I'm posting this as the definitive reference for "what you are allowed to do with my work"

The images in are my personal gallery and are finished artworks.

The images in are stock images and are available under a different and much more liberal set of rules (here: [link] )

I do not mind if you wish to use one of my finished artworks as inspiration, reference, or the butt of jokes - as long as you're creating whatever it is you're doing without altering my hard work. If your work is heavily derived or based on mine, I expect you to show courtesy and give me appropriate credit. If one of my photos inspires you to do a sketch, I am genuinely flattered.

Do NOT use one of my finished artworks as stock material for photomanipulations. If you do, you're just wasting your time because I'm not going to give you permission to use or publish it in any way, shape or form. If one of my photos inspires you to think "this would be cool with sparklies added to it as a backdrop on my myspace page" - you're wrong. If I wanted sparklies on my images, they'd be on my images. If you are thinking "I want to add my deeply passionate poetry to this image" - don't. If I wanted poetry on the image, I would have put my own poetry on the image, myself. What I mean by "finished artwork" is "this is how I want it." If you want to change my artwork from the form in which I left it, that's disrespectful of my creative choices, and I do not look kindly upon it.

If you violate my copyright in any way you are permanently banned from using any of the images from my stock account, in addition to anything else I may do to you. All decisions will be final and apologies will not be accepted.

Yes - You can use one of my finished artworks as a decorator for your myspace page, or a sticker for your refrigerator, or whatever, as long as you don't edit it and as long as you credit me appropriately. ("Photo by Marcus Ranum" is sufficient) If you just grab my work and don't credit me, you are violating my copyright and I'll make sure that the experience is unrewarding for you. (For example: [link] )

Yes - My images are available for commercial licensing (some of them) or prints (here: [link] ) but do not approach me asking if you can host my images on some site or other where maybe I'll get a dollar if someone buys a print someday. No thanks. I already get that at DeviantArt.

I get one or two emails a week from someone asking "hey, take a look at what I did! can I post this?" The answer, if it is a photomanipulation of one of my finished artworks, will be "no." I feel like a real ogre saying "no" but re-working my finished artworks without even asking me first is the epitome of creative rudeness and I'm sick of it.

Once or twice a month I find someone who has posted my work without credit in their flickr gallery, or whatever - if you put "photo by Marcus Ranum" you're OK but otherwise I will file a DMCA complaint and get it taken down. If you're making money from my stuff, I'll send a goon or a lawyer to recoup a license fee from you or otherwise make sure you regret your decision. Save us all the trouble.

Very rarely, I have had artists contact me asking if they could use one of my finished works for a composite - and, if they ask courteously - I've sent them an un-postworked version of the image to work with as stock. For artists who are using my finished works for references, I have sometimes provided full-resolution copies of the originals. I'm not doing this to try to restrict access to my work, in other words; far from it. It's simply that, as a photographer, I see my post-work as an integral part of my artistic process and I don't want my post-work post-worked. There are some images that I am jealously hoarding close to my chest - but what you may not realize is that I sometimes enter into agreements with models that I won't post certain images as stock, or whatever. That's why you won't be seeing any stock of some of my models - it's something I promised them I would not do. And then there are things like my neko-girl images: I am not making any of them available as stock because I like to periodically gloat over them and cackle, "mine! all mine!" late at night. Joking aside - I want them to have a unique look to them. I'm allowed a little spoonful of artistic ego, aren't I?

Frankly, I find it deeply disappointing that I even have to explain this stuff. Anyone who is doing art should understand and respect copyright -- if you violate my copyright, then what moral standing do you have to get annoyed if someday someone violates yours? I've gone to considerable effort and expense to offer 1,500+ full-resolution stock images in my stock account for people to take, enjoy, have fun with, and give full rein to their creativity. I'm tired of people responding like I'm being a big meany because I didn't give up a particular image as stock - so, what the hell, they just stole it from my art gallery instead. That's abusing my good will and a good way to wear it out.

mjr.