Choosing Images

Copyright and Its Scope

Copyright is a set of legal rules designed to protect original creations, whether they are written, visual or auditory.

This includes texts such as books, articles and publications, images including photographs, drawings and videos, as well as sound creations such as musical compositions or audio recordings. 

Copyright protection allows the creator to control the use of their work, receive payment when it is used by others, and prevent any unauthorised use.

There are different forms of copyright, and the duration of protection varies between countries.

A work considered to be in the public domain in the United States is not necessarily free to use in France.

These legal differences highlight the importance of being vigilant and checking the conditions of use for each image before publishing it.

Limits on Using Available Images

In our work, we have occasionally found photographs or illustrations we would have liked to use to illustrate traditional techniques.

However, many of these visuals are subject to paid usage rights. 

Costs can vary according to several factors, such as annual fees, fees linked to the number of views, or rights to display on a website. 

For a small workshop, these costs can quickly become prohibitive, sometimes reaching several thousand euros per year.
Given these financial constraints, we prioritise accessible and legal sources.

We mainly use our own images, taken directly in our workshop. 

These images document our tools, materials and techniques and allow us to share content that is both original and faithful to our practice. 

We also use visuals from recognised institutions such as museums or heritage libraries when their distribution is explicitly permitted. 

This approach ensures we comply with the law while providing rich and relevant content.

Alternative Methods to Illustrate Our Work

There is no universal method to distribute photographs that are genuinely free of copyright.

Many images circulating on the internet are mistakenly presented as free to use, even though they are still protected by copyright.

As professionals, we remain legally responsible for everything we publish. Any unauthorised use could have legal consequences.

To avoid these risks, we rely on reliable and well-documented sources.

Museums, heritage institutions, archives and specialised libraries often provide images that are freely usable or under clear licenses.

This allows us to illustrate our work while respecting the efforts and rights of the original creators.

Miniature Reproduction as a Solution

To illustrate certain techniques without infringing copyright, we have developed an original approach: miniature reproduction.

We recreate various historical tools at a 1:12 scale and produce our own images from these reconstructions. 

These reproductions offer a faithful and tangible representation of the objects while allowing us to produce unique photographs. 

Each image thus becomes the result of artisanal work, true to the dimensions, shapes and uses of the original tools.

This approach has several advantages.

It allows us to remain completely independent, ensures visual coherence in our content, and provides a fresh perspective on traditional techniques that are often little known. 

It also enables us to explore angles, lighting and details that are invisible on the original objects, enhancing both the documentary and artistic quality of our publications.

Respecting Copyright While Creating

The choice of images we use is based on respecting copyright, the desire to produce original content and the pursuit of accuracy in documentation.

Whether through our workshop photographs, heritage resources or miniature reconstructions, we always aim to share our work responsibly and creatively while making the richness of technical and artisanal heritage accessible to the public.