Kimberly J. Whipps |
Another Thief on Flickr Check this out... http://www.flickr.com/photos/salwoa/ Flickr sure houses a lot of scumbags who steal photos. She has two of my photos there and a lot I recognize from BP. I am thinking that I may need to remove my photos from here, since they are not protected. I am sure she got them from here. I hate this. Kimberly Whipps
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Margie Hurwich |
Very disturbing...
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Robyn Gwilt |
Kimberley, I had a look but didn't see any of yours (maybe she's removed them?) But I did see one on page 2 (below Man) its the girl against the old barn, with striped sox, and interesting sky. I've def. seen it on BP, and on her site she's been exposed as a fraud - read: http://www.flickr.com/photos/salwoa/305900087/ I think other BP'ers should go through her site - how the hell does someone claim other peoples work as their own - guess they take sleeping pills at night, 'coz I sure wouldn't be able to sleep!! Thanks for the headzup!
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Robyn Gwilt |
Just been right through her sight, and obviously page 7 and 8 are her photo's, all the others are stolen! She really is no photographer - she looks like a stupid little teenage 'princess', who shoots at random with her state of the art cell-phone camera her daddy bought her!! Maybe we should put more ID on our pix -much bigger and more visible? I know it'll detract from the pic.... but how else do you get around this?
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Some from the first page look like she's gotten off a stock site. But looking at the comments, she's saying "thank you" to some of the people who are commenting on how good of a picture it is, such as the seagull picture. Guess if you know anybody who's pictures from BP are on there, gotta notify them again like last time. And notify flickr. Otherwise, something else you could do is add your own comments about knowing she's downloaded somebody else's photos, and why say thank you when they're not hers.
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A C |
has anyone reported this yet?
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Found out this is flickr's course of action for reporting infringements to them: Notice for Claims of Intellectual Property Violations and Agent for Notice If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, or that your intellectual property rights have been otherwise violated, please provide Yahoo!'s Copyright Agent with the following information: 1. an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright or other intellectual property interest; 2. a description of the copyrighted work or other intellectual property that you claim has been infringed; 3. a description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the Yahoo! site, with enough detail that we may find it on the web site; 4. your address, telephone number, and email address; 5. a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright or intellectual property owner, its agent, or the law; 6. a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your Notice is accurate and that you are the copyright or intellectual property owner or authorized to act on the copyright or intellectual property owner's behalf. Yahoo!'s Agent for Notice of claims of copyright or other intellectual property infringement can be reached as follows: By mail: Copyright Agent
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Kimberly J. Whipps |
I reported it to Flickr, but as Gregory's last post points out, I doubt they will do anything. However, like others have mentioned, she's getting nailed in the comments now. She does still have two of my photos on there...but the comments make it clear that they are not hers. I have contacted about 4-5 others who work I recognized. I am considering removing the photos in my gallery that do not have a copyright stamp on them. So sad. And maddening.
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
She has at least one of mine, also. Let's go over there and kick her ass!
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Kimberly J. Whipps |
I was talking to Dale Ann about this and she said "I just sicked Carolyn Fletcher at BP on the loser. She stole one of Carolyn's Finalists. Wrong move. If anyone will see justice done, it will be Carolyn!" I'm with you...let's go. :)
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cj patterson |
i am just very sick about all of this! this has happened MORE than once...it makes me think of leaving bp and I don't want too but if ppl are stealing images then I don't want that either!!! what to do??? cj
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
I doubt if there's much that can be done about it. From what the computer people say, it's pretty hard to stop them. I'm glad Dale Ann has such a high opinion of my ability, but I'm afraid I don't have a clue what to do except complain. Which I did.
