Photonapping is a common, serious problem among bloggers. Most of us save money to invest in a DLSR and take lots of images, only to be victimized by people who think it's their right to use the same pictures without permission or the appropriate license. Unknown to them, photos are intellectual property too and the rights of the owner should be respected. Respect in this sense is proper attribution and payment, or whatever is agreed upon by both parties.

I have to admit it's quite hard to monitor your own images when it is unlawfully used in media or in cyberspace. You just have to keep a watchful eye or rely on friends or acquiantances to tell you otherwise. Photonappers have to realize that in the case of discovery, the repercussions can be severe. It takes years, even decades to build a career but only minutes to destroy one's reputation online. Think about it.

I was certainly thankful when an advertising company in Kuala Lumpur took the pains to email me to ask permission if they could use one of the uploaded pictures on my Flickr about the trishaw in Penang, Malaysia. It was all good since they agreed to pay me $25 for the picture which was a little reward for my short vacation in Penang. The whole thing made me realize that the images I take of my travels are not just there to be appreciated, but have value indeed.

That being said, here are some tips on protecting your photos online:

1. Use web resolution only (600 kb and below) when using images for your blog or website. Do not ever use high-res (they slow down your site too).

2. Putting a watermark is a common practice, where you embed your blog name or logo on the photo itself. However, I have not really done this because they distract and take away from the beauty of the picture. And unless placed in the middle, the mark can still be cropped by those cunning photonappers.

3. Familiarize yourself with such online licensing entities as the GNU Free Documentation License and Creative Commons.

4. Make sure there is something in your website which pertains to the license. (example: All Rights Reserved 2010 http://www.annalyn.net, or if you are relinquishing some rights, post something like this: Attribution is not required. However, as a courtesy, I would appreciate a link back to this website.)

5. Be prepared to trade your photos by having your bank account information and Paypal details ready.

All these years, I've used Flickr, the photo sharing site, to host my images on the web. Actually, this is not well-advised since I can very well earn from Google Ads by hosting the photos on my own site. But Flickr has been good.

Most recently, it has linked up with Getty Images, a renowned leader in stock photography to give members the chance to license their images for editorial or commercial use and be showcased in the marketplace of potential image buyers from around the world. There is a gem in photography, after all.