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Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 676 total)
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  • IHF
    Participant

    Picstop,

    you might be interested in this

    http://www.pixsy.com

    IHF
    Participant

     

    “FAIR WARNING FOR ALL FUTURE FEEDBACK REQUESTS:

    YOU WILL BE INVESTIGATED LIKE A PROCTOLOGIST ON A MISSION, DEEP AND HARD”

    We all, as a whole need to start being more vigilant.  So I’m really glad to see you on board 🙂 So many outed thieves on the Photostealers blog have belonged to noted photography associations in the world.  So far the PPA currently wins the race.  One of the latest is sponsored by Fuji.  http://stopstealingphotos.com/fay-andrea-london-england-united-kingdom/#more-5802

    How did that happen?!  Why didn’t they look first?!  Just a quick online scan would have revealed that they were stealing from others.  They need to spend a little time vetting their new member applications to be sure they’re on the up and up.  Quality control would be next to impossible in organizations like the PPA, but it wouldn’t take much to deny copyright infringers and ban them from ever being a member of their organization.  (I’ll take the job.  I’d love to send out those rejection letters) I realize that scammy fauxtographer’s money spends well too, but allowing this kind of crap will end up bitting you in the ass, and the problem isn’t shrinking, it’s growing.  I think this happens because photographers think like photographers and attempting to run a business off of other photographer’s hard work, is furthest thing from their minds.  We all have that understanding because we care about what we do, and respect others who do what we do and excel at it.  But, there’s a whole Chuck load of people out there that don’t feel the same.  They don’t think like photographers because they haven’t invested themselves.  They just think it’s an easy way to make a few bucks.  They treat professional photography like its Amway, Avon, pampered chef… or they just think their work is more important than anyone else’s?

    We aren’t a forum where a membership is required.  Those that are, need to start screening their new members, and since we aren’t in a position to screen, it’s up to us as commenters to try to put a stop to this behavior.  I think (or at least I hope, because I’ve seen a lot here) we run into more infringement, plagiarism, and general dishonesty than most forums/groups/organizations do, given the general topic of discussion here and the people it attracts.

    Hey!  It may not be armed robbery, or murder, and not matter too much in the grand scheme of things, but… A photographer (or should I say someone who claims to be a photographer) who commits copyright infringement, or even purchases stock to market their business… Well it’s the lowest thing any photographer could ever do.  It’s despicable!!

    (Jumps off soap box, and quits rambling). I’m preaching to the choir over here lol I know you all get it, ugh!  I just get so angry about it

    IHF
    Participant

    His whole website and web presence as a whole, is a joke.  Let’s recap:  This “award winning” photographer’s website is spammed with dick growing serums and the like. Oh, but he’s been hacked, and it should work better now that he spent a few minutes on it.  Oh wait! He wasn’t hacked.  He just hired a freelance web designer…. Oh wait… Nope it was a web designer AND he was hacked!  Poor guy, he’s been victimized like crazy.  No matter, just a few little tweaks here and there and it will all be taken care of, but he can’t even manage to scroll through his facebook pictures and delete ALL the pictures that aren’t his?  An act that actually DOES take just minutes to complete.  https://www.facebook.com/studiokristo/photos_stream?ref=page_internal  seriously, dude, you have like what? 20 pictures left that are yours (or that I can’t locate the original source for and I assume are yours) and you can’t delete ALL of the pictures you didn’t create?  What the hell do you need a kitty picture, or a flippin mouse and a piece of cheese on your wedding page for anyway?
    Get rid of the add on makeup service if it’s something you don’t provide, and have no photographs of your own to represent!!  Quit being a douche!
    He has at least one wedding photographed in Greece with Canadian transport in the backdrop.  Illegally taken, tacky and dangerous train track shots, that weren’t even taken in the location he claims they were.  His pricing screams “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.  Just give me your money!”.  So many many sub par photos.  A lot of them actually taken from a wedding guest’s perspective as the subjects pose for the REAL hired photographer.  Sub par pictures that we can only assume are his, because no one else would ever want to advertise with them, and he likes to use other photographer’s work to promote his shady business.  He for some unknown reason thinks people from Asian decent are “different” enough from the “normal” weddings he claims to have shot, that they need a separate section on his site.  Ummmmmm ok,  (giggles)

    “I get paid when people click around on my website, so I think I will go to a whole bunch of different photography forums and ask for critique.  Photographers won’t notice my dishonesty or sloppiness.  Especially that ONE forum that is known for calling out dishonest people pretending to be professional photographers, with their brutal honesty”.

