The short story:
There's a seed swap/ seed sowing demonstration going on in Chicago that I wanted to attend and cover on this here gardening blog. Here is the email I sent:
I see you're doing a seed swap and seminar.I'm thinking of attending it- do you think photo would be ok so I can cover it on my gardening blog? I grow a lot from seed and post my tutorials using recyclables on my gardening blog. Mostly using things like plastic soda bottles and fast food containers to make greenhouses for the seeds. If you'd like an extra hand or another seed sowing example I'd be glad to help.
Here is the reply I got:
"hardly a seminar. more of a shared discussion.
it would be good to meet you - though am uncertain about the photo taking. would rather you didn't unless i knew why you'd want to blog about this and how that would serve the broader mission. to be honest, i am slightly put off by your labelling of images with your logo."
Ouch.
Well, that reply makes no sense to me at all.
ReplyDeleteTC,
ReplyDeleteI guess she doesn't like that I put my name on my photos. Oh well.
Well that's just silly. You took the photos, we've all seen how often our content (text and images both) gets stolen. Watermarking the images is one of the few defenses we have!
ReplyDeleteI'd do it too, if I weren't rushing all the time.
I don't think I got your email regarding shutterstock. But I do think I'll need a better camera before they'll accept any of my submissions.
ReplyDeleteWait, you're going to take photos and post it on your own blog and the emailer is offended? Definitely stranger than fiction.
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty odd.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Well I put my own logo on some of my pictures in my blog. It's not that I don't want anyone to steal them, it's mostly that it looks cool, and I was bored and tinkered around with Photoshop.
ReplyDeleteColleen, I don't think some people understand that. Also I think she may not be so technologically savy because the website for the gardening related activities she runs in Chicago is something out of the Jurassic period. She probably can't take a decent picture to save her life because there aren't many pictures on her site which I find odd for someone who "teaches" about "plants" no to have visuals to accompany the text.
ReplyDeleteNikki, & Debbie, It is isn't it? I wonder if she walks into a car dealership and proclaims to the salesperson that she doesn't like that Dodge puts its logo on their trucks. LOL. The odd thing is that I've already said "Good Day" twice but she keep replying like she needs the last word.
Jordan, They're your photos man do with them what you want. Yesterday I finally got around to learning how to create a custom brush in Photoshop to make my watermarking the photos so much easier. It rules!
Not very encouraging is she? I don't see the problem with you putting your name on your photos, you took them.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started food blogging I noticed a reluctance on the part of some farmers/vendors at the Farmers Markets to me taking pics and blogging about them and/or the market ... until (I believe) they realized it was free advertising for the market. Plus, many people still don't know what "blogging" is. You take the pic, it is your to do with what you want, including post it upside down if you wish :)
ReplyDeleteSounds to me like she's fearful of someone stealing HER ideas and presenting them as their own--thus the reaction to your name appearing on the photos. Apparently she's not well acquainted enough with the garden blogging community to understand the beautiful spirit of generosity in terms of promoting each other's ideas and creativity, and giving credit where due. Her loss. Having said that, I hope the undeserved "ouch" from her response is wearing off, since as stated in other comments, there are still people out there who WOULD use your photos without permission/credit. It's just plain smart to add the tagline. (Personally, I think it was awfully nice of you to ask permission before taking photos. I'll bet there will be plenty of others who will just "shoot and tell" without asking.)
ReplyDeleteWow. I've encountered people like this before, of course, usually at places like craft and farmers markets. One woman got really indignant with me taking a photo of the booth beside hers. Turned out SHE did photography (black and white portrait/arty stuff, not terribly original or interesting) I told her that A. I am a journalist and was doing a story about farmers markets B. I wasn't interested in her booth and C. most people fall over themselves wanting photographs and free publicity. After she heard A. she was all hot to have me talk to her and take her picture, but I wasn't biting, hence B and C, just to rub it in a little. Normally, I ask people about taking photos, be it of gardens, plants, shops, people, of course--and enough know me here in my neck of the woods that it's not an issue.
ReplyDeleteI've never gotten around to watermarking my photos on bloomingwriter because they're low-resolution and would be of no use anywhere but on the web. And in most cases if people are interested in pictures of my garden plants or the cat children...they're welcome to them!
Marking photos is not something to worry about. They are your work, right?
ReplyDeleteNow, if this person does not want their image to appear on the web, fine. But what does that have to do with your watermark?
Buhwah?
hmmm. . . sounds a wee bit paranoid with just enough self-righteousness to be really annoying.
ReplyDeleteof course you're serving the mission by spreading information!! sounds annoying to me!
ReplyDelete