Hey all...I've already emailed Ross, but again want/need a little reassurance that I'm not a narc. There's another stolen image on the Popular Page. I clicked on it, read the description, then looked at a few other shots and immediately smelled a rat. Turns out this chick has soooo many stolen shots in her project. So I researched the sites they originated from and promptly turned her in to Ross. This is probably my 4th person that I've emailed him about regarding stolen images. 3 out of those 4 have had their accounts deleted. Have any of you done the same??
**Should state that I'm trying to go a new way with this thread....Just wondering who else has found and reported stolen images/copyright violations.
**Also should state that there is no way that Ross can monitor every single photo posted to this site. I know this. You know this. I'm not complaining about the awesome job that he does and the amazing gift that this project has been to me.
All that being said.... Who all else has reported this type of thing. Or have you seen it and just ignored it? What to do?
added: Thanks to Amy Moon for suggesting that I add this. I do realize that just because there is no exif data that doesn't mean an image is stolen. Many of my own images do not have exif data because of the processing I use. There are several factors that contribute to me calling someone out as a thief. And I always, ALWAYS verify at least 5 of the suspicious images on tineye.com before I email Ross.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THOSE DAMN KIDS!!!! Oh wait different direction...
There was/is a 'report' button in the works... should be easy enough for Ross to add a Copyright button... might be handy for people who find there copy righted photos on this site using something like tinyeye...
@andiejaye I don't think you're a narc at all. I'd report them if I came across them, I just never have. Eff those copyright thieves. They get what they deserve.
what is really sad is a person even with one illegitimate photo casts into doubt their whole project...I can understand similarities out of ignorance but a whole work is no different than boot legging "The Beatles-White Album" and telling everyone you created it...eventually someone is going to cry foul
I spied the one that we discussed earlier in the week and was on the verge of reporting when someone else beat me to it. The comments that everyone made assures me that being a "narc" is not a bad thing. I do a lot with teaching my students about copyright laws, so that example made for a great object lesson. Personally I've had other work stolen (a website I created on tech integration resources for teachers) and the next thing I knew, a teacher from a different school district had copied and pasted all my hard work, about 50 hours worth, into his own website without crediting me for the work. I was hurt and angry at the same time.
All of us work hard to capture just the right shot, so it is maddening for a stolen photo to make the "Popular" page, giving credit to the wrong artist, when my hard work hardly gets noticed. Thank you for reporting her. Do you know if this account has been deleted by now?
I think I know the one you're talking about. It has a story and everything but found 77 results on tineye....dodgy.
I've never reported one because people always beat me to it but in this case I would've had it not been pointed out.
Nice eye!
I noticed a really awesome pic I liked on the popular page once. I went and looked through the rest of the person's album and none of the other photos were near the same quality, Then I looked at the info (date taken, kind of camera, exposure, etc) and the info wasn't there, I assume this means that they copied the photo from somewhere rather than downloading it from their camera.
I noticed tonight in the passion theme that someone caught one person with a plagiarized photo when I checked on her other photos with view exif some did not have a camera listed and some have a cannon and some a sony at the end I counted up to 4 different cameras. Others surf the net for ideas on photos and come across photos that they have seen before on her but the dates and names don't line up. this is how I and others can tell.
I did not report her because the person who posted 1st I'm sure did but I did let my peace be known on the thread. I like the Idea of a report button credit should go to the person who took the photo.
Art is Art and I want to see what people can come up with not what they can find!
@amz87@andiejaye Nevermind. It is obvious once you look through albums. @kimshawball I think different cameras/no camera/no good EXIF is a sure sign, unless it's consistently like that...you can lose EXIF with "save for web" in PS apparently. @relicsong I think that's the person they're talking about -- just their shoes pic
@sdpace It took me awhile to find it but like you said it's really obvious. The stolen ones are all great quality and the other are well....not. It's one thing to say maybe she didn't realise she's not supposed to upload photos from the net but considering she's made a story for most and said how she shot it she definitely knows what she's doing.
A couple photos with no data didn't get any results on tineye but most have.