    I’m giving him until later this evening to remove all the content that doesn’t belong to him, and if it’s not done he’s getting reported.  Hint: don’t just remove the content I have called you out on, and cherry pick which photos from your Google plus, Twitter, facebook, advertisements, website, etc get removed.  Remove ALL CONTENT that doesn’t belong to you.  And know that I have my eye on you.  If you can’t run an honest business you have no business being in business.  You definitely don’t have any business asking help from the very people you steal from and do harm to by conducting your “photography” business unethically and dishonestly.

    IHF
    Participant

    And thank you Don, thank you 😉

    IHF
    Participant

    Not sure if your site is link bait or what, but I clicked to see your portfolio and saw a generic line of text telling me I can get Zithromax for a discounted price, so I did not even bother to go any further or even look at the images.

    If this is a “real” site of yours, you need different hosting or something.  If I were a client, I would not hire you after seeing that.  It’s not offensive but it tells me that you are not serious about your craft.”

    Yeah, one time going through some galleries there were advertisments for porn.  Also if you search his email, it’s linked to quite a few spammy sites. And interestingly a handful of “feedback needed for my new wedding photography website” posts in different photography forums.  (Maybe some sort of click farming going on?)

     

     

    Krisco,

    thank you so much for taking the time to take down SOME of the images you stole from others from SOME of your online pages.  If you could please remove ALL images that do not belong to you from ALL your socail media and sites, it would be more than appreciated.  If you really need me to, I can point out all the images that aren’t yours, and contact the original artists so they can send you an invoice, or you can keep your pages nice a quiet, and remove them yourself.  Hint: if you weren’t there and didn’t click the shutter, it is NOT your image and should be removed

    IHF
    Participant

    oh and just a little aside in case you decide not to address your copyright infringement.  Choose to think I’m just an ass on the internet, and continue on as you have been conducting business:

    I have taken screen shots, sourced all the original photographers and/or origins for the images I found that weren’t yours AND I’m an avid follower and participater of this blog

    http://stopstealingphotos.com

    You’ve been warned.  Clean up and fly right

    IHF
    Participant

    Why do you have so many photographs that you didn’t create all over your Facebook business page?  Why would you use other photographer’s work to advertise/market your photography?

     

    https://www.facebook.com/studiokristo/timeline

     

    Then here on your packages page

    Packages and Pricing

    You are using a photograph that isn’t yours to advertise an add on service.  Then when I click to get more info

    I see you have images that have been edited and a watermark added that you found on the internet somewhere.

     

    One of your last shared albums on your social media was this

    http://www.studiokristo.com/weddings-in-santorini/wedding-at-petit-palace/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

    I’m not impressed.  So many technical problems.  They look sloppy and careless, and the skin tones are amazingly bad.  You definitely took more time and care with other couples in your port.

    If this was your last wedding…ewwwwwww

    Your portfolio as a whole is very inconsistent.  Your clients seem to be playing the lotto as far as quality goes.  I don’t think you are inept, but….with the copyright infringement found, and so many bellow average shots among the mix… eh… I know most people I know would steer clear, and think something is fishy.  It gives me the feeling that if I dug more I’d find even MORE photos that don’t belong to you, and all you’d be left with is eh, and ho hum blah shots.

     

     

    You need to clean up.  Remove all the images that you didn’t create.  Not only is it against the law to do what you have been doing, it’s unethical as hell, and misrepresents your photographic services.  I have zero tolerance for this.  It’s just so wrong on so many levels.

