sorry(to whoever just posted...I accidentally hit delete) this morning i posted a beautiful(i thought) image of my 2 year old naked from behind in front of a sprinkler. It was brought to my attention by a very well intentioned 365er whom I admire a great deal that the image could be snatched up and put on some pretty awful forums. I would never want that to happen and I took the image down. I personally would never post a child older than 2 in this manner, and never from the front, but it got me wondering where the line was in people's opinions. I love to photograph childhood and greatly admire many photogs that depict children in a innocent yet real to life way. I would never want my children to be exploited, and that is never my goal. what is the general opinion here? thank you!
Early on I saw a wonderful and artistic photo of a bare-bottomed baby on this site, and it received very positive feedback in the comments (which were deserved), but my personal reaction, to myself, was that I would be afraid to post a photo like that because I don't want someone to enjoy the photo for a reason other than the way it was intended, to try to put it nicely. So, in my mind, although those types of shots can be adorable and touching, I think they're best saved for display in a more controlled environment. That is just my opinion, but that's what you were soliciting! :)
That was my response that got deleted, lol. Anyways, the gist of what I was saying is that, while I understand the other 365'ers concerns, I don't feel that you're putting your child at risk by posting a beautiful image of your daughter for other photographers to view. There are a lot of photographers out there that make a living photographing naked toddlers, and no one thinks twice about that. You take great care as a Mother to keep your children safe from harm, and sharing your images is not putting them in harm's way, in my opinion. I just don't feel that we should curb our creativity and live in a bubble wrapped little world because of what someone might be thinking when viewing your photos. If they're thinking anything other than what your intention is, to share her beauty and her innocence, then the problem lies with them, not with you. I know it's a tough call, and that people would definitely have some concerns about things like these, but all you;re showing is a little naked BABY bum - there's loads of shots like that on this site. I've posted a couple myself. Keep sharing your images, Liz, they're too beautiful not to.
My $.02? And, keep in mind, this is just my $.02. :) It's never okay to do in a public forum. I have a friend that works in law enforcement - and I work in technology and graphic design - and it is staggering how easy it is to take a picture, taken with innocent intentions, and use it for ill. 365 is a wide-open public forum - you don't even have to have a membership to browse photos, etc.
I have nieces and nephews that are little, and they are pretty darn cute splashing around in the tub and stuff. :) I've taken pics of them, but I would never post those in a public forum, and I've been very hesitant to post them online at all. Maybe on FB with tight controls as to who could view those (my sister, my mom, grandma, etc.), but that's about it.
Kids are cute - enjoy taking pictures and preserving those precious moments, but maybe it's a better idea to save those kinds of shots for the family, not for the Internet.
I tend to feel that if kids are (or could be) running naked in a public space then the photos are OK in a public space but maybe that's naive. It's very sad that there are twisted people and that the internet is a gift to them. The other issue I have is that now my kids are teenagers they would kill me for posting naked baby photos of them online - so although it wasn't an issue at the time (as my baby photos are pre-internet age) I tend to think that maybe that was a good thing and that they should be saved for an embarrassing 21st birthday presentation to family and friends only!
My rule is if someone can use the picture in a negative, disrespectful way without my permission then I don't post it. There are too many weirdos out there who are dying at the chance to not only use it but look at it. Your photos are always beautiful and innocent Liz!!
Yep, anything posted on the internet is fair game for anyone. We've had plenty of discussions about people stealing pictures here. It's a fact that cannot nor should not be ignored. You gotta figure anything you post can be used for any purpose imaginable. Keeping that in mind should help you decide if it's a risk you are willing take.
Now, on that note, I remember a story about a woman who took pictures of her toddlers taking a bath. She also had similar pictures as you. The store (I don't remember the name) who did the developing of her photos turned her into the police because they were viewed as pornography. Hmmm .... They were typical pictures, nothing I would view as sexual at all. However, this person did. I think nothing ever came of it but wow. She was being blasted for pornography because of pictures she was taking of her own kids.
Another thing to keep in mind when you are posting anything is if you google your name they will probably come up. It's as simple as that. Anything posted is for public viewing.
I agree with @beautifulthing.. I take great care of what my little boy is "showing" in the pic before even considering uploading, as this is a very very open site...
