It's a little of both! Many of the photos/posts have written commentary on the photo such as details on where the photo was taken, ideas if you want to visit, bad jokes, etc. I generally include whatever I feel like saying at the moment related to the photo or image.Can I use these photos for (insert use here)?
Yes, subject to a few conditions. Please see the License Page for details. I realize the conditions and all are a bit confusing, but unfortunately without them some people will abuse my willingness to share the photos.Are these photos in the Public Domain?
No they aren't. They are all copyrighted by Jess Stryker unless noted. But the license agreement allows you to use them free. In some situations you must include the copyright notice (called "attribution") when publishing our photos and images. See the license agreement for details and examples to help you understand.Are there any things I can't use the photos for?
Very few. But yes there are some restrictions. The legal version of the license agreement outlines a few. Basically the photos and images must be used for purposes that are legal and moral. For example, you may NOT use our photos in an advertisement for an illegal product or service. You can't take one of the photos that has people in it and label with something untrue like "perverts in a National Park." (While a few may indeed be, you don't know that for sure.) You can't imply that by letting you use the photo I or anyone pictured endorse something. Use common sense.How do I download the photos?
Left Click or touch the photo you want to select it. The full size version of the photo will appear. Save the full size image.
The method of saving the photo to your device varies depending on what type of device you have. For example on most Windows computers you right click on the image and select "save image as..." For Android devices touch and hold image until a dialog box appears, then select "Save image".Are these photos high resolution?
Some are, some aren't. The photos were taken over many years with a number of different cameras. You have to check each photo and it really depends on what you consider to be "high definition."Are the photos digitally retouched?
Yes, most have been edited and have some degree of color, focus, and contrast correction applied.Do you have model releases from the people in the photos?
No. Because of this you may notice in some photos faces have been digitally changed or obscured. The exception is photos with me (Jess Stryker) or my wife (Julie Stryker), where they occur. We have both released the photos with our images in them.What's with the All Rights Reserved at the bottom of the page? Isn't that a conflict with the license?
Yes, it is a conflict and that is not a mistake. There are two separate copyrights on most pages. One copyright is for the photos, it is for the photos only. It includes a link to a license agreement that allows you to use the photo or image free, subject to conditions. The second copyright is near the bottom of the page and is noted "all rights reserved." That second one is the copyright notice for the web-page (the text and design of the page) rather than the photos. It is to prevent others from making copies of the entire page, post, or website for their own profit. That means if you are a student doing a report on, say, the Everglades, you can't copy my captions or descriptions word for word onto your report and claim they are your work. You can use the photos however.What camera do you use?
The earlier photos were mostly taken with a Olympus Camedia D-490, a pretty basic early digital point-and-shoot camera. Later photos are from a Samsung smartphone or a Canon EOS Rebel T4i. Note the common feature here is "point-and-shoot."Are you a pro photographer?
Ha, ha, ha. Pretty obviously not!Someone tried to sell me one of your photos!
While I don't encourage that, the license does allow it. Hopefully you didn't buy it from the creep!Who are you?
My name is Jess Stryker, I'm a retired landscape architect. My wife and I live in Ventura, California. We like to visit scenic landscape locations like National Parks. I've taken a lot of photos of those places over the years. I thought rather than stuff them away on a hard-drive or DVD, I would share them with others who might find them useful.
