Knock-off shops
There is a UK modelling site called Web-Models that is a very useful resource for finding and contacting models. Today I renewed my subscription in order to allow me to continue to contact models. However, I will not be uploading any more images to the site and I will be carefully vetting those who I work with from that site, because my recent experiences have been less than wonderful.
First up, their mods removed from my portfolio all images with my email address or URL on them. This is apparently so that they can adhere to the rule that you can’t advertise on their site. Now, given the impending adoption of the EU of the orphan works legislation and the costs involved if you want to register any images taken, it is simply not sensible to have images on the net with no identifying information. It not as if I used a huge banner. The text was always small and along one edge. I suspect that the real reason is that they simply don’t want other peoples URL’s appearing on the site. After all it’s THEIR site and they don’t want MY images to spoil it with some tacky URL. But it’s their call, so the only thing I can do is not upload any more images.
The second problem is that they have this really nice feature where uploaded images are displayed on the front page. So anyone can see them. It’s great for the models as there is a constant turnover of images. However, there is a downside. Within two weeks of my most recent shoot, there are dozens of similar shots appearing, most of them much worse. Some models who have asked to shoot with me in that style have just shot with some third rate snapper in exactly the same style with similar poses.
OK, so the photographs I took and lighting style are not unique and I have seen many similar styles of shot, but I have never set out to directly copy an image, and copying an image within a couple of weeks of seeing the first one, then posting it to the same site is just wrong.
But I can see another problem. The world of photography is always shrouded in the drive to find your own unique style. Imagine that you shoot some images and another photographer says “I love that, I’m going to do that”, so that’s what they do. Then they post the images and they have a higher profile than you, or maybe they are famous, so the general viewers see their work before yours, or a model shoots that style with them and then posts it to their port after arranging to shoot that style with you. From then on all people that view your images in that style or in that model's port will accuse you of being the copy, simply because they saw it first from the other person, or that person is more famous than you. I recently emailed a photographer to apologise for shooting a duplicate image of the same model. While the lighting was different, the model used the exact same pose and then posted both images to her port within days. It was very embarrassing!
It could be even worse. Imagine the photographer shoots a whole load of images and publishes a book. From then on all your work will be “Like that book from so-and-so”. Your unique style is now considered a copy! I doubt if any of them will bother to email you to check!
So I’m not posting my images to Web-Models any more. The ones on there can stand, and from now on I’m going to be more selective about who I shoot with.
I have an idea for a more distinctive lighting style, you will see it here first, it will not be going on Web-Models, but I bet I still see copies cropping up.
This does make me think though that the photographers whose work that I really admire often have something in the photographs that can’t be easily copied. Be that a sophisticated lighting style, a distinctive approach, an outstanding technical skill or interesting use of hard to find props. None of the photographers I admire make simple copies of other peoples work.
For the general bulk of photographers, imagination seems hard to come by these days. While it is true that there is nothing new in photography, I really do believe that we should strive to exceed the ability of a 3 dimensional photocopier!
This is Lilmummy.
First up, their mods removed from my portfolio all images with my email address or URL on them. This is apparently so that they can adhere to the rule that you can’t advertise on their site. Now, given the impending adoption of the EU of the orphan works legislation and the costs involved if you want to register any images taken, it is simply not sensible to have images on the net with no identifying information. It not as if I used a huge banner. The text was always small and along one edge. I suspect that the real reason is that they simply don’t want other peoples URL’s appearing on the site. After all it’s THEIR site and they don’t want MY images to spoil it with some tacky URL. But it’s their call, so the only thing I can do is not upload any more images.
The second problem is that they have this really nice feature where uploaded images are displayed on the front page. So anyone can see them. It’s great for the models as there is a constant turnover of images. However, there is a downside. Within two weeks of my most recent shoot, there are dozens of similar shots appearing, most of them much worse. Some models who have asked to shoot with me in that style have just shot with some third rate snapper in exactly the same style with similar poses.
OK, so the photographs I took and lighting style are not unique and I have seen many similar styles of shot, but I have never set out to directly copy an image, and copying an image within a couple of weeks of seeing the first one, then posting it to the same site is just wrong.
But I can see another problem. The world of photography is always shrouded in the drive to find your own unique style. Imagine that you shoot some images and another photographer says “I love that, I’m going to do that”, so that’s what they do. Then they post the images and they have a higher profile than you, or maybe they are famous, so the general viewers see their work before yours, or a model shoots that style with them and then posts it to their port after arranging to shoot that style with you. From then on all people that view your images in that style or in that model's port will accuse you of being the copy, simply because they saw it first from the other person, or that person is more famous than you. I recently emailed a photographer to apologise for shooting a duplicate image of the same model. While the lighting was different, the model used the exact same pose and then posted both images to her port within days. It was very embarrassing!
It could be even worse. Imagine the photographer shoots a whole load of images and publishes a book. From then on all your work will be “Like that book from so-and-so”. Your unique style is now considered a copy! I doubt if any of them will bother to email you to check!
So I’m not posting my images to Web-Models any more. The ones on there can stand, and from now on I’m going to be more selective about who I shoot with.
I have an idea for a more distinctive lighting style, you will see it here first, it will not be going on Web-Models, but I bet I still see copies cropping up.
This does make me think though that the photographers whose work that I really admire often have something in the photographs that can’t be easily copied. Be that a sophisticated lighting style, a distinctive approach, an outstanding technical skill or interesting use of hard to find props. None of the photographers I admire make simple copies of other peoples work.
For the general bulk of photographers, imagination seems hard to come by these days. While it is true that there is nothing new in photography, I really do believe that we should strive to exceed the ability of a 3 dimensional photocopier!
This is Lilmummy.
posted by Richard at 12:28 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Richard.
It is interesting that you have done a post on style, I posted a note on my blog about developing my style just a few days ago.
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