@lulu2183@pwallis Just to echo what Lauren and Paula said, I agree your photos are always beautiful and innocent. I love following your work, and I do not want my response to be read as suggesting anything to the contrary.
I have been told I should never put any pictures of any children on-line around a church website, and use the NSPCC guidelines to make sure I'm covered and to inform the person who complained. I only use crowd pictures of children at 200 x 300 or 800 x 300 pixels any way. Good luck to any pornographer getting anything off them.
@shanne Can you clarify "I have been told I should never put any pictures of any children on-line around a church website". Do you mean that you've been told not to put pictures of children ON a church website? Just curious. :)
@beautifulthing I was told by someone that no pictures of children should be put on line - period. They had worked in a school where that was the policy. I had a big long-winded argument about putting any photos on line at all. Fortunately, one of the times this was waded into someone there just chirped up with - "But you always ask us and we're OK about it" which finally scotched the argument.
I appreciate you keeping me anonymous in this, but I definitely want to chime in on your public forum, too. I know that you know from what I told you how I feel about your photos and how adorable your little ones are, and I don't want your or anyone to think that I am personally offended by the photos - I just think we moms need to stick together and keep each other safe. Perhaps my take on the world seems a bit pessimistic, but it's realistic. Truth be told, I'm the eternal optimist most of the time! :)
I would venture to say that for as many people who are on 365, there are the same number of weirdo sicko kiddie porn sites that we don't know about because we don't engage in that activity. I know other photographers enjoy all types of photos, and Miss B and her tiny hiney was adorable....but photographers are not the only people who can view photos here. There are probably even members of 365 who have nefarious intentions, not knowing that they can lurk anonymously. It's just the way of the world, you know?
I am glad that you removed the photo, and I am happy that you respect my thoughts and understand my pure motives enough to take my advice. I would never want to see someone's baby end up on some crazy ass show about internet predators, and depending on your camera settings, some of the photos may even have your location attached to them, which makes it even more dangerous...
It is so sad, but so true, that any photo on this site can be "taken" by anyone and they can do anything with it... Because of this, it is probably best that nude/semi-nude photos of kiddos not be posted... I hate to say this because I love the naîveté and honesty in those type of photos... unfortunately some people do view these types of photos in a most non-naîve manner and I would hate to see our wonderful community contribute in any way to the sickness of the sickos out "there."
I so appreciate everyone's opinions and honesty..it is nice to have a thread where we can have an open discussion about a sensitive issue! I thank everyone for their comments and willingness to share:) I also thank you for saying such lovely things about my photos...that has always been my intention with whatever I choose to put up here...I do understand the world(and the web) is a scary place and people do some pretty sick things...that is unfortunate but true. You guys are awesome and I am proud to be part of this community...thanks mommas for looking out for us!!
@sdpace - i did shut off my location stuff on my photos...I had heard that awhile back on a news story and so I have made sure that it is turned off...I realize that they actually have programs out there where people can click on photos that are trackable and your location and at times, home address comes up....SCARY!!
I have not commented on a thread in a while so I'll throw my two cents in on this: Liz your photos are always beautiful, but I think you were right to pull the pic. While most of us appreciate the art of photography, there are all kinds out there. So while I think the photo was perfectly fine, I think an in person showing at home or in a gallery is the place for it and not the internet. I wish it wasnt so, but its a dangerous world in real life and in cyberspace.
I am also of the opinion of not sharing naked pics of my kids as I dont want them perved upon, I appreciate the cuteness of a baby tush having kids myself but I know there are a lot of sickos out there and I dont want my kids to be subjects of their disgustingness. Thats part of the reason why i struggle to get pictures of my daughter to post on here because she spends most of the day running around in only knickers!! :)
in certain arenas there is no problem with showing toddler bums but personally I wouldn't do it here.
Liz. I don't usually get involved in these discussions but feel I have to comment here as I do have some extensive and professional knowledge on this subject. I am a Police Detective and have worked in the Child Protection area of law enforcement. My personal opinion (and I stress that it is my personal opinion) is that I would NEVER post a picture of a naked child of any age in any public forum. I am not saying that those images are not adorable and show the innocence of childhood, they do, it is just that you cannot control where those images wind up and believe me when I say they will and do wind up in places you would never want them to be and are used for purposes for which they were NEVER intended !!