I'm hoping that you don't think that the absence of EXIF data means something's fishy. Many if not most of my photos do not have the EXIF data and camera information listed. Not because I don't want it there, but because I don't have time to sit here and wait for 5, 6, and 7 MG pictures to upload. So I convert them down to itty bitty .jpgs where all that detail is stripped away. I promise that all my pictures are mine unless I've specified in my caption (maybe twice in 364 days). I say keep dogging the pictures you find are stolen because it's crummy. I guess I just don't have the quick eye that recognizes these pictures as stolen. I'm too trusting I think.
what I find really sad is people lose on the theme contests etc to frauds...I think if someone is found to be fraudulent they should create a hall of shame for the now deleted account and the next runner up should be allowed to click the delete button
She has others - right from the start of her project. :( @andiejaye You don't need any reassurance that you're doing the right thing. Photos taken by other people should not be claimed by someone else...and when they are they should be called out on it and kicked out. Good catch and good job.
@filo13 yeah, there's a lot of them. some say "just cropped" and there is no way those are SOOC. c'mon, really?? @amz87 has looked a bunch of them up on tineye and found matches.
oh I see, I looked at this one this morning, I did notice it was quite different to this persons other photo's but I didnt even think that it was stolen!
@msk1p2 Oh no, I know that no EXIF doesn't mean stolen photos....but consistency raises a flag. In one photo (today's) the camera is Canon EOS 5D Mark II (look it up, $1500-$3500 rig), but the person says she has a point and shoot.... The camera in the "filler shots" (reflections of her in a puddle) is a $50 Sony DSC-S90. If you have a $2500 rig, you don't jaunt about with a $50 point and shoot. Just sayin'.
@msk1p2 there is a setting on your camera that you can adjust the size it will be under your camera functions menu (L, M1, M2, M3,and S) on cannon I hope this helps and some software does not get rid of the info (Picasa is one of them) I hope this helps
@hockechic@kjarn@filo13 a lot of times i look at the camera info and compare it to what the person says they use. usually if there are several different types of cameras used, it sends up my radar. i also look at all of the photos the person has posted. in this particular person's case, the professional ones stuck out like a sore thumb. additionally comparing the quality of photo with the type of camera they say they use. in this person's case, they had some high quality shots that were in NO WAY taken with a point and shoot (that she said she used). once i am suspicious, i verify the image's copyright information by doing a search on www.tineye.com. most of the time these stolen images will show as originating from a variety of stock photo sites, flicker, tumblr, blogs, etc.
@debmayne there is a site called tineye.com. you can search for an image online and it will tell you what sites the image is found on. many stolen images pop up on several sites as they are stock photos.
@dejongdd not deleted yet. i sent ross an email about an hour ago. it's the middle of the night in the uk. will probably get taken care of on friday (u.s. time).
@msk1p2 i do understand. many of my shots do not have exif info. however, i do look at the dates of people's shots, what camera was used, and the file name. sometimes the names are so different. i have a standard format for dating my shots (like this 365.2-10-11). and i always ALWAYS verify with tineye before reporting to ross.
Damn crying shame...I was going crazy looking this up on popular page. Kept going back to that one with the shoes... @amz87 It works, I looked it up and saw the 77 matches.
She is truly acting like she took these pictures....that's me, my momma, my cousin, my best friend, etc., etc., etc. @sdpace I totally agree! Just got my DSLR, don't even use my point and shoot, haven't picked it up since.
@amz87 Wow, it came up when you googled passion? You'd think at least she wouldn't be quite so obvious if she was gonna steal something! What kind of sad sole would do this? And to make up the story that goes along with the pic? Crazy!!!
@sdpace Once again, don't be quick to judge... photos of my project range from a $30 Holga to a $100 Kodak to a $2500 DSLR... and now I'm using mostly camera phone. So yeah, you can have a very expensive DSLR and jaunt about with something super cheap. Not trying to back someone stealing photos... just want to clarify that there are some legit people (like myself) that use an odd array of cameras ranging from cheap crap to pro level.