    Then you should cull your port a bit.  I don’t know if the lower quality photos were photos taken in the past before you started to improve, or if they truly are a reflection of what you currently create.  If the eh shots are what best represents your work, I guess no cull is necessary.  If not… well.. You should strongly consider removing them.

     

    As things stand right now you are a fauxtographer.  Anyone that uses other photographer’s work to promote themselves doesn’t value what they do very highly, and in turn they don’t really care for their clients either.  The inconsistency in what I believe to be your real work, just helps confirm my feelings

    Thumbs down for me

    in reply to: Feedback appreciated! #24716
    IHF
    Participant

    Oops!  I just accidentally (Im on my iPad) requested your website on your facebook page.  I meant to click on your about.  I just wanted to read your about.  I swear!  Sorry about that.  Hey, if FB lets you, go ahead and look me up and get snoopy if you want to.

    I really like that you are doing a 365.  The only way to get better is to DO.

    Id like to give you a more through critque but, I’ve run out of time today.  I’ll be back in the next day or so, and give you some more input.  Hopefully others here will chime in as well.  Good night to you

    in reply to: Feedback appreciated! #24715
    IHF
    Participant

    Oh, and I stopped sharing my portrait work other than my family photos.  If I shoot friends or hired models to scratch any itches I have, I show them their images privately, finish them for them at cost if they want, and give them web friendly files for them to share if they’d like.  If I post um publicly, people are on that like flies on $&@!  Bam!  I’m soliciting my services without even wanting to (lmao people are funny)  it’s like opening a can of worms.  Worms that only want to pay pennies for me to work for them.  No thanks

    in reply to: Feedback appreciated! #24713
    IHF
    Participant

    It’s strange that you were given the advice you were given when you asked about starting a business.  I mean, sure you need to perfect your skills, but… More importantly you need to figure out your cost of doing business, set up a tax ID, get your insurance squared away (most home owners and rental property insurance do not cover your equipment (computer,  hard drives, camera, lenses, flash, tripods etc. at all if you use it to make money, plus there’s liability insurance to think about), get your contracts and model releases drafted, yadda yadda

    Here’s a cost of doing business calculator.  It isn’t tailored to portrait/event photography, so you’ll have to tweak it a bit, but it can give you a good idea of where your prices need to be to get started if you fill it out honestly.
    https://nppa.org/calculator

    Here are some articles on pricing that you might find helpful
    https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=154088631105
    http://www.themoderntog.com/affordable-profitable-photographer

    The reason why I feel it’s important for anyone looking to start a photography business to set their prices and look at costs first and foremost is because doing so will not only give you a better picture and understanding, it will also help you answer the question in your head “Is my photography good enough to try to make a living with?” in a more realistic and honest way.

