On the surface, one might not see the connection between ourfederal government shut down and how that may affect artists. But interestingly enough, it does!

As a photographer, I have to be diligent about protecting my images from unauthorized reproduction. We artists can appreciate the value when authorized works go viral as a promotional tool But when images get exploited without permission, our only recourse is copyright protection. Even then, it’s a hard war to wage.

I’ve made it a practice to copyright my images with the Library of Congress regularly throughout the year. It is the most important way an artist can protect their property from unlawful use. This past week, while tending my studio admin responsibilities, I decided to work on this project and register my most recent images from commissioned shoots. However, when I tried to log into LOC website, due to the government “shut down”, their website was closed.

While Americans are concerned about unpaid employees, necessary government programs and infrastructure coming to a screetching hault and “non-essential” programs that are closed, which is very important -- no doubt, this is an interesting side-note.