@aj1268 the story behind the shot was what tipped me off....just seemed weird that they would all wear those shoes. and if you see pics of the fake-photog, there's no way those skinny little feet are hers.
I love how people think they can do things like that and not get caught. Some people.
I put up a photo a few weeks ago that wasn't by me but it was with my camera and editing but I sat for ages deciding whether or not to put it up but it's of my sons first fishing trip so I went with it. I couldn't even pretend a photo was mine especially if it came from say...193 other sites!!!
@hmgphotos True true, but a $30 Holga is a far cry from a $50 Sony Point and Shoot. AND if you can take photos with your DSLR that look like *that*...you can also take amazing photos with any other camera. Cheap camera doesn't mean crappy photos for "fillers."
There are several on her project that are questionable ...very sad. Not sure what can be done though except to report it. Then continue to reveal it on blogs like this one.
I never realized it was the "save for web" thing that took off the EXIF data. I'd been wondering why my camera name never popped up. So if you "save as" in PS, it should retain it?
@andiejaye - thanks for that. Unfortunately I have another question. I looked up tin eye and it asks for you to put the photo in question on there - how do you do that? Sorry I'm as thick as!
This morning there was another photo on the popular page - it was of a gate with a sign saying "don't sit on the gate" and apparently that turned out to be stolen too.
@relicsong so that photo was stolen and posted...? i follow that person randomly enough... guess its clear as day her "friend" didnt make the flower can then huh!!
@gavincci You mentioned you were getting paranoid and was going to go back and check your pics. I was referencing a picture I love of yours. There is no doubt it's your wonderful work!
Wow I guess I am really nieve..lol I really liked that sneaker shot, bummer. I just do not understand what makes someone think they won't get caught? Then you wonder.."well if they can steal from others...are they stealing from me?"
Thanks for the info on Tineye I will definitely be using it especially since she was following me...lol
what's crazy is that she makes up a story to caption her stolen photos! like PPs have said... why bother doing this???
p.s. i am now obsessed with tineye. what a cool site!
@amz87 ah...nice. i'm following her so i can keep track of what happens with her account. i'm a bit stalkerish like that. am now following you too. i remember some of your pics and thought i already was....
@relicsong Really??? Whatta bummer. I really liked that photo. And...it did strike me as something I might have seen earlier, but I immediately assumed that it was similar and not a copy. Drats.
Im still in shock why anyone would do this, what is the point behind doing a 365 project just to steal someone elses work? Im totally blown away by it.
@christiq The stories is what gets me. Not only is she supposedly wearing her moms shoes or something lol but she "just cropped" a lot of her pics :-/ She has mad photography skills, alls she does is crop the pics she steals!
I went onto her page and I do have to agree that the range in her photos of poor lighting, love of a flash and then perfectly crisp volley balls and owning a white back drop could indicate a clear inconsistency.
I do want to note, that I own three cameras and am getting ready to purchase a fourth (sometimes I do NOT want to carry the dslr and all its accessories) and just grab my bridge camera or use my dads point and shoot or my phone. So I do not think using different cameras should be a sign of claiming a photo as your own. If you look at my photo from today, you might be impressed it was from my phone on my way to lunch.
I think that taking any photo as your own is just wrong and morally, ethically and legally wrong, what worries me more is I think I can imagine why she did what she did. When you first get a few followers on the site you get excited that people like your work, the next thing you think, is I want to have a popular photo (and many discussion links talk about how to be popular) and you start to not see your photos get there, and then the friendly non monetary competitions start and she probably got frustrated with not being good enough. I think that drive to have a successful photo led her astray.
I had to tell myself that I am satisfied with most of my pictures, even in winter when I hate leaving my house or office, and that it does not really matter what everyone else things. But for a few days there I was a little stressed out.
I almost think the popular page may cause a bit too much stress.
I fully agree with naming and shaming photograph thieves. I've had my work stolen before and it is the most disheartening thing. It will never be stopped but at least we can band together and show people how wrong it is, to prevent others from even thinking about doing it.
