Image Theft, Watermark Removal

[PKR]

The solution for me, when I operated my business, was to include the rights for the client to make their own prints. Trying to sell paper prints, for me at least, turned into a real pita. And, to be truthful, people demanded the files. Some photographers complained about it but most of those went out of business.

Just one example:

I got hired, several years, to make business portraits from a Mary Kay sales director. It was a great gig. Tell those folks they don't get the files or they come watermarked. Then how do they get the photos on to their business cards, their own web site and places such as social media like Facebook and other promo materials? Ooops, no files, no gig. The banker wouldn't like that.

Window light.

Smiles and fun!

Tough duty:

I deliver prints and files to portrait subjects. It's a little different in that the picture is as much theirs as mine in my mind. Most need files for publication or for the making of bigger prints. I charge accordingly and would rather not be bothered with the print orders unless they are big. They are all referred to an outside source for printing. The only demand is, when publishing (a book jacket photo for instance) my name and copyright notice appear with the photo. Pretty simple. No problems with any portrait photos yet.

 

[PKR]

I'm very surprised that any competent faculty member condones plagiarism. May I inquire as to the exact school in question? If you don't want to post it, please PM me and I'll assure discretion.

Now that you know more, let me tell you a quick story. One of my friend's assistants and I became friends. We share an odd sense of humor and I did a lot of personal photography that he liked. This kid is many years my junior. He was recommended by the photo department head. He's very bright and very creative. He failed to graduate from the school, needing only one class to finish.

He, a fine art major, was required to take a PJ class. He failed the class because of an argument with the instructor over how he photographed an assigned project.. it was too creative, i.e. not journalism. I assisted him with one of the photos. His girlfriend assisted on the remainder. One photo in question, one I worked on, was an empty liquor bottle lit by a sodium vapor street lamp. It was a tricky shot because of the narrow spectrum of light and the color wanted by my friend. After several hours of fooling around, we got a picture that looks close to what the human eye would see. The story was about homelessness and alcohol.

The photo was, among others, rejected. He left the school without a degree. His parents, both successful design professionals, were surely disappointed. His tuition was well over $100k, likely $200k. He's working, but not at a job that is in his area of interest. His skill level with PhotoShop alone could land him a $200/hr job as a freelance, or similar, with one of the local retouch studios.

I honestly think he would have been much better off going to a conventional college with an art department. His grades were excellent and he's very smart. He would have done well any where.

Sad, pkr

 

[dmr]

He failed the class because of an argument with the instructor over how he photographed an assigned project.. it was too creative, i.e. not journalism. ...

I honestly think he would have been much better off going to a conventional college with an art department. His grades were excellent and he's very smart.

And yet they (I'm assuming same school, different faculty member) accept others' work in lieu of original work, huh? 🙁

I've always been leery of the for-profit colleges. I've heard too many horror stories of astronomical debt and little income. 🙁 I'm sure you and everyone have heard the same.

Having said that, we do have two guys at work (both techies) who graduated from for-profit colleges who are both very competent. One is from DeVry, which I understand is regionally accredited and has a fairly decent academic record, but the other is from what was ITT Tech.

Although he's personally very sharp, he tells stories of cases where he (as a student) knew more about the subject than the instructor and classes where if you paid your tuition and showed up at least some of the time, you would pass. I understand they first got their accreditation yanked and then lost their government student loan program, which (LOL) was what they were really in business for. 🙁

Now at risk of playing devil's advocate, and having taken a few art courses in high school and college, grading is indeed very subjective in many cases, and what you (should) learn to do is to explain and defend your work, proactively.

 

[PKR]

And yet they (I'm assuming same school, different faculty member) accept others' work in lieu of original work, huh? 🙁

I've always been leery of the for-profit colleges. I've heard too many horror stories of astronomical debt and little income. 🙁 I'm sure you and everyone have heard the same.

Having said that, we do have two guys at work (both techies) who graduated from for-profit colleges who are both very competent. One is from DeVry, which I understand is regionally accredited and has a fairly decent academic record, but the other is from what was ITT Tech.

Although he's personally very sharp, he tells stories of cases where he (as a student) knew more about the subject than the instructor and classes where if you paid your tuition and showed up at least some of the time, you would pass. I understand they first got their accreditation yanked and then lost their government student loan program, which (LOL) was what they were really in business for. 🙁

Now at risk of playing devil's advocate, and having taken a few art courses in high school and college, grading is indeed very subjective in many cases, and what you (should) learn to do is to explain and defend your work, proactively.

DeVry has a good rep. A pal, who is likely a genius area IQ didn't want to go to college. He just wanted to go to work. EE was his choice. So, the compromise was DeVry. He was quickly hired by a big defense contractor Where in a couple of years he was designing equipment to test SatCom gear produced for government contracts. He's pay schedule was similar to some with MSEE degrees. So, if you're smart and talented, and your employer is smart, a fancy education isn't necessary.

In my assistant friend's case, he was criticized for being smart and talented. And yes, same school. This kid had serious issues with the instructor before this assignment. She apparently didn't get along with him. I'm sure he asked questions she couldn't answer. So, there was an attitude issue I think. Yet the Department head recommended him to us and others. I think there were fewer than 10 in his class of 200+ that got a recommendation ..He got one, even though he didn't graduate.

 

[PKR]

Yes, Using a Copyrighted Photo Without Permission Can Get You Sued…

From PetaPixel

"“For every image that I used that [the photographer] owned that never ever explicitly said on the images ‘can’t be used’ or anything like that, I would potentially be sued for $150,000 if it were to go to court,” Dasilva says.

Dasilva reached a settlement with the photographer on June 5th, 2017, for $27,000. He also paid about $10,000 in legal fees, bringing his total loss from the copyright infringement at around $37,000.

Lesson learned."

https://petapixel.com/2017/10/19/yes-using-copyright-photo-without-permission-can-get-sued/