    From the get go I had family and friends badgering me to go into business. “You would make so much money”, “you are so talented”, “I would SO pay you”, “Will you shoot our wedding?”.  Yikes!!!  They were relentless, and wouldn’t let up.  I think this is more due to a lack of understanding why someone would get into and invest in something without monetary gain.  Why create?  Are you going to sell it?  What are you doing it for?  What do you mean it’s just for you?  You should do something with it?  Almost like they are saying there is no value to what I do, unless I get paid to do it.  Bullshit!!!  But I know they mean well, and I am very interested.  It WOULD be very cool to make a living with my camera as long as I was still able to shoot for myself too.
    So I set and figured out what I’d have to charge per session, and what I’d have to make in sales (say the word and I can link you to how to price your prints as well) to cover minimum wage part time.  My session fees to start a part time business and insure that I got paid the equivalent to working at McDonalds part time, ended up being approx $200 if I added in print sales as well.
    When friends inquired and started once again pushing for me to go into business I finally gave in and said “O.K, yes, I’ll do it if I have enough interest” (kind of knowing full well what direction the convo would go. My portrait work isn’t all that and a bag of chips.  It’s technically sound, but eh) told them what I’d be charging to start and…. “But so and so, and what n what only charges such and such”. Well so and so and what n what didn’t take the time to figure out their cost of doing business, doesn’t mind working for less than minimum wage, or isn’t running a legit business and collecting and paying taxes/isn’t insured and/or isn’t profitable at all and is going into debt being “in business”.  I can’t afford to do that.  My family can’t afford me to do that, so Id have to charge $200 sitting fee, and hope to sell you about the same amount in finished work to make it worth my time, and give myself any sort of chance at actually making a living at this part time or full time.  “Would you pay me $200?  Do you think lots of others would?  Do I offer that caliber of quality photography?  Would I be able to offer a good experience and service so I could eventually charge more, so I could make MORE than minimum wage?”
    Crickets… More crickets… I no longer get badgered by my friends and family to go into business lol
    I’d be hard pressed to compete with all the fly by night $50 togs that come and go.  I’m no better than most of them.  I just took the time to figure out how NOT to go into debt shooting for people and get paid the same as a high schooler flipping burgers BEFORE I went all in.
    So, I still shoot what I want when I want, and I couldn’t be happier.  Shooting for the love of it, and for myself is much more rewarding and fulfilling than constantly having to explain why I charge more than so n so because although my portraits won’t end up on the front page, they aren’t any better that that girl Sue’s down the street that doesn’t value her time or her talents.

    in reply to: Fauxtogs who should end up on the main page… #24695
    IHF
    Participant

    and right there is the number ONE reason I would never hire a fauxtog!  Posting up my pictures like that and tagging my ass.  WTH?!  “Yep, I’ll just use Facebook to deliver my proofs to my clients.  It’s OK that they never saw them, or OKed them.  It’s about ME and what I want to do, not my clients.  If they don’t like them, too bad.  They will stay up for the world to see, because I’m just THAT clever and awesome”.

    I can’t tell you how many times I saw people comment “I don’t really like this one” or “I wish you hadn’t posted THIS one”  or “What’s wrong with my hair?”, only to be told Hahahaha “Too bad!  I like it and so does everyone else!”.  Talk about uncomfortable and awkward, but fauxs seem to be oblivious to it.  Or those pictures that get untagged, not shared, not purchased, not liked by the client/clients they continue to stay up, because the clients are too uncomfortable with saying they don’t like them for any reason.  Fauxs don’t seem to notice that either…. immmm if your client isn’t all “Oh Thank you so much, tagging themselves, sharing, bragging, etc (and ultimately purchasing them) guess what THAT means fauxs?  It means you didn’t do your job well regardless of your Aunt Sue’s comment “You are so talented.  These pictures are beautiful”.  “BAM!  There you go!  Your pictures are up for the world to see, wether you like them or not!”.  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH my worst nightmare.  What happened to showing your clients their proofs privately?  and then getting a release signed before you post them?  I would never ever do that to someone, especially a friend or family member.  It’s horrible. ME ME ME ME ME I’m so awesome at this!

    in reply to: Fauxtogs who should end up on the main page… #24515
    IHF
    Participant

    lol oops!

    I had no idea what you were talking about, so I had a scroll back to see if I could find anything about aleah leigh photography and WOE!  A little over reaction on your part there.

    This link was posted

     

    https://www.facebook.com/AleahLeighPhotography/photos/a.121534978040919.1073741830.121512301376520/316057755255306/?type=1&theater

    If you can’t see what’s hilariously wrong with this picture I don’t know what to tell you.

     

    Another personal favorite is this one.  lol oh my!

     

    https://www.facebook.com/AleahLeighPhotography/photos/pb.121512301376520.-2207520000.1422294730./326412330886515/?type=3&theater

     

    Look there is absolutely nothing wrong with Aleah Leigh’s photography except that she’s attempting to charge people money for it.  It’s ridiculous, and quite funny/interesting when people think the can do something they are in fact unable to do.  Kind of like the American Idol auditions.  That whole train wreck can’t look away thing.  THAT’s why this site was born, because there are so many of them out there.  Aleah Leigh Photography’s photos all are just snap shots, some with odd editing, some without, but snap shots all the same.  Anyone with a camera and absolutely no photography background could have shot the same pictures.