@brumbe I agree with you, however, stealing and claiming pictures as your own no matter how much you want to be "popular" or like getting comments, is morally and ethically wrong. Not only that, what really concerns me, is that the girl needs that gratification so bad that she goes and steals and claims as her own, and that is just sad, I almost feel bad for her, not that she stole, but her need to feel like she needs to just to get attention.
@brumbe suppose i should clarify a bit. just because they use multiple cameras does not mean they are using others photos. what i stated in a response to someone else is that it perks my radar up and i begin looking. as you know different cameras provide different qualities in the photos. the style of a photog stays somewhat similar i think. if shots range from mediocre to strikingly professional and there are different cameras used, i look a bit closer. that's generally when i tineye one of the "good" shots. NEVER do i use the camera factor as the only one in my reports to ross. i ALWAYS have a strong basis when it comes to my claims. i too shoot with 2 different cameras, the main one being my camera phone. i like the quality it usually provides. so hopefully no offense on your part. :)
@staciehighland so true....in her profile, it also says that she's an accounting major. with her tendency to steal, i'm a bit scared for her future clients :{
I almost want to say something to her, especially when she is all:
The orange ones are my mothers shoes but I am wearing them, the pink my aunts, the purple my cousin's, the blue a friend of mine, the black is my mom but my shoes, the green my friend's daughter, and the red is another friend of mine.
All I can say is WOW, if she put that much imagination into her pictures as she does making up the captions, maybe she wouldnt have to steal?
@jinximages I wasn't worried until I saw that she was following me too. I'd steal yours before I'd steal mine though lol. I wish I started watermarking earlier though. A little paranoid about one of my favourites, the last non-watermarked one.
@amz87 The pictures people steal sometimes boggle the mind. I have had some of my totally-not-pro snapshots stolen by people and passed off as their own. No-one is safe from theft. And truly, Amy, you've got some absolute cracker shots in your gallery and you should definitely be proud of them. One solution for you re that photo about which you are worried, is to get an Ace account and use Picnik to edit in a watermark. $20 to support the site, get extra albums and stats and stuff, and some peace of mind when you add a watermark. :)
It would actually be nice to be able to block people from following us. I have one that started following me, no photos of their own, no followers and not following anyone else. I find it a bit freaky and wish I could block them
what baffles me is that not only has she stolen photos, but she has gone to the effort of making up stories to go with them?!? I really disappointed, I liked that photo and the one with the rose made out of a can.
i dont feel paranoid at all... =) my pics are nowhere near thief-worthy hihihihihihi =)
if putting watermark on the center of the picture and making it as big as your monitor, stealing shoudln't be a problem.. but nah, you can't do that ughhhhhhh...
@jinximages Ohh I didn't know I could do that! I was thinking once it's on there thats' it! I'll definitely look into it very soon, thanks for letting me know :-)
@eyebrows Yeah and what's a fifty year old doing wearing converse all stars along with her mom and aunt? My bet is those all belong to 14 year old girls.
It seems like they could at least use tiny eye to check the popular page photos, the top ten of the week, top five theme photos, etc. I didn't know about tiny eye. What a great teachable moment for my kids in 8th grade computer skills! I am going to make a lesson plan out of this situation.
Does watermarking help if you only put it in the lower right, seems like people could still crop it out. I tried watermarking through the middle and don't prefer how it takes away from the overall apperance. I guess I could make it more transparent. Maybe it needs to be done.
@kimshawball My info doesn't always show up. Some say with my iPhone then others have no info like that. I can assure everyone despite there being none of that info, my photos are all my own work. Think we need to be careful not to target these people without that info just for that reason.
Glad someone is on the look out for these people hopefully by posting threads like these, people will become more and more aware that people are on the look out and it won't be tolerated. @andiejaye Thanks for opening my eyes to this, I'm only new on here and although to think people are doing this is pretty sad.
