Photographer's Livelihood & Reputation

A serious subject, a serious blogpost.

It came to our attention early last week that there was something very ugly afoot. We thought quite long and hard about saying something publicly about it and decided in the final analysis in effort to support photographers not only in the local area but around the country that we would make a comment.

A photographer (shockingly in the St. Louis area) has been discovered to have stolen/copied photographs from the websites of other photographers and placed them on their website claiming that work as their own. The photographs that were stolen/copied were from different photographers all around the country. I don't know if you can imagine how fast this story was circulated in the photo world, not to mention in the bridal world. ALL CONTENT including photographs belong to a photographer unless credit is appropriately given for the use of other material. We were horrified to know that someone, particularly in this industry, would choose to steal from their peers. More horrified still that the theft would be used for personal gain and ultimately mislead innocent clients. It's a tremendously ugly situation. I understand that charges will be sought and we as a studio and as individuals are in complete agreement.

When it comes to images on OUR website, we are once again more than a bit discouraged. I'm not foolish, I understand that people in this day and age have absolutely no guilt when it comes to appropriating things for their own use, especially when it ends up costing them nothing. I suppose that it is an outgrowth of our society as a whole and how some people would not think of walking into a mall and stealing a print out of a storefront but don't understand the similar process when it takes place on the anonymity of the Internet. We love to put up the beautiful photographs taken from our clients events here on the website, it brings us great joy to share the happiness from weddings, family portraits and other generally happy times in life. We don't put up big 'whole image' watermarks or gigantic logos as some studios do. Perhaps we have been too trusting. Instead, we might use a small logo in the corner on some images. As most of you know, the beautiful slide shows of events that we place on this website are also not marred by watermarks or logos. BBP is blessed to have a huge readership of the blog, from fellow photographers, to past and current clients and everything in between. It is wonderful to have such a tremendous blog readership and following and we appreciate it. We have hoped that people would understand that the purchase of these photographs are how this (and every) studio helps support their livelihood. To right click and save an image found on our (or any) website and have it printed is, well there is simply no way around it, it is stealing. It is unconscionable. It is ILLEGAL! Not copying, not borrowing, not using, appreciating, enjoying or any other happy little euphemisms. It is plain and simple theft. I don't believe that people THINK, they somehow do not realize this in terms of the way they themselves make a living. We would never even consider walking into your place of employment or business and walking out with something that would cost you your livelihood/reputation just because we wanted it or felt it was ours, and didn't want to pay for it. It all adds up, a print here............ five prints there................ all in sum total it is more than likely a staggering amount of work that has been stolen, the income deriving from that work never to be seen in the life of businesses who work incredibly hard. Not to mention the quality of these stolen images from our (or any) website are often reproduced by the individual in such a low quality that we would never send out into the world. It reflects personally on the quality that we work so hard to provide for our clients and their future generations.

Just recently, we discovered an outright theft of the work that was created by BBP. Plain as day................. and we not only stung from the discovery but are quite honestly shocked, and deeply saddened. The individual(s) that did this KNEW better, because we had discussed it. It is stealing. Imagine walking into 'anyplace' and seeing a photo of yourself that was taken say, at a picnic. And it has been enlarged, stretched and distorted, and a bit blurry--- and you can't believe that an image that poorly printed--of you is out for everyone at an event to see. Because you know that you looked better in the original photograph. But the 'thieves' thought that it was in some way, funny or perhaps even flattering to have this image of you displayed for all to see. Now imagine being the photographer and hearing comments as you walk around doing your job and hearing the murmurs that the photo looks pretty bad.

So what are we to do? Do we mark all of the images seen on this lovely website in the manner above? {Not the recent photo stolen, example only!} Or do we stop posting photographs of your wonderful events entirely on this blog? I think that unfortunately we must do something. If this means that we all get to enjoy a far lower resolution image with a large watermark or logo smack in the middle of an image, so be it.

As happens frequently, the actions of a few undisciplined persons with low moral integrity ruin things for the rest of us. How sad, how very very sad.