After being alerted to some of my photos from DPC being used on other sites I have become suspicous of people doing this. I know a site I suspect that the pictures are not by who they claim to be. The images have all exif data stripped from them, so I can't figure anything out that way. Is there a viable way to find out of photos are stolen other than randomly searching?
Very similar styles to a lot of our photogs (Bear and NShapiro come to mind), but I didn't spot any that I could definitely say are stolen. The guy IS good!
Very similar styles to a lot of our photogs (Bear and NShapiro come to mind)
Really? That guy is a heck lot better than ANY landscape photog on DPC, and I'd also say, he has an own style.
Oh, come ON! "A heck of a lot better" than ANY of us? That's ridiculous. This is nice work but it is hardly groundbreaking or earth-shattering in any way. It's compositionally conservative and, for the most part (there are exceptions) the lighting is pedestrian. I'm NOT saying I'm any better than this, BTW, but I don't agree he's anything like a "heck of a lot better" than me or some other landscape shooters we have in DPC.
They all look great as thumbnails, not so great when enlarged =)
I noticed that also...it looks to me like they haven't been sharpened much. Could be some reasons for that?
Most stock photo agencies prefer that the images are not sharpened, yes? If you take a fullsize image and bring it down for web presentation and don't touch it up they'd look this way wouldn't they?
They all look great as thumbnails, not so great when enlarged =)
I noticed that also...it looks to me like they haven't been sharpened much. Could be some reasons for that?
Most stock photo agencies prefer that the images are not sharpened, yes? If you take a fullsize image and bring it down for web presentation and don't touch it up they'd look this way wouldn't they?
Yes, but it's not just the sharpening; when you blow them up you see that, in maybe the majority of these images, the light is pretty bland, not definitive of the landscapes at all. That's what strikes me when I look at them.
They all look great as thumbnails, not so great when enlarged =)
I noticed that also...it looks to me like they haven't been sharpened much. Could be some reasons for that?
Most stock photo agencies prefer that the images are not sharpened, yes? If you take a fullsize image and bring it down for web presentation and don't touch it up they'd look this way wouldn't they?
Yes, but it's not just the sharpening; when you blow them up you see that, in maybe the majority of these images, the light is pretty bland, not definitive of the landscapes at all. That's what strikes me when I look at them.
R.
:-D I missed that, at least on the few I opened up. The softness was the immediate thing that came to mind to me. BTW, I don't agree with eyewave's position either...
I can see most of the scenic images on the ref'd site doing very well here at DPC if they were tweaked to the point that challenge entries are usually. Many of the better photograhers on this site (including those with excellent PP skills) could make just about any one of these shine brilliantly.
I just checked my flickr account - had a mail waiting there from someone who I had posted a comment on (someone who had represented a DPC photo as their own):
"I am sorry. My intention was not to claim to have been the artist or any credit what so ever. I am no artist that is for sure...I am very new to the whole internet experience and I am learning a lot of things good and bad the hard way it seems. I am/was unfamiliar with all the rules and guidelines when it comes to what is and isn't appropriate. I appreciate the magnitude of talent that others art show and appreciate you all sharing it with me. I sincerely am sorry and I had no intended purpose for the image other than I love eyes.
Again I am sorry and the pictures are deleted.
Thank you for letting me know.
Sincerely,
Laurie M."
So a number of these people are genuinely just being naive/ignorant on such matters, not necessarily malicious theft. Doesn't make it right mind you, but thought it would help - at least regarding the Flickr thefts.