@danacarruthers I'm glad you commented!! I absolutely love her pics of her little ones, they are so innocent and adorable like you said. But it's wonderful to hear from someone who has your experience with it!
@danacarruthers- thank you for saying what you did...I do know this...guess I thought that 2 and under was ok judgement in some contexts...I have really taken in what the community has said and will take it all to heart...there will be no more cute bums in my project..just in my home- I would NEVER want anything to come back and embarrass my children or end up somewhere that it was never intended. Thanks to everyone for chiming in!
Hey Liz! I've decided, personally, to never post photos of my kids in that manner. While it is cute and all, there are a ton of creepers out there and just out of the respect of my children, I would rather save those cute little booty shots for their own personal photo album and not for the world to see. Good luck :)
@reba it seems we are in the minority. I think a lot of my point of view comes from my background, and the environment I was brought up in though. I think that a person's answer is going to differ depending on that. While I'm extremely protective of my little one and would go all Mother Bear on anyone's ass who tried to hurt her, I still can't bring myself to live in a constant state of worry. But I completely respect everyone's opinions on this thread. All very valid viewpoints.
So let us all let these disgusting perverts rule the world NOT!! I have no control what these horrible people do ....it is just an image and not your child! in fact I would imagine that if they were wanting to "use" a childs image in that way it wouldn't matter to them if the child is clothed or not. I would never let them dictate to me what pictures of my children (with in reason of course!) I put up for you to see. I feel deprived of never seeing the beautiful image of your child. The world has gone a little crazy I agree with @pwallis and @reba I respect your opinons but I too refuse to live in fear of these perverts.
You cant control what the sick perverts of the world do you can only control what affect they have on you. I think for sake of protecting your family you did the right thing by taking the photo down. As a mother and a photographer I know why you would want to capture a moment like this I think all of us mothers have photos of our children in a tub or booty showing but most wont post them because of the perverts of the world.
I also wanted to point out that you not only have to worry about the sickos in regards to this because there are some people out there who take protecting children to a new level and would do anything to tarnish the name of someone who post child nudes.
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I have nieces and nephews that are little, and they are pretty darn cute splashing around in the tub and stuff. :) I've taken pics of them, but I would never post those in a public forum, and I've been very hesitant to post them online at all. Maybe on FB with tight controls as to who could view those (my sister, my mom, grandma, etc.), but that's about it.
Kids are cute - enjoy taking pictures and preserving those precious moments, but maybe it's a better idea to save those kinds of shots for the family, not for the Internet.
Now, on that note, I remember a story about a woman who took pictures of her toddlers taking a bath. She also had similar pictures as you. The store (I don't remember the name) who did the developing of her photos turned her into the police because they were viewed as pornography. Hmmm .... They were typical pictures, nothing I would view as sexual at all. However, this person did. I think nothing ever came of it but wow. She was being blasted for pornography because of pictures she was taking of her own kids.
Another thing to keep in mind when you are posting anything is if you google your name they will probably come up. It's as simple as that. Anything posted is for public viewing.
I have been told I should never put any pictures of any children on-line around a church website, and use the NSPCC guidelines to make sure I'm covered and to inform the person who complained. I only use crowd pictures of children at 200 x 300 or 800 x 300 pixels any way. Good luck to any pornographer getting anything off them.
I would venture to say that for as many people who are on 365, there are the same number of weirdo sicko kiddie porn sites that we don't know about because we don't engage in that activity. I know other photographers enjoy all types of photos, and Miss B and her tiny hiney was adorable....but photographers are not the only people who can view photos here. There are probably even members of 365 who have nefarious intentions, not knowing that they can lurk anonymously. It's just the way of the world, you know?
I am glad that you removed the photo, and I am happy that you respect my thoughts and understand my pure motives enough to take my advice. I would never want to see someone's baby end up on some crazy ass show about internet predators, and depending on your camera settings, some of the photos may even have your location attached to them, which makes it even more dangerous...
Let's all be safe!
in certain arenas there is no problem with showing toddler bums but personally I wouldn't do it here.
I think it's wonderful that people feel secure enough to be a little naive. I unfortunately have seen too much.
I also wanted to point out that you not only have to worry about the sickos in regards to this because there are some people out there who take protecting children to a new level and would do anything to tarnish the name of someone who post child nudes.