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David A. Bliss |
While it sucks that people steal other's work, if you post your images on the internet there is no way to stop them. While BP doesn't disable the right click option on it's forums, it does on it's premium galleries. That only adds about 10 seconds to my ability to steal the picture. BTW, I don't steal pictures. What I do is find the loopholes so I can find better ways to protect myself. Of course, I haven't yet implimented all the fixes on my site yet, but I am getting there! ;-) Having your pictures displayed in flash helps, but they can still be stolen. A watermark or other type of copyright notice on the picture is your best bet, but if someone really wants it, they can find a way to disable the watermark or clone out the copyright notice. It isn't a perfect world, all we can do is do our best to protect ourselves.
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Jane M |
How about BP automatically putting a faint BP watermark on every photo uploaded? I know it would spoil the photos a little but at least it would be obvious if the photos were used elsewhere without permission.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Better to do that on your own. BP dosen't own the photos, nor possess any rights to them other than the agreement that if you have your photo here, or in the contest, then they'll display it as a past winner or to showcase the contest within it's own site. It's not a BP photo, it's yours, so you'd need to put your name or something of you own on it. There was a phone number and a fax number to flickr that didn't get pasted.
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Kimberly J. Whipps |
Perhaps BP could overlook an obtrusive watermark on photos entered into the contest. :) I have removed my photos...unfortunately.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Ought to follow up on getting flickr to remove them and not let everything revolve around a contest. And name along the bottom edge or the corner. Sometimes you gotta park your car on the street if you ever want to leave the house.
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- Dennis Flanagan Contact Dennis Flanagan Dennis Flanagan's Gallery |
I hate what they do, but also realize anything they copy and steal is low resolution.
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Corinne M. Thompson |
Looks like she got the message...her gallery is empty of all the stolen images!
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David A. Bliss |
Gregory, I agree with your comment entirely. While we can't protect ourselves completely, we can take as many precautions as are available to us, and get our work out there. A shop owner does not close up because some stuff gets shoplifted. Musicians don't stop putting out music because some people use file sharing to download it.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Even the ones that looked like they were from a stock site are gone. Good job to those that actually persued it. Sometimes that's what it takes because so few actually take the first step.
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Willie L |
How in the heck does one find their stolen pictures hiding in a Flicker web page out of the middle east? How did you find that needle in the hay stack? Just curious.
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sherry-adkins-photography.com - Sherry Karr Adkins Contact Sherry Karr Adkins Sherry Karr Adkins's Gallery |
I've been reading this thread with alarm that some of our images here on BP have been stolen by someone on flickr. Will someone tell me how to find this thief's gallery? I have typed in the site listed above and it gets me nowhere. Do I have to be a 'member' of flickr to view galleries? Maybe I'm just a dumb blonde, but I cannot find this gallery. Thanks.......
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
It was at www.flickr.com/photos/salwoa but it's probably been dismantled now. The one they took of mine is no longer there anyway.
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Robyn Gwilt |
I don't know how one keeps tabs on these things, but Kimberley I'm sorry to see you go, I've always loved your work and your gallery has been quite inspirational!!
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Kimberly J. Whipps |
I found out about the thief on ILP. Someone posted a link there, saying some of the photos looked fimiliar. That's when I noticed my photos and many others I recognized from artists here at BP. So I posted this, hoping to do exactly what we did...get rid of the crook. :) Thank you for you kind words Robin, I am thinking I can start fresh, with a more obvious copyright symbol, but my older stuff had nothing on it. Good thing for forums like this and ILP where we photographers can help protect each other.
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Robyn Gwilt |
Another question - how did she get your image so clearly? I know you said it wasn't great resolution, but when I looked at Flickr, they looked pretty damn good to me! When I try to copy/paste/save pic from my site (as if I were a thief1!) the size I get is about 1.5x1.5cm!!! and thats 100% - Just curious!
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Kimberly J. Whipps |
I don't know how she did it, but I just tried to Print Screen and then paste that into my editing program, and I had a very clear picture that could have easily been printed as a 4x6. I think watermarking is the only way around this.
