Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Israel in: Saving the Holy Sepulchre: How Rival Christians Came Together to Rescue their Holiest Shrine, Oxford University Press

Barbados, Boys running on beach: Frommer's Caribbean Guide 2009

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St. Vitus Church, Cesky Krumlov in: The Rough Guide to The Czech and Slovak Republics

Painting in Summer Palace, Beijing in: The Rough Guide to China

Palms on the beach in Tulum in : Yucatan and Mayan Mexico, Cadogan Guides

Stockholm Old Town in : Colloquial Swedish, Routledge Publications.

Harbor seal in San Francisco Bay : Oakland Museum magazine.

Tibetan monks : Overseas Adventure Travel brochure.

Califonia's Pacific Coast landscape: Pew Oceans Commission final report.

Military honor guard at Citadel of Quebec : Holland America cruises brochure.

Traditional architecture in Quebec : Holland America cruises brochure.

Young girl in Kerala, India for UNICEF calendar.

Monks in Sukhothai, Thailand: Tricycle magazine.

Every afternoon an honor guard of the Royal 22e Régiment marches into the Citadelle of Quebec on the historic Plains of Abraham for the Changing of the Guard. There's usually a good contingent of tourists surrounding the parade ground for the ceremony. It is majestic, but fairly static and it was difficult to get a shot with out tourists in the background. At the end of the event as the old guard moved out, the tourists staid put. Quickly following the marching soldiers, I ran to the top of a small ridge and shoot down as they passed, using 1/3 of a second for a bit of motion blur and a clean background.

This image won the Gold award for People in 2006 SATW Travel Photographer of the year contest

How to show Christmas and Hope for the future?? This wreath on a lamppost caught my eye one winter day. Although I didn't have a clear intent at the time I took a number of shots against the sky, cropping out as much of the lamp as possible and then put it aside for creative work later. After forgetting about it for a year or so I remembered it one evening and set about in Photoshop to see where it would lead. The simple elements of green wreath and red ribbon and blue sky, primary colors, plus the ethereal look of it floating in space, gave just the right feeling of lightness. It reminded me too of a glass sculpture at the Australian National Museum in Canberra. Though not yet on the market as a stock image, this might do well as a concept shot

And a Holiday greeting...

For the year to come, best wishes for you all, and hopefully some hints of peace in the world...For children, those in the Middle East and those in any need or trouble, special prayers and care... that we all may continue to see and be thankful for this still, truly amazing world....David..2006

You can also learn more about Digital Railroad at their main site. David's images are featured in the showcase as well.

How to capture an icon? That's the perennial problem for a travel photographer. Something we've seen a thousand times, yet newly seen - that's ideal. But since we've seen it so many times, the mind jumps to a pre-seen image. We know exactly what the Eiffel Tower looks like because we've seen it in clichés so often. So to spend time with the subject, hours, night after night, trying to sense something distincitive, and then bring to it a certain particular style of seeing, that is the art of travel photography. The market has an insatiable appetite for the same subjects, newly seen, and those are the most difficult challenges of all.

In the center of busy modern Tokyo are the spacious and tranquil Imperial Palace gardens. Just a stone's throw from the glitz of Maranouchi, surrounded by the curious, tourists, picnickers and families on a weekend outing lie the weathered ruins of the Edo castle tower, built in 1638. The abstract design of the sloping remnant wall, the angular cut stones and the solitary tree caught my eye. The contrast in texture and color, rough and smooth, old memories and new life led to this simply seen image.

Neither of these assumptions are generally true in the case of images found online. To test the first assumption, Stock Artists Alliance examined every image which was found on the top 30 web sites according to alexa.com (the home page or in some cases a secondary page). Also included were a couple of leading library and museum sites. (the home page or in some cases a secondary page). Also included were a couple of leading library and museum sites.

Of the 144 images which were copied and examined, how many had embedded copyright information? None! That's right, not a single one! Only two of the 144 had identifying info on the front of the image.

One can be quite certain that almost all of the images, photographs and illustrations, are copyright. Most are likely licensed from major stock agencies, perhaps under an exclusive licensing agreement. Most are likely model released. Some are of famous art works. Some are of movie stars. Some are corporate images no doubt shot on an exclusive commissioned basis.

As a prospective user under the proposed orphan works statue, if you found one of these jpegs on a online database, perhaps from some remote country, how you would do a 'good faith, reasonably diligent search for any of these images? Where would you start? When would you give up?

As a copyright holder, if you found one of these images used online under a claimed 'orphan' status, your only recourse would be to try to get payment from the infringer for the use. No attorney's fees. No damages. No lawyer would take your case.

As a major stock distributor, Getty or Corbis, you would be in the same position, no attorney's fees, no damages.

As the website owner who paid perhaps 4 figures for home page usage, you'd have no recourse whatsoever, even if you had an exclusive license.

As a corporation who had commissioned one of these images for corporate use only, you'd have no recourse either, if your custom image was 'orphaned'. Previously you could rely on the strength of the copyright law, knowing the photographer and you together could go after an infringement and collect damages.

As a model who participated in a photo shoot for one of these images, what recourse would you have if the image was used in a way you didn't approve of, eg. sensitive subjects?

Most ominously, as an entrepreneur who sees these likely "orphanable" images as a potentially lucrative revenue source, how do you......!!!...No, Stop that thought!!!

Here's the selection of images:

Take the "reasonably diligent search" challenge! See if you find the legal copyright holder for any of these images!! Remember, these are some of the most highly visible images on the web. Most images will be considerably more difficult to find.

All images © the individual copyright holders. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, these images are displayed without profit for research and educational purposes, and to encourage efforts to preserve the value of and market for these and other copyrighted materials.