may I make use of a photograph for a package?

[missinglina]

Sorry, I guess I should have posted my question here. I'm helping a self-employed friend develop a package for his product and was hoping to use a photograph that I found in this neat website. Can anyone tell me if I am allowed to do so? I would run a couple of filters on it, and it won't have the appearance of a photograph afterward. What about simply drawing it or tracing it? I just don't know the fine print involved. If anyone has any info, I'd appreciate it.

[paul m]

I don't know what the general rules are.
However, I would think the best thing to do would be to e-mail whoever loaded the photo for permission?

[missinglina]

Thanks for your reply. Here's the page with the image: http://www.wildabouttheworld.com/gal...o/431/si/Ursus

I wasn't able to get an email address from the poster's profile. Am I missing it? Maybe it's right in front me of me and I can't see it. Thanks for any help.

[goosey]

Hello missinglina, I think the person who posted that photo belongs to another forum I am on - although I can not be 100% sure it is the same person. However, I have sent him a message via that forum about your request and hopefully it won't be too long before he contacts you (or me if I have the wrong person) with regard to you request.

[missinglina]

goosey, very kind of you. i need to finish the file by friday morning and i'm hoping to get his permission, if i need it. i can also manipulate the image and change the background, direction, etc, or even trace it with illustrator. i just love the pose of the bear and i would love to use it for this microbrewed beer package. i'm no pro, just helping out a friend who's a distributor. it would probably show as a 2.5 by 2.5 image, that's in inches. sorry, don't have a quick metric converter. thanks!