     

    So what exactly makes us bullies?  Because we are talking about a “business” online that shares images publicly to advertise their “business”?  That makes no sense at all.  I put business in quotation marks because I highly doubt Aleah Leigh Photography is registered, licensed, insured, has a tax ID, yadda yadda… She’s just making some under the table cash when she can.  Even IF (and that’s a huge IF) she is doing this legitimately, she knows nothing about photography other than when you snap a button an image is made.  No need to take this so seriously and make a fool of yourself, she’s obviously not taking it seriously.

     

    For slander to be proven the statements made need to be untrue.  I think we were all quite honest here about Aleah Leigh Photography.  BTW by you coming here and mentioning Aleah Leigh Photography you have helped your friend’s business’ SEO.  If more people come here to talk about Aleah Leigh Photography like you were asking for us to do, this discussion may become searchable when someone types Aleah Leigh Photography into google.

     

    Hard working my ASS! I’m so tired of fauxtographers and fans of fauxtographers talking about how hard they work at making glorified snapshots and grabbing money from people under the table for their slop work.  You think it’s hard to do that?!  No, she’s having fun pretending to be a profitable photography business, and possibly got her feelings hurt a little when her page was talked about here and we all saw through it.  End of story.  Get over it, or not… it’d be slightly entertaining if you continued to rant about a subject you know nothing about I suppose.  I’m sure people found entertainment reading my comment.  Hey, what can I say?  I’m in a mood today, and this made me laugh so much.

    in reply to: New here! Please critique! #23921
    IHF
    Participant

    aidan, hate to do this to ya, but… it’s time you took on color management.  This link will help you get started

    Overview of Color Management

    and start printing and finishing your photographs regularly, you’ll learn so much and your photography will improve because of it.

    in reply to: Fauxtogs who should end up on the main page… #23896
    IHF
    Participant

    Good God Fstopper!

    I’m fairly new to the whole facebook groups thing, and when I first started participating I was shocked at how much deleting went on.  Don’t like what people have to say?  Delete!  What the hell is that!?  Oh, so someone more experienced than you already made the mistakes you are making and took the time out of their day to help you through them and better your photography?  Screw them!  Snotty little mean bastards!  And screw all the others who were following along and learning as well!  And screw all the people who would also benefit from your criticism that missed it because you deleted your post!
    Same thing would happen here if there were an easy way to delete.  I don’t get that mentality at all.  Yep, I’ve been embarrassed of my mistakes/lack of knowledge before and have had countless “oh! Duh!” Photography moments out there in Internet land (and real life), but never once was I even tempted to delete or even never acknowledge the help and opinions I received from people who took the time to help me.  I HATE that too.  I figure too, that all my posts out there are searchable and helping others have less DUH moments than I have.  Is it uncool to be wrong and/or not know what the heck you’re doing when your new to something?  Better to just pretend and fake it.  I guess if you are selling your photography as a pro and you don’t know how to use your camera, it’s uncool… but to ignore and delete when you show photographers a picture and they tell you it’s OOF (or whatever obvious flaws the picture has) is just asinine.
    That fauxtog is crazy bad, and she’s not going to get any better with that attitude.

    in reply to: New website – need your opinion #23821
    IHF
    Participant

    I couldn’t get it to display correctly on my iPad or phone.  No way to navigate with either device, and the one image that does load is distorted.  I know!  I know!  We don’t want people to view our work on phones and tablets, but they do.  It’s just the way it is.  Our websites have to play nice.

    I got it to work fine on my computer… but, I’m not a fan of the navigation/layout.

    You have some wonderful photographs though, and I throughly enjoyed looking

Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 676 total)