I have been struggling with this for a while now and have done some research with no conclusive answers. I am a beginner in photography in that I take pictures more seriously now then I did before. I follow photographers on Twitter and read their blogs, etc. to learn. Given that, I currently share my photos using a Creative Commons Attribution No Derivates Non Commercial license. This effectively lets anyone use my photos for as long as they credit me, don't modify them or make money off of them. I like the idea of sharing photos and if someone can get use out of it non-commercially that makes me feel good (it's nice to know that maybe someone has my picture as their desktop wallpaper or something like that).
On the other hand, I am also considering putting my photos up on stock sites as my skills improve because the entrepreneur in me says why not make some money from it, even if it's a little amount. You never know, maybe I can make enough to get that next lens. I have no intention on going pro, but I can see it as a sorta-kinda-paying-hobby. Which leads back to the copyright. Should I copyright everything to the fullest extent? Does it make a difference if I do decide to sell my photos? Do I change all my existing copyrights to full copyrights? (I guess it's more then one question)
The main thing is I don't know where this hobby will lead and what I can do with it down the road and I don't want to make stupid decisions now that jam me up in the future. Thanks!
Answer
You seem to be mixing up two different concepts, copyright and licensing.
As a photographer, you own the copyright for images you create (unless you have other contracts which override this, such as a work for hire agreement). The only other action to take regarding your copyright is optionally registering as such (which is usually optional).
Your main question here is regarding the licensing of your work. It is possible to offer multiple licenses for a single work (a non-exclusive license). This is the default, so you are able to offer a creative commons license for non-commercial use, then also offer a separate license that allows commercial use. In this way, you can make a profit on commercial use without charging someone for personal use.
Some stock sites will require an exclusive license, meaning that you are agreeing to only provide a single license of your work. If you were to take this route, you would not be able to also provide a creative commons licensed version.
Also, it is important to keep in mind that the licenses you provide are by default a permanent agreement, meaning that you can not simply change the licenses you have provided in the past. This means that any images that you have previously released under a creative commons license are no longer eligible for exclusive licensing, but you would be able to offer a non-exclusive license.
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