Strange email received

L

looneytunez1024

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1,193
Edit My Images
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I have just recived this email and wanted people to express there opinions

Hi.
My name is Leonard and I have the intention of building an website about Chester. I have seen on your flickr profile many pictures who captured my attention. Can you please give me the allowance of using them inside of an article? Your name is going to be displayed on the bottom of the picture. If you agree with this please let me know and also please send me the pictures in a minimum 800x600 resolution. The pictures I am interested on them are:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/looneytunez/5551259302/in/pool-40021103@N00/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/looneytunez/5551259486/in/pool-40021103@N00/

The article is going to contain 8 pictures. I would be grateful if you’ll choose another 6 for me( from your work), pictures to represent Chester Zoo.

I am also interested in having pictures with the Roman Amphitheatre and a perfect day shot of the Eastgate(not just the clock) without shadows and with blue sky.

Thank you in advances for your help,

Leonard Craciun.
PS: My website can be seen here: www.yourpresent.co.uk . Please don't be so exigent; it is an alpha release.
 
Personally, I have had emails similar to this in the past and unless the person is willing to pay for my image, then I have said no.

Do you want people to express their opinions on giving their pictures for no renumeration or whether people feel it is a legit site? Looks legit to me.
 
Dunno really. It looks ok and he's only asking for small images and will credit you so unless I'm missing something I don't really see any risk or problem.
 
swag72 said:
Personally, I have had emails similar to this in the past and unless the person is willing to pay for my image, then I have said no.

Do you want people to express their opinions on giving their pictures for no renumeration or whether people feel it is a legit site? Looks legit to me.
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Ive never been asked anything like this before and im confused as to what im supposed to do about this. Also the email address they have sent the email from is yahoo.ie why would he be doing a website on Chester
 
The name certainly corresponds with the site owner listed with Nominet, ultimately though the guy wants your pics for free to help him sell stuff via his website. I suppose it depends if you're the sort of person that's happy to let people use your work for a "credit".
 
Flash In The Pan said:
The name certainly corresponds with the site owner listed with Nominet, ultimately though the guy wants your pics for free to help him sell stuff via his website. I suppose it depends if you're the sort of person that's happy to let people use your work for a "credit".
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To be honest i dont know what kind of person i am but just a credit doesnt seem fair but in all honesty my picture are not that great or at least i dont think they are. If i were to ask for a fee to use them how would i work it out etc...

I never in a million years expected for someone to be asking to use my pictures as ive never felt they were good enough
 
You could ask him to include a ref that your prints are for sale and a link to you, you might get a sale out of it.
 
looneytunez1024 said:
Ive never been asked anything like this before and im confused as to what im supposed to do about this. Also the email address they have sent the email from is yahoo.ie why would he be doing a website on Chester
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I guess that you either want to let them have your images of Chester or not. In both cases drop him an email, maybe asking for clarification of things you are unsure of, whether you will get credit, payment, etc then take it from there.
 
I had a very similar contact recently with respect to some Greek Island images I have on Flickr. They (Greek) guy was very honest and said he was setting up a commercial tourism website and would like to use my images with a full credit and mini biog if I wanted it too.

I responded by asking him what images, what size, and how long he wanted to use them. With this info we could work out a license fee for the images. He asked again if he could have them for free with a credit as it would be good publicity for me. He didn't seem to grasp that my Flickr was already providing this anyway.

The exchange finally concluded by me responding that as I was sure he wouldn't give away his services for free, he would understand me not wanting to do the same either. Naturally I didn't hear from him again.

The point is, had he not being intending to run a commercial website, I may have taken a different line (depending on the venture). Ultimately he was just trying to save the costs of hiring a professional or buying stock images to maximise the money in his wallet. Nothing wrong with trying a blag for sure but I didn't want to be taken for a mug.
 
After leaving college 10 years ago I did a number of free short movies as a steadicam operator, i was of the opinion that i should get myself out there but really i was just young and being taken for a mug.

