Making it Mine

Let's say, I see a spectacular mosaic in a public place. It's a great shot! But it's someone else's art. There's no copywrite or plaque. How can I claim the image as mine? I can't. Where is the line? There is so much great public art out there and its creative license belongs to the artist. Just like one of my photographs in a gallery. It would be easy to photograph it and print it for one's own enjoyment.

In a gallery in Santa Fe recently, I saw a photograph that was incredible. The gallery owner said it was all right to photograph, but no strait on shots, only from an angle. That was fine, because I only wanted it for my own reference, and maybe share it. Other galleries were fine with straight on photographs with the artist's name.

These are questions I ask myself to keep things in check. I can:

Post art from museums on social media.

Post art from galleries with permission, preferably including the artist's name.

Photograph art for my own reference that will never be shared.

Include a section or segment of art as a component in an overall composition. That's the slippery one.

Here's an example.

I photographed this segment of a mosaic in East Austin a few years ago. It's 100% someone else's creation. .

I then photographed the reflection across the street as part of an arrangement of windows in a building. I consider this photograph my own

But what about this one?