Fraud "photography" caught using stolen images for portfolio!

[shotsbysheryl]

That is flat out CRAZY!!!!!!! I can't believe someone would stoop that low knowing their clients will be disappointed with the results.

[Flores]

Originally Posted by shotsbysheryl

That is flat out CRAZY!!!!!!! I can't believe someone would stoop that low knowing their clients will be disappointed with the results.

sarcasm or naiveté, not sure which

I will note that there are a lot more desperate people out there these days than normal. desperation seems to drive foolish behavior.

[Red Tie Photography]

I think her reasons why she didnt like them were funny too. And can you believe it? She got crappy photos for $125!!!!!! For that she should get a complete professional, a 30 page album and two copies of the proofs to send to her family, shipping paid for by the photographer of course. [/end sarcasm]

[Billo78]

Originally Posted by Red Tie Photography

I think her reasons why she didnt like them were funny too. And can you believe it? She got crappy photos for $125!!!!!! For that she should get a complete professional, a 30 page album and two copies of the proofs to send to her family, shipping paid for by the photographer of course. [/end sarcasm]

What she paid is totally irrelevant here.

[mebuck]

I too am a fan of Alex Michele's work and was surprised that someone would do this and think the client wouldn't notice or they would eventually get caught.

Why didn't she just use her own images for her porfolio Just doesn't make sense unless her plan was to take the money and run

[Billo78]

Originally Posted by mebuck

Why didn't she just use her own images for her porfolio Just doesn't make sense unless her plan was to take the money and run

Because her photos are terrible and no one would have booked her based on them.

[SnapsbyPoteat]

Originally Posted by Billo78

Because her photos are terrible and no one would have booked her based on them.

Because she has no talent! When Alex Walker (of alex michele photography) first contacted her about the images the imposter stated that she had 3 workers under her and that one of them must have stolen the images. Then she tells the news story that Alex Michele gave her permission. Charging $300 a wedding, I doubt she has any workers under her, I was surprised to see she actually had an office!

Not only is she getting chargers for false advertisement, but also for copyright infringement and apparently Alexandra contacted the parents of the newborn images that were stolen about pressing charges for displaying images of a minor without persmission. Shes in trouble!!

[MJPhotos24]

Originally Posted by RDKirk

Actually, it's pretty darned hard in practice to use a someone else's image legally under Fair Use.

Using an image almost always runs afoul of consideration #3. Unlike a song, poem, or novel of which you can quote a small portion, use of an image is almost always the entire image. That alone is normally a "fair use" killer.

Because the entire image is usually used, it will also run against consideration #4, because if the full image is available in an unauthrized source, there is less need to go to the authorized source.

Running afoul of #3 is because of the nature of the image as a nearly atomic whole that running afoul of #2 is almost always the case.

So people depending on "Fair Use" for an image are normally depending on conideration #1 alone...and the Courts rule pretty strictly on that -- a whole lot of non-profit and educational organizations have wound paying infringement penalties. Parody or editorial criticism under fair use requires that the parody or criticism be specifically of the used work. For instance, I can make fair use of someone's copyrighted image of a politician under consideration #1 only in a criticism or parody of that photograph--not of the politician.

...and if you look at the law, and the fact it leaves interpretation up to the judge in most cases because it's so vague, do you really fricken think a kid using an image from the internet for his research paper is going to lose that battle? Even if section 107 of the US Copyright Law didn't clearly state..."...purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright."

I seriously don't want to live in the stick up the six world you are trying to describe.

Read...
http://www.uta.fi/FAST/PK6/REF/fairuse.html

[JCOphoto]

I don't understand how someone could do something like that either. It's mind boggling.

[DigitalSpecialist]

Plagiarism by any name is theft, and WE do not teach our children to steal. They learn to take credit for others works by not having to be responsible for their own efforts. If we would instill pride and confidence in our children they wouldn't be taking credit for another persons works.

Writing papers in college was one of the best times for me. I truly loved doing the research and learning of others opinions and finding my own opinion base on the facts. I can't tell you how many times my mind changed from doing thorough research.

This case is sad, and the photog stealing others works should be prosecuted, or at least have their name out in public for all to know! My two cents!!!!!!

[jetcode]

Someone needed a way to become legitimate. It was a gamble and she lost. I'm sure it's a good lesson for her. Is it standard rate to charge $125 for an afternoon shoot? Seems priced really low. I know of several high end photographers who charge a small fortune for their work and have wealthy clients. To be honest I think everyone learned something from this. You can't get great work for pennies on the dollar and establishing a credentialed business is not an over night phenomenon.

[golfecho]

Originally Posted by TeleFragger

Sorry but MY family is excluded there.. All papers must be accompanied by source locations, etc..... we stress this heavily to our kids that it is not their work .... also anything they do MUST be written in their words... if it is taken from the book, web, they must redo it ... (he is 10...and gets A's and some B's)..... My wife and I are striving for his success

BRAVO!!

[TeleFragger]

Originally Posted by golfecho

BRAVO!!

{takes a bow} Thank You ... Thank You... {blows kisses to crowd}

[AliciaTTF]

I call them HWC's..."housewives with cameras"

they lurk on Craigslist charging $50 for overexposed images changed into black and white using picnik. you get what you pay for

[TopHatMoments]

Does that mean all housewives with a camera? Or just the ones that use picnik?