Its a Church, I sort of trust them for some odd reason. I think it is a great way to get your works viewed and get some recognition. Even posting online you open yourself to some sort of theft of your photos. I am sure there are lots of reasons not to donate, offer services but each photographer has to be aware of the positive and the negative aspects of any decision they make pertaining to their works as with any artist.

A Pro runs the same risk as an amateur, nothing at all to do with level of experience. I am posting a relevant story to this topic, you must always be careful but where do you draw the line? Why take photos if no one will ever see them, it is a risk, it will remain so as long as there are dishonest people and as long as there has been art there has been copy infringements, nothing new and nothing that will ever stop.

My last donation has my name and date on the back and they are putting a small bronze plate on the frame with my name and date. I rather be trusting with those whom I meet than distrust any and everyone based on the actions of a few. I think you need to be aware, cautious, and just use common sense just as with any aspect of life. I also am aware that any photo I give away may end up stolen but I factor that into any decision I make and with some people or organizations I am just willing to give them the benefit of doubt, to have my work hang in that Church far outweighs any risk I am taking. I do this to take photos but I also want the world to see them, may not happen but I like to think big lol. Always sign and date your work on the back, put a copyright date and hope for the best, nothing you can do once it leaves your hand, just have to have faith.

I have a photo hanging in a Tattoo shop of a friend of mine, he could steal it, copy it, lend it, but I just choose to trust him. It is a photo that a lot of people want a copy of because of the subject matter and was a cool capture. (A short description, I was taking photos at night and on 4 of the photos there appears for no apparent reason a fire cross in the sky, just popular for that reason, I know why its there, and not photoshopped either but not the story I spin on it lol.) So he has a quality scanner and has had lots of requests for a copy and I have faith he will ask me first because we have discussed this same topic about him posting tattoos on his site he has designed and done and other shops lifting them. We are all at risk but we all need to use our common sense. Sometimes the joy of seeing your artistry being shown is worth some risks, nothing in life comes without some risk.


Link to the story I was mentioning.

http://lightchasersphotography.com/b...ls-photograph/