When we posted the “A Watishista’s Eye View” posts, we asked two simple stinking things: if you share the pictures, please don’t remove the watermarks of the photographer as they are personal pictures and link back to the blog post. I don’t think that’s much to ask considering that the photographers were kind enough to share the pictures with us. Well, apparently it is too difficult for some people.
It started yesterday afternoon when a watishista noticed some of the pictures on Facebook. While the page in question was kind enough to keep the watermarks on, they didn’t link back. We asked them to and they quickly complied (much appreciated). However, someone took MyGypsySpirit’s fantastic Sergio pictures, cropped them to remove her credit and posted them all over tumblr where they have been reblogged all over god’s creation. Injury to insult the person tagged them “mine” which they are decidedly NOT. As MyGypsySpirit replied to the person “I’m flattered that you like the photos, I really am. But please… Just because you cropped the photos, doesn’t make them yours. I was the one that bought a $2000 camera with a $700 lens. Then traveled 1000 miles to Yankee Stadium to see Real Madrid play AC Milan and was lucky enough to have field passes so that I could get these photos of Sergio Ramos merely a few feet away. They. Are. Not. Yours.”
Of Headbands and Heartbreak... 
*facepalm* This is just pathetic behavior.
Now I feel bad for placing the watermark in a croppable area, I only did so so the beautiful pics wouldn’t be too disrupted. Next time, the watermarks will be bigger, brighter and harder to remove. People suck.
Maybe make the watermark “watishta56 for HB & HB@wordpress” so that there is a possible link back attached to the pic?
Oh hon, it’s not your fault. It’s the fault of the arsehole who did this.You worked your ass of watermarking hundreds of photos.
Seriously, thank you for watermarking them at all! I know I gave you a ton of pics! I wasn’t expecting you to use them all. I was just going to let you choose!
Can’t say I’m surprised. Shit like this always happens online, where it’s just too easy to steal what isn’t yours. I just really don’t get the point of removing watermarks and then falsely claiming the pics belong to you. Is that just a (delusional) ego-booster or something, pretending you’re the one who took the pics? Spread the love and pics, yes, but way to crowbar yourself into the mix by claiming ownership. That’s just … stupid.
*sighs*
Really sucks this had to happen. I really do enjoy these fan-made travel blogs/pics. Germany will be playing against the Netherlands in a friendly this November here in Amsterdam and I bought tickets and a new camera for the occasion (three guesses whose photo I’ll be snapping the most XD) and, depending on whether the pics come out okay I was planning on posting them online to share with everyone, just for fun, but now am seriously beginning to reconsider. Either that, or (and sorry for the nice people who do the decent thing and don’t steal) I’ll just have to slap one giant watermark smack-dab across the entire pic to make sure no one tries to steal them 😦
So disappointing. I’m feeling very sorry for MyGypsySpirit who generously shared her incredible photos with us – and that’s the thanks she gets 😦
This is basically the reason why I almost never interact with people online: there are so many stupid people out there who hide behind anonymity. HB&HB is the only place that makes me come out of hiding cause you ladies are all kinds of awesome! Such a shame some people have to spoil the fun…
So thats how you repay someone for sharing their lovely photos with us?? There’s always one idiot out there.
Wicked blog by the way… Keep up the good work ladies! 🙂
Ugh. The photos are fantabulous and I seriously do not get the reasons for stealing. How hard is it to say “thank you”??? Yeesh.
Last I checked, she still had the photos up with no watermark and her tag.
Ri-fucking-diculous.
Sadly I see so much of this. I see pictures clearly taken by professional photographers and someone adds a crappy edit and removes the watermark and calls it theirs. It’s not… that isn’t how derivative works go. Just because someone owns photoshop doesnt mean other people’s creative property is theirs. I don’t even understand their need to do that- does it help them feel show-offy and special, as if they actually took the picture? Just give credit to the source… I have no idea why someone would have a problem with that. I would think that if they liked the image, they’d even want to do so.
Sorry, I didn’t read this before I posted a reply. This is exactly what I was talking about as well. I don’t know how these people got the idea that using a bit of Photoshop (and on top of that, labeling it #myedit) makes the photo theirs. Almost all of these photos, especially the ones out of agencies, have all rights reserved, that means no derivative works period. Even if they do allow for derivative work, there’s always some sort of attribution requirement.
Most pros and agencies haven’t really gone after individuals for this behavior because how do you even start to think about suing a couple million users (mostly teenagers)? But at some point they’ll get really tired of it and sue the host company like Tumblr and then things could get sticky. Or they’ll start funding SOPA/PIPA type things, which is not good for anyone. Personally, I think we should be thankful all this content is out there for us to enjoy. To show our appreciation for having access to all of it, would it really be so hard to at least give a little credit?
Thank you again for all the work you’ve put into protecting our pictures and for this post.
Any change at that tumbler yet? or an apology/retraction/mea culpa? can’t believe that person would claim it as her own. bush league attention mongering.
That’s just pathetic. I also find it ridiculous how so many people on Tumblr grab someone’s pic, Photoshop a bit, and then stick their own watermark on it, like it’s automatically all theirs because they bothered to use a freaking filter. Almost everyone who blogs, especially on Tumblr, is basically borrowing stuff from other people. How many people actually make the stuff they post? Those photos float around the internet like candy but that’s someone’s hard work. Worse, as in this case, it wasn’t even a paid job, it was a personal project. Is it really so hard to give credit where it’s due? Urgh.
Anyhow, the watermark style I’ve seen on AS Roma pics looks pretty cool. It goes all the way across every part of the photo so it’s almost impossible to edit out and it kind of looks like a texture design. In thumbnails, it’s almost unnoticeable but when you zoom in it’s everywhere.
i feel your pain. however, as a journalist whose work is co-opted on a daily basis in the brave new world of the internet, i say: welcome to the new normal.