@pete21 ~ awww thanku ! :) ... i have no confidence in my own stuff at all lol ! ive done bugger all today other than cuddle my 3 year old and browse on here & FB .... clock is ticking its almost mid-day and i have only one idea that may take an extra pair of hands and said 3 year olds certainly wont help ! eeeeek !! lol
First, @andiejaye , you go girl! Because I don't think my skills are up to par enough to spot a fraud. I actually specifically looked at the converse shot yesterday and LOVED it! I went as far as showing my husband the photo! But yeah - props to you for being able to see the "weird stuff" going on.
@thomas_lans I'm with you! It seriously blows my mind that someone would take the time to start an account just to upload stolen photos! Like, really?? Is your life THAT boring?
I don't think my photos are worth stealing, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I think I'm going to have to work on a watermark design today.
And, @Scrivna , you rock for taking care of things like this. You've done a great job making people feel protected and respected here! =)
I agree with ya all that the watermark is the best thing to do even if you don't think your work is great does not mean others don't see it differently.
I just hate dishonesty above all. I feel like these people are not only cheating themselves out of a experience of a lifetime for learning but they are cheating others out of having there work on the PP and so one its really sad that they had to do that and why because they feel that by doing it they will get followers and good comments.
In truth something seemed off to me the 1st time I had seen the rose crush can photo I think I had seen that years ago when searching for inspirational art.
but she sure did go to the extra trouble of finding and posting a link on how to.
@flamez Your work is fantastic, I'd never do such a thing, couldnt bare the thought of getting credit for something that someone else did but thats me.
@nicolelouise83 - Oh, I totally understand that many legitimate photos have no info on them. If I see a really professional looking photo when all of the others in the album are mediocre and then notice no info info on the photo it raises a red flag. It still could be a legitimate photo...if just raises the red flag and makes me want to look into it more. I am sure most of the photos with no info are legit...it's just something I noticed that all of the questionable ones have in common.
Well, I see her account is gone now so I guess she knows she's been found out. I almost feel sorry for her. She obviously has some self esteem issues if she has to post stolen pics to get compliments. So sad!
@kimshawball Yeah that's fair enough. After I read some of the comments I thought about my own photos and realised some had info while others didn't. I've now worked out how to make sure my info is there. I'm loving that there are people out there able to spot this kind of thing. I'd have no idea what to look for, mainly because I see an amazing photo and get sucked in. I guess in a way I'm naive in thinking that people would actually be uploading their own work. I simply don't get why you would go to the trouble of setting up an account and stealing other people's work!! Beyond wrong and pretty sad overall.
@eyebrows In a previous discussion about these thieving halfwits, you said something about the huge programing undertaking it would be to search tineye for all of the photos on 365. Would it be possible to program something that would search tineye for just the photos on the popular page? Not that I'm suggesting you should do this -- I'm just curious.
@nicolelouise83 - I don't think you should worry just because your photo has no info. That is just possibly one piece of the puzzle that might fit if someone is questioning a particular photo.
I can't understand why someone would do this either! Plagiarizing a term paper or something, while certainly wrong, is understandable on a certain level. Claiming someone else's photo as your own on the 365 project is just plain baffling...and very sad!
Photo thieves are just sad and pathetic. I would NEVER want credit for someone else's work. I'm glad there are some "eagle eyes" on this site who can catch this. I'm also glad that this thread has been posted so it can be viewed/read by the perps themselves. Hopefully it will serve as a deterent for many. But I'm sure not all.
@jo365 being the little detective i am (haha) i peeked at your followers list. that is a bit odd...especially since you're the only one they are following...
@natew214 comparing her pic to her feet was one of the things that threw me in the first place....those feet were waaaaay too skinny.
@eringoodman that's why i place my watermarks in the photo themselves. @nicolelouise83 no problem. hope that this doesn't discourage your completing your project. this is a wonderful site with some amazing people and talented artists on it. @crappysailor haha...you're a comedian AND a photographer, huh? multi-talented...me likey.... :P and no... your shots all have that same amazing quality about them (not diamonds next to a pile of bird poop like the stealers do)
I would definitely report anything I stumbled across . . . just have not been that diligent!
