PSA/RANT: Photography Theft and Reposting
Hi everyone, it is a shame that I even have to make a post like this as I have just come across another few of my works being reposted/stolen without permission (with MY watermark also being removed) in less than a week!
When it comes to my photography, please have some respect and DO NOT do the following:
1. DO NOT under any circumstances alter/re-edit my works, I prefer to do the work myself as it strives me to do more, to learn more for myself etc. I'll be honest with this one and I'm sorry if this offends anyone but most of the alterations I have come across with my photos in the past weren't very good, only a small few I saw were actually decent and that says a lot really.
(Extra thing to add here: If it comes to someone who is a new/upcoming photographer, please don't alter/re-edit their work if you are not experienced in that field to do so!)
2. DO NOT repost my works without permission (then again, there is no reason you should be reposting anyway considering there is literally a share function on my posts that you can use)
3. DO NOT EVER remove my watermark from my photos and DO NOT claim my works as your own, this is an extremely disrespectful thing to do to any photographer!
4. DO NOT sell my work, they are not yours to make a profit from!
5. Please no AI stuff involving my works! I will NOT tolerate my work being used in any AI projects!
So now that those guidelines are out there, I will just say this this:
I work bloody hard on what I produce as a photographer and it is quite a pity to see some people who are only relevant by stealing other people's hard work and not creating any content themselves.
So I will ask, why not get out there and actually photograph and take the time to learn the art of photography and learn the talent of it? There is a lot more than just snapping a photo, if done right photography can be an artistic talent in it's own right.
There are so many things people (especially non-photographers) don't consider, behind the scenes work such as post-processing/editing etc. Which could take months, maybe even a year! Be mindful that mental health is a serious thing and can actually impact these things, such as burnout etc.
Keep in mind also travel from here to there for anything photography related whether it be an event etc, is extremely difficult if you are like me, you don't drive and have huge anxiety issues when it comes to travelling on any form of public transport on my own/without the person you are most comfortable travelling with (when I live also in an area with a bus service that stops relatively early, I can hardly be somewhere any later than 6PM!)
Travel is also a part of why photographers should be respected because we literally try our best to make an effort to get to where we are going/want to go!
Anyway, enough of all of that. As from now, I am likely going to just issue takedown requests without warning if I see another one of my works elsewhere in future because I will NOT tolerate being walked all over by downright selfish, talentless people. 👍