The single most annoying thing to me is someone asking me to work for free...my steadicam cost 5 grand , the camera another 3.5 grand and my time and expenses. In no other profession in the world does that happen, would you ask a bricky to build a wall for free or a painter to paint your house for free? so why on god's earth should camera operators work for free.

Im older and wiser now and the bottom line is you work you get paid, period. You took the pics ,you spent the money on the gear and whatever travel costs to get to the locations, he wants to sit on his ass and type an email...YEAH RIGHT MATE :nono:.

Ah that rant was good, you struck a raw nerve in me. Course its up to you what yo do but thats my tuppence worth.

Andy.
 
TinaC said:
His grammar is appalling, I couldn't be associated with such a writer :lol:
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the other possibility of course being that he isnt a first language speaker and what he actually wants is to confirm your email address for his spam register, my inclination would be to ignore such unsollicited garbage
 
looneytunez1024 said:
To be honest i dont know what kind of person i am but just a credit doesnt seem fair but in all honesty my picture are not that great or at least i dont think they are. If i were to ask for a fee to use them how would i work it out etc...

I never in a million years expected for someone to be asking to use my pictures as ive never felt they were good enough
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Unfortunately, excellent as your pictures are, I don't think quality is the deciding factor with people like this, he'll just want whatever he can get for free.....
 
Bizarrely it was a similar request that led to me starting the long journey into a career in photography. A company requested use of an image for a brochure, I was so excited I agreed only to find out I never got the credit etc. Anyhow the publication was for a local enterprise trust that ended up giving me an £800 grant to start my business, so I guess I got paid eventually!

I would say (with hindsight) see what's in it for you, if there's a benefit get the agreement clarified,signed and in writing (not email) you never know where it will lead...
 
ive given images away for credit in return and i dont think i would do it again, like someone has already said before you wouldn`t ask a builder to build a wall for free so dont ask a photographer for free images.
 
I'll give images away for 'free' to good causes like zoos and conservation centres etc though it often pays dividends in keeper cooperation and enhanced access, but i wouldnt even think of giving images to some halfwit who emails me cold

he's charging for his services so he can damn well pay for mine, imo
 
If you're going to place your images on flickr, you might as well kiss goodbye to your copyright. It seems that the theft of images from flickr is pretty much commonplace, I was reading recently of an image stolen from flickr. The image was used on a commercial publication, and the publisher of the publication claimed copyright when the photographer attempted to have the image withdrawn.
 
spaniel said:
If you're going to place your images on flickr, you might as well kiss goodbye to your copyright. It seems that the theft of images from flickr is pretty much commonplace, I was reading recently of an image stolen from flickr. The image was used on a commercial publication, and the publisher of the publication claimed copyright when the photographer attempted to have the image withdrawn.
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you don't have to make them visible to anyone but friends
 
spaniel said:
If you're going to place your images on flickr, you might as well kiss goodbye to your copyright. It seems that the theft of images from flickr is pretty much commonplace, I was reading recently of an image stolen from flickr. The image was used on a commercial publication, and the publisher of the publication claimed copyright when the photographer attempted to have the image withdrawn.
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Do you have a link to that story? I've got download disabled on mine but obviously screen grabs are still possible. However, I retain all the original RAWs so I would be curious to know how someone could claim and prove copyright if they did lift one.
 
claiming it and proving it arent the same thing but if a large company was to claim copyright over one of your photos can you afford to fight a prolonged lawsuit with no guarantee of certain victory ?
 
big soft moose said:
claiming it and proving it arent the same thing but if a large company was to claim copyright over one of your photos can you afford to fight a prolonged lawsuit with no guarantee of certain victory ?
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I'm not sure it would be prolonged unless it was in very strange circumstances. I know that in other threads where people have had images stolen by the likes of the Daily Mail, the resolution had been quite quick, even without recourse to the courts, despite the considerable legal clout at the disposal of the organisation.
 
Chris, even if download is disabled it just means that it takes an extra 30 seconds, if that, to download the photo. Trust me, I've done it.
 
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