I use Facebook and have a few pictures that I use for a profile pic which is a tiny thumbnail that appears next to your posts, I get them from various places and don't think much about them belonging to someone as long as they don't depict an individual. The one I had been using up until yesterday was a pic of Kyle and Amanda Franklin from their Wing Walking act and I just got a PM from the photographer asking me to quit using it (which I did) but really what could she do, I'm not selling it it's Facebook?.
Funny though I was just telling my brother-in-law he couldn't use You Tube videos (of various source material) set to music and call himself a Video Production Company and this person comes out of the blue and gets all huffy about a 1/2' square pic of a Biplane with a girl standing on it. I stopped using it as a courtesy but still I don't really think she can do much about something that's already out there on FB but maybe a Photog could give his view on it, this isn't a problem for me I just found it ironic that it's been my way of honoring someone (for a year now) and suddenly someone wants me to take it down because it's "their" photo but really can they keep someone else who might not be so courteous from sharing it just because they like it?

Not sure whether you are talking about practical or legal.

Legally the creator of the photograph has ownership of the picture. She's legally correct that you have infringed on her copyright.

Practically she can hope that you will do the right thing and respect her copyright (as you did). Otherwise she would be forced to take legal action to force you to take it down... Usually first with a formal cease and desist letter.

I wonder if she could also notify FB and have them force you to take it down as it is the medium by which you are breaking the law and it is their responsibility to protect her rights on their service?

That's a good point.

Why not just reply to the photographer that you really like the picture and maybe you could work something out? Like a link to his/her site in the description of your pic. Free advert for him/her, and you get to keep your favorite picture as well.

I found a nice "fighter pilot" pic on Deviantart that I've never seen before and sent the artist an email asking for his permission to use the pic.... I liked it so much I thought of making it my official avatar. He's not gotten back to me yet, and now I found out someone else is using the same pic for their avatar, so bye bye to that idea.

I really like that performance and it's sad that we'll never see it again. If you want another picture to replace your "Flying Circus" image. You can use the one I took at Dayton in 2010.

think of it from the photog's shoes : you invest thousands of dollars in photographic equipment to take an image that's meant for sale then some people start using it without buying it and without asking permission. all your investment is worth nothing and all the hard work as well.

Thanks Panther I have a similar one to this (might be the same one). The year anniversary has passed and I will wait till next year to honor her again, small tribute since I never got to meet her, I have lots of Airshow friends and her picture comes up quite regularly on FB so not to insult the photog but it's impossible to keep those pics from being used they are already out there.