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John W. Oliver |
I have been taking photos from BP and pasting them into a power point presentation that allows me analyze why I think they won. Trying to be a better photographer! Irregardless, they way they steal photos and get such high resolution is this: 1) They find the photo they want from the winner category. This is how I get the pictures to be large enough to see so that I can learn from them. I hope that this helps. I agree that watermarking your images is the only way to get around this, and as soon as I can figure out how to do it in PS I will... but alas, I am new photographer with 3 months experience under my belt... I've got a long way to go!!!
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Jane M |
Watermarking is easy: 1) Create a new layer 2) Click on 'Text' button on the main palette 3) Enter your desired watermarking text eg "Copyright Joe Bloggs" 4) In Layers drop down palette, change opacity to 30% or so to taste, making it transparent.
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Stephanie M. Stevens |
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A C |
I've seen watermarks in the smack middle of pictures do well here. I should look them up to show you. Just try to step out of photographer mode and think of how a graphic designer might attack this kind of problem. A copyright can be very attractive if it looks good, is subtle, and is placed right. I'm not very fond of the big copyright symbol on your photo Stephanie ... but I think you are definitely headed in the right direction. Try making your copyright even lighter ... or a transparent white. Try a few different versions and then post 'em here for feedback if you want.
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A C |
here is a BetterPhoto Winner I really like how she put her copyright on this particular picture. It is very sublte and difficult to edit out. I think it kind of adds to the composition.
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Stephanie M. Stevens |
I'm not fond of the big copyright symbol either, but that's all I've come up with so far. I checked out your link and my problem with it is that the baby could be cropped out and poof! no more copyright.
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Carol A. Roux |
I just checked and flickr has changed it's name to fotothing.com. I registered to get to see pictures and I think I recognized several bp pictures under several different names some of which are ditzzy.(?) Thought you would like to know.
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W. |
Get a life! You KNOW that your photos can and will be copied once you post 'm on the web. Don't like it? Then don't post on the web. But quit whingeing!
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Who Me? |
How do you know the different names don't belong to one person?
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Christopher A. Vedros |
Carol - flickr is not the same as fotothing.com. They are different sites.
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Stephanie M. Stevens |
Hey W. - tell the people who steal the hard work and effots of others to get a life. They are the ones who need it.
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W. |
If you put your stuff out there for all to the world to grab then it's a no-brainer that it WILL be grabbed. Deal with it.
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anonymous |
W Smith, I am sorry, but that is just rude, why be so rude to people who are generally concerned about their images, if you don't like what is being said in this Forum, then why read it. As far as I can see, it is a bunch of people with an issue and collectively trying to resolve the issue. You get a life! Kimbery - did you see any of my photos? I am so worried now.
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Stephanie M. Stevens |
We ARE dealing with it - by trying to come up with solutions to the problem rather than closing ourselves off to the entire internet. If you have nothing to offer, leave us alone.
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Kimberly J. Whipps |
Hey Natalie...The gal I was referring to here is now gone...at least all the stolen photos are and she's just left with her own work. I don't go to flickr all that often, but when I hear about a theif there, I look through the gallery and alert anyone whose work I recognize. Flickr didn't seem to concerned, but when all the photographers who own the work hound the person relentlessly, they get the idea and remove the copyright works. It was pretty funny actually to see her comments go from "Wow...this is an incredible shot, you have an amazing talent." to "Seriously? You stole all these photos?!? You stinking theif...you ought to be ashamed of yourself!" HA!
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Who Me? |
Stamp all your online photos with your LOGO/copyright and you are good to go.
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W. |
So Natalie, you think reality is "rude"? How naive. Call it whatever you like, it is still reality, and won't change just because you don't like it. If you don't want to run the risk of being run over by a car (very "rude"), then don't cross the street! LOL! :–)))
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Stephanie M. Stevens |
Why can't we change reality? People change realities they don't like all the time. They added crosswalks and stoplights to help protect people from being run over by cars, so there's not much reason to walk around your own block in circles because you're afraid to cross the street. Watermarks and right-click disabling help protect images from thieves so that photographers don't have to cut themselves off from the internet all together. Image thievery is reality, yes, and some people are doing what they can to protect themselves from it.