As a few folks have noted, the absence of exif info is not, in and of itself, suspect . . .Maybe half my photos don't have exif info because one of the editing programs I use strips it when I save it back to my computer as a jpeg . . . so that alone is not indicative of plagiarism. I just think it's very sad, I mean, what's the point? It's not like we're in the running for cash prizes!!!!! Recognition and landing on the PP is definitely nice, but if it's not your own work where in the hell is the satisfaction!
I actually commented in a subtle way on her Passion Flower photo on how she managed to get that shot in winter since it is a flower that hates cold and wet and loves warm and dry. Hopefully she will get the hint that it was noticed, but I doubt she will stop since she makes up stories. I just almost feel bad for her other than the fact that she is stealing. I would rather not have a photo than claim what is not mine.
@jo365 your comment about being able to block people from following us. I had to repost a few photos because I realized that this is not like Facebook where there are some privacy settings and filters and we can hide or block people we do not know. while I take the risk of having my last name on here and it is obvious my photos are in Philadelphia, I also work for the goverment and am seen on local cable access, so a part of my privacy is completely gone already through my job. I realized that strangers could track me down from my photos if I was taking them near my house. I have also made that decision to not post photos of family members, friends or children (I have none, but it should be only a parents discretion to show their children, not a friend of the parents) just in order to give just a bit of privacy from this. So yes, I also feel a bit creeped out, but realize that this is an optional site and my responsibility to filter my posts.
I still think the girl was completely stupid in her photo choices because two were not possible to even take with the Blue Morph moth or the passion flower out of season. I just feel that she may have real issues in her life that will be a problem later in life.
@lynnmwatson Exactly. my shot from yesterday was far from spectacular lol but I had to upload to my FB, download it from there and then upload here because I dont have the email for this site and my computer was not working for me. So technically... I stole it from myself. A lovely cell phone shot from my car lol
But my point is, the exif is missing from a lot of peoples shots I notice, so that doesnt bother me, but for her specifically, she would have one or two shots or "fillers" that were just random snapshots and in my not so expert opinion-not great pictures- with some Sony P&S and then no exif and an amazing shot. THAT is what is suspicious.
Okay, after reading some of this thread I've come to the conclusion that I will start adding a watermark to my photos as some of the exif info gets deleted dependant on what editing program I'm using. People who steal photos have deep seeded issues, it kind of scares me a little.
Thanks to the eagle eye for catching these people and putting them in their place!
@andiejaye Well done for this. It is really hard to think ideas and composed a good picture and then suddenly, they will just going to post stolen photo... what a shameful things to do. Thanks for being so vigilant and an eye of an eagle.
Why would anyone want to put up stolen images? I thought this site was for those who want to complete a goal of doing 365 photos for a year. How can stealing images make you feel good??
I really dont see what people hope to gain from putting up stolen photos, unless they are planning on stealing 365 photos of a similar quality then it cant be for kudos surely as photographic quality will stick out like a sore thumb in an album of differing quality work, maybe thats not how they think, just seems very strange to me.
I can't see why they would join a challenge like this if they're not wanting to actually participate. There are so many of us out there busting our butts to get our photos done and actually participate in this challenge. It is such a great way to grow in our craft. I can't stand people trying to exploit us for this. I will be double checking that all my data comes across in future.
I hope these people feel ashamed because they are embarrassing (and ripping off) the rest of us.
Keep up all those inspirational shots that continually make me reach further fellow 365ers!
this boggles my mind...i agree with previous posters that there has to be a desperate need for self validation if one is posting yoinked pics. i hate to say it but trying to sell fraudulent images would make so much more sense than posting them on a totally voluntary site. there's always a few in every crowd. thanks for the heads up!
Guys, Andie isn't saying that different cameras or lack of exif info mean the images are stolen - it's allll about quality. Everyone has a style - and it's very unlikely that someone's skills are going to improve dramatically overnight.
@andiejaye i remember that i have reported one in the past & i dont think that that account still exists. that person left a dubious title for that very beautiful photo, turned out that that was the actual name of the same photo as it appeared in another website. tsk.
