Saturday, August 29, 2009

examiner.com uses images without permission

Very disappointing that a web site, let alone this one, will tolerate an "author" that uses an image that was not taken, produced, purchased or even had ask permission to use prior to the image actually being used (ref Grilled Flatbread Pizza with Gorgonzola Figs - dated Apr. 2).
As this image (albeit it a larger size) was used in an article "published" on October 29, 2008 as seen at Fig Apple and Gorgonzola Flatbread - Also refer to FigAppleFlatbread where a series of photos illustrate how the image in question was taken...
Ms. Lovier also didn't give credit to the person that actually created the image (Ms. Jaden Hair), who is a TV Personality, Author, and photographer.
Was the original created under creative commons - doubtful, as the web page above didn't explicitly indicate it as such...

Actions like this tarnish the credibility of the web page, in this case examiner.com... If left unchanged, what message does this send to others that create content? To those who actually do will be less apt to create it, and to those who use content without permission/payment reinforce the notion that it is o.k. to steal.

Ms. Hair also posted a comment on the subject article (Grilled Flatbread Pizza with Gorgonzola Figs) asking that the web site/"journalist" to take down her image...

Please note I'm not affiliated with Ms. Hair - I'm just a photographer that is very disappointed and dismayed at the increasing number of "journalists" and web sites that feel that it is o.k. to steal someone work with out compensation / credit. Let alone the moral issue of stealing...

I certainly hope that the web site takes down the image, give Credit to Ms. Jaden Hair, and at least write a letter of apology - her twitter page is at: steamykitchen

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Photography Tips and Information

I've been following multiple blogs and podcasts on Photography. The best ones are:
Photofocus
My Digital Life

Sunday, August 23, 2009

After playing with the 30 day free trial of both Topaz Adjust and DeNoise, I purchased the Topaz Photoshop Bundle (contains Topaz Adjust, Simplify, DeNoise, Detail, Clean, DeJPEG. On a recient trip to Savannah, GA I was on a Trolley tour, and took a quick snap of the City Hall looking North on Bull Street at around 1325 hours. It was an overcast day, so I decided to play with Topaz Adjust with my shinny new license. I must say I really like the results... See the resultant image on my flickr account at:
Savannah City Hall
Shortly after I posted the image, I received a comment from another flickr user indicating "This scene holds special memories for me." They even marked it as one of their favorites!!!
THANK-YOU Rick Sammon for bringing these filters to my attention!!!