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Todd Bennett |
Rude or not, Natalie, W's statement is bang on (I don't personally think he was being rude, simply blunt and to the point). No since in sugar coating it. If you don't want your images stolen, you better keep them off of the web. I have gone through countless galleries on this site and very few people put a copyright symbol/water mark on their photos. If you do want to put your images on the web and display them in a public forum such as BP and you do want to protect your images, that is the first step to take to protect your photos. The next step is to register them with the copyright office, which I would be willing to bet less than 25% of the people on this site do. But, I know you know this. My point here is, that all the "Oh, that's to bad" and the "This shouldn't happen" and the "What are we going to do about this" isn't going to fix the problem. Complaining in an open forum like this isn't going to fix the problem. It is appearant from all the flap with Scott and Shelly van Camp, or whatever her name is, over her stealing his images isn't going to change things. BP has not done one thing, except maybe to disable right click, to protect us. We, as photographers, have to protect ourselves. We have to be proactive in protecting ourselves; but, the bottom line is, as long as photos, especially on this site, are unprotected like they are, there will be stealing. And the only real way to prevent this is to pull your photos from the site. My photos may or may not have been worth the paper they would be printed on; but that's what I did. I pulled mine. I like this site. I like it a lot. I've learned a lot of valuable information here and expect to learn more; but, I'm not gonna risk it.
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Jagadeesh Andrew Owens |
Since we're being honest and to the point, I'll say something that I've been DYING to say since this post originated a year ago and all posts concerning "stealing" of images since then. The truth - the work that is posted on this site by people doesn't have the potential to have money made off of it if it indeed IS stolen! People are constantly worried about watermarking their photos so they aren't stolen... ask yourselves...is someone gonna get famous from a photo they stole from this website?? I think not... It's not like this site is full of Herb Ritts's, Mary Ellen Mark's, and Pulitzer Prize worthy stuff.... No offense to anyone, I enjoy posting here as much as anyone... Come on.. chill out...
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W. |
Thanks, Todd. 'Preciate it.
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Bob Cammarata |
Web display, be it by way of the photograph, the printed word or by other means is essential in today's world. To suggest that we simply not post...or if we accept that our work will be stolen if we dare to do so is just giving up. I say, "Fight back!" Expose those sites who accept stolen material publicly. Make their lives miserable when they're caught. As far as our work not really having any financial merit I say this: "Who cares?" What's ours is ours.
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Kimberly J. Whipps |
Well said Bob. And we did fight back, and we won. :) I would do the same thing if it happened again.
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Todd Bennett |
Bob, I don't disagree with you one bit. You offer this advice though, and give no examples of ways to "fight back" except to "Expose those sites who accept stolen material." First off, how do these sites know they are accepting stolen material? Do you expect them to screen every single photo? Not gonna happen! That is an impossible task. All these sites have disclaimers. All that will happen is they will make the offending person remove the photos, maybe kick them off the site, and that is it. All these people have to do is sign up under another screen name and "boom," they are back at it. How do suppose we should go about "fighting back?" How, as stated earlier, do we find the needle in a hay stack so we can start "making their lives miserable?" Untill the websites do something to protect the photographers, "it ain't gonna happen." It is easy to say sitting behind a computer and typing on a keyboard; but, when it comes to actual action, it's hard to get the ball rolling. Why don't you lobby BP to help us? Help us find a way to protect our photos? That's not gonna happen either. As I stated before, the crap with Scott and Shelly proves that this site will take the high road on these issues. You go to a stock photo site and look at the protection they have. Every time you click on a photo to enlarge it, it has it's own watermark. Bob, I'm not bustin your chops. I'm just calling it like I see it. I am willing to "fight back" too; but, in life, you have to fight the battles you can win. I don't think this is winable; not unless the websites give the photogs some help.