@mrsharkleroad I think that to get on the popular page sometimes all you need is lots and lots of followers who regularly comment on your pictures. It helps if you comment on them a lot yourself, to add to the numbers ;) There are some truly amazing shots on there that well deserve to be there. And others you wonder why, until you look and see the number of comments they have got.
Re the stealing issue: it has already been said many times here, why bother joining this project to challenge yourself, and then cheat?
Well done Andiejaye for your spotting vigilance. And thanks Ross for getting on top of this so quickly. At least I can rest assured that no one is going to bother stealing any of my work. :)
@andiejaye I've had photos stolen before. One of a pet was even removed from a bulletin board at a veterinarian's office, entered in a local newspaper's photo contest, and won honorable mention!! In general, though, I don't fret much because web images are around 72 dpi and I don't think anyone could make money from such low resolution.
@mrsharkleroad that's correct. it's frustrating that i try to be good everyday just to end up on the popular page but a "fake" photo ends up on there instead. but seriously still, i look at people's works everyday, whether it be great or just passionate & be inspired with both. for me, if a photo is created with the same level of love for the craft & that same level of passion, who can say that one photo is better than another?
@andiejaye & whether my own photos become pop or not, it doesnt matter, i own up to my own 365. "my own" 365. we're not here to impress in the first place, & so there's no need really for validation. i do my 365 because i love what i'm doing, & loving what i'm doing should never equate into saying that i love stealing & faking.
@andiejaye i think it is so amazing that you have such an eagle eye and caught this. i am just wondering, what made you zero in on that image? i don't think i'd even have an inkling. that said, if I ever did, I would def follow up. . .
@stepheesue thanks! i have no idea why i clicked on the converse image to tell you the truth. i liked it and wanted to see more of that type of photography. once i got to her page, i read that she used a p&s. a little bit of detective work and then it all kinda fell into place :)
@andiejaye With the amount of people that have said "just because there's no exif data doesn't mean it's stolen" You should edit the original post to say that you know lol. People need to read the whole thread I think....
I just don't understand why people would do it. I mean, I understand that some do, but I just don't understand the mentality. I mean, really, what's the point? If you're that desperate for recognition, do the hard work and earn it. Can't imagine what kind of satsifaction could possibly be achieved from accepting praise that you know in your heart, you don't deserve. Weird mindset.
I have some photos that I have posted both here & on Picasa. When I run the 365 url thru TinEye it does not find it in Picasa. When I run the run the Picasa url thru TinEye it does not find the 365 image. So either my brain it too tired to figure out how to use TinEye, or the program misses a lot & perhaps there is even more thievery.
it is sad people are doing this, but Bravo to you for telling Ross. If I would ever see them I would tell Ross too. I just haven't come across any. Good for you my friend for keeping the integrity of 365!
@sdpace@amz87 Jenny Himelstein is following me..yikes! I got caught up in the perfection of her shots on the most recent page and clicked to follow her. I feel like such a fool. I should have known all those photos were too good to be true. What kind of person feels it necessary to use stolen photos for a 365 Project anyway? Each one of my own photos are like children, I am proud of each and every one of them and who would cheat themselves by posting fake photos. Insane!
@amz87 Yes...such random shots and the dates should have given her away. I will be more careful from now on. Heck, the one photo even had a watermark on it. What is sad about the whole thing is it has already made me more skeptical of entries out here. That is a shame because I think it takes away from the serious people out here and their amazing shots. I don't want to have to evaluate each shot I find intriguing to see if it is a poser!
@molizard It takes a while (a long while) for TinEye to trawl the internet for image data. Search engines do text data, which is really fast, like keywords in and attached to images and such in the case of Google image search, for example. TinEye has to compare actual images, which are massive in size, in comparison to text. I have some of my own work in several places, and they don't show up on TinEye searches, or they do but only after a few months. Of course, the more popular the sites, the quicker it will trawl them and find matches. I think there is also a subscription version where you can register images so they can be found faster than normal, but I don't think too many people would find that a worthwhile use of their money.
Yeah, I don't understand it either! What do they get from stealing pictures?
