Cars
A couple of years ago, I was on my way home from Sudbury, Ontario and on the 400, North of Toronto, I ran into a monster traffic jam. It was warm but not miserably hot, and while my friend drove, I walked along the highway. I walked for miles. Traffic extended as far as the eye could see, in both directions. I took the photo, above, and posted it on Flickr. That was that. Or so I thought.
This week, while sitting in a meeting (and checking my mail... I know, naughty), I received a request to reprint the picture. The publishers wanted to put it in a high school science textbook, presumably in a unit relating to traffic or pollution or the impact of cars or something. I, of course, was only too happy to oblige. All of my photos - other than personal, family, pictures - are on Flickr with a "CC" (Creative Commons) licence. I don't take pictures for a living and I am happy to share.
This willingness to share has so far landed me in Wikipedia (for a 1928 Chevrolet) and a tourist book about Chicago. Those are the photos where permission has been sought - although technically it isn't required under the licence I chose. No doubt others have been used without my knowledge.
This time, though, the publishers want to buy the picture. They will give me $100 for it. That's nice. I don't know if it is "going rate" for professional photos - probably not - but I don't mind. It will pay for four years of the Flickr "Pro" membership, and that's more than enough for me. Sometimes giving stuff away isn't all just giving stuff away.
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