value...

I'd answer the questions, but tell them to get the file from the competition. The competition must have the full res files because the large prints of your pictures looked great in the exhibition!

That will also ensure it is a bona fide request. The GDT are a very trustworthy bunch - I'd completely trust them with my images.

Alex