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
This site will take the high road??? I do believe Shelly is still posting and got a finalist this last month. How is that taking the high road?
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W. |
For me it's a simple choice: I much, much rather spend my time taking photos and MAKING money than worrying all the time whether or not my photos would get stolen, developing ulcers, and spending tons on lawyers and years in court when they do. I didn't start photography for THAT! Did you? Have a look at my gallery and steal whatever you like!
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Okay
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Bob Cammarata |
Negative press...(like this thread) is one way to fight back. When someone searches a particular website and discussions like this appear, maybe they will be motivated to make their sites more secure. I realize that there is no way of knowing if something had been copied but when something IS identified and reported to them, they (the website) should react harshly to the individual who posted it. If magazine editors are held accountable for the legitimacy of what they publish, why should we just accept that the Web is a free-for-all?
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Todd Bennett |
Carolyn, That is exactly what I think of when I say someone took the high road. They did nothing; but, make her remove the pics in question. She's still posting and winning. Their reaction to the incident was nothing more than telling a three year old to "stop doing that." They didn't even have guts enough to make a formal statement about photo theft. I'm with W. Go shoot and not worry about whether my stuff is stolen. By not putting it on the web, I don't have to worry about that. Bob, I hear ya. Negative press is probably a start. And, I am not accepting that the web is a free-for-all; but, untill something is done on sites like BP and Flickr to help protect the members, what are we to do?
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
You would think that doing the right thing would be the way to go, or at the very least, EXPLAIN why they handled it (or not) the way they did (or didn't).
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Todd Bennett |
Yep! You would think so!
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W. |
See? Gregory is also a thief. Now, I could make a whole song & dance about that. But it's not worth it. I hope you have fun with it, Greg. :–)
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Who Me? |
You think that a website is going to spend (waste)money on lawyers to get rid of a few plugs? First you have to find them, then prove that it was them on the computer ( libraries, internet cafes, universities etc..) Its not worth there time to police such minor spats. Now if someone threatened the life of another, then they might do something. I have never stolen a photo, just borrowed it for fun.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Actually, you gave me a release, remember? "Have a look at my gallery and steal whatever you like!"
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
I usually forget about stuff once the move down towards the end of page 2, but an email made me think of something. W.S. you've said that you transfered all rights to your clients as your reason why when asked about having an empty gallery. You've said you don't want to get sued. So is the reason solely that a client of yours may look around betterphoto and sue you, or is their any amount of principal involved that they're the clients photos now, and I'll go by the agreement because it just wouldn't be right?
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W. |
Most of 'm are the principals' photos now. Others can't get nicked if not posted. Saves me having to go after 'm.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Oops, principle. But the basic understanding should be comprehended since the fear is acknowledged.
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Darren K. Fisher |
WOW the things I have been missing out on. I am sorry MR W but as I look through some of the galleries here I can see why some of us would be upset with stolen imaegs. However I can see why it would not bother you as much. We enjoy our work and like the fact we can bring joy to others. Forgive us for being trusting and then when a thief comes and takes them we get upset. I am sure if someone broke into your home something you cherish and work hard for you would be up set as well. I know I just wasted my time and energy here, by what I have read from you so far it is your way and no other but well I still had to speak my mind, and really look forward to your response. Yea right!!
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Who Me? |
If you wanna show off, you can get burned, like those fire dancers. Its your choice, if you worried about the end result then don't play with fire. Dudadah!
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Darren K. Fisher |
Excuse ME? No one was showing off. Everyone here spoke their minds, so you have a problem with me doing the same?? I guess I kind of found out why I have been missing all kinds of things here. Life is really to short to deal with the stress of people that just want to keep it going. It was my first time and last time commenting here vs what your 20th. So over and out!! Enjoy the fire!!
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Who Me? |
"ee-oh-Tah"
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