This idea started to develop based on conversations with a fellow photographer who firmly refuses to upload his pictures to Facebook/Flickr/etc. In the firm believe that if he does, somebody could/will steal them.
Now, while that “might” be potentially true (as it has happened before), my position is that if I don't put them on the web, or share them, the pictures will be just a bunch of ones and zeroes in my computer. The way I see it, is that if anybody likes your image enough to use in commercial usage, they will pay you for it, this off course, is not always the case, but as long as they ask for permission to use my image (and thrust me, there are ways to make them pay if they don't), and they give me credit for the image, I don't need to get money for the image, advertising and exposure are just as good alternatives for me.
See? If the images can help me in any way, why keep them so close to my chest?
Do I run the risk of somebody downloading them and using them as wallpapers for their desktops? Yes, totally, but so what? At least they are out there, the metadata is attached to my files, if that image touches somebody, they can find me, if somebody want to use it for commercial use, the metadata will let them know that the image is either available or not for commercial usage and where and how to find me to discuss details.
You, as a photographer, need to take steps towards securing those images (Metadata is a must, watermarking [something subtle, don't paste your name in the middle of the fucking image], only upload low-res copies of your images, etc.), but this is a game of self advertising, long gone are the days when you could get by with just the prints of your work, and you need to get out there and promote yourself with the tools available to you.
In closing, images that only I can see in my computer, help me in no way and they will be only occupying space in my HDDs; images out there, while easy for somebody to steal them, will also open up the chances that somebody will see them and potentially hire me, if not, at least they're out there creating a web presence for me. <rant over>
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