Copyright, Appropriation Discussion

I think the work that I'm doing for one of my projects would be considered appropriation work, since im using (borrowing) other images, along with a few of my own, to create a body of work that I hope I can consider art or a type of photography. When I was first suggested to try this direction of doing my project, I felt like I was cheating and degrading my work as a photographer. It made me feel sick to my stomach that I would or could even do such a thing. But I tried it out, I tried to get a different perspective on it; I tried to justify it.

I would be borrowing others images and place them in my montage to create a larger piece of work, which will create a larger image when looking at it from afar. Well, at least this is what I hope to accomplish by doing this. It still feel slightly wrong, like I'm taking away their credit and calling it my own. But I'm not, at least I don't think I'm not. To appropriate something, I assume would be to borrow someone else's orginal work or style and use it to create new work, but still have the original image or style that was borrowed remain as the original, without much change to it. If that makes any sense.

When it comes to copyright work, that's where I get confused. I get confused on the whole 'Work for Hire' ordeal and when to know if the images I take pictures of are they still considered mine if some company decides to use them or does it belong to that company? I guess my confusion and questions lie more with when or what do I consider to be mine as far as copyrights go and when are they consider to belong to someone else, even though it was I who took the pictures. This by far scares me the most, when I have to go out there and take pictures for other people. I want to be credited for my work, but does that still mean that the work is still mine to begin with? Confusing? Yes I would say so. Did I make any sense just then? Probably not. But maybe sooner than later I'll get the hang of all this 'copright' and 'appropration' stuff.