Maybe lots of comments saying how great are their pictures? but they know those pictures are not theirs. So, for me it would mean nothing getting people praises for something that I haven't done and its not mine!
The root of their problem? Low self-esteem. They love the warm fuzzy feelings all those nice comments from random strangers bring... it's sad, really. They have no place on this site where real people are trying to learn about photography and express their true creative side.
We need to remember that sometimes people make mistakes and this is how they learn. Let's use this as a teachable moment rather than a time to bash someone. I teach middle schoolers (ages 10-14) and I find that I am constantly enountering "bad decisions" that they make and trying to redirect them. I don't know anything about these people who are stealing photos but they need to be confronted and hopefully they will learn from their mistakes.
Tis a very sad time when people have to rely on someone elses work to be noticed. But they don't seem to realize that when they are found out then they are noticed in a negative light. Shame on them.
@kimshawball just because there is no info that doesn't mean the shot does not belong to who posted it. You can upload one of your own shots and there will be no information, also if a program is used to edit, there is sometimnes no info given
*hoping people dont look at my exif files and think i've stolen photos, i have a few cameras (5D-1Ds-30D-D60-iPhone) that i use, and sometimes i use fill in photos from previous shoots if i havent taken any photos at all on a certain day.
it really perplexes me why people do this, why would you want credit for something you havent actually done? its fake praise
I made a joke of it, but in all seriousness, if you don't have exif data on your photo you don't have much to worry about. There are other ways of telling. We can all stop worrying about being accused of stealing. Unless of course...... ;-P
@eringoodman - I have been following this discussion for the last 2 days and want to acknowledge you for providing the best constuctive comment thus far. As you indicate, life is about decisions and the Lessons Learned from same. I think the 365 Project is as much about applying self-discipline to ones daily life as it is about taking photographs. If one thing might be learned from the Subject discussion it could well be Tolerance.
@rjkaiser@workinprogress@eringoodman I agree about teachable moments, but both of the people being discussed in this thread present themselves as grown women, older than me. Old dogs. They know better. We can't teach them. They may need professional help, and I don't mean that sarcastically. Seriously, have you seen the movie Catfish??
Yes, I report them to Ross (unless I know that someone else has done so) - it is just plain wrong .... saw one on PP a couple of days ago ... Ross needs the rest of us to keep an eye on spam, illegal stuff etc. Keep alert and keep reporting. Genuine pictures will surely usually have a camera and details (unless it is a collage) ....
@rrt I completely understand that. If you read my comments you will see that I said that is just one piece of the puzzle that seems to be common in most of the stolen photos. I on no way meant to imply that every photo w/out info was stolen!!!
@andiejaye i never understand why people do this ....Its not like they get money or marks for a good picture.....any way weird people will always be there. But I want to tell you Andy...what you have done in the past and with this thread is what we should all do as a community to keep this site clean and healthy....We just cannot look up to Ross to handle all this single handedly because with the magnitude of the site it is simply impossible....
So dont worry about how many times you have done it...I have real appreciation and respect that you take out time to follow-up and not just look and keep quite
I too cannot understand why you should want to use a photo that someone else took. Well, and steal it, that is. This way, what is your project worth? My project is something personal, with photos I took of things in my life. Oh well, I guess that goes for most people here.
Strange thing, I'd think if you're into stealing pictures and posting them as your own, you'd find a different site for them.
Well, all I can say is, no one is allowed near my dear sweet pets, so it'd be very hard to use one of my pictures and say they're yours!
@kimshawball EXIF infos may or may not be a part of the puzzle. There's a case on here where the girl stole pictures of a fellow 365er. Cut and paste, that's what she did, of course, EXIF info included.
I've been following this discussion and trying to think of something useful to add. Guess it's all been said. It's disappointing, and hard to understand what's to be gained by taking credit and accepting accolades for something that isn't yours. I'd imagine that there are issues other than pirating involved that maybe deserve our compassion as well as our ire. That's not to say stolen photos should go unchallenged. On the contrary, perhaps being confronted will help the offender take a look at their motives and do some self examination.
@andiejaye Unless its really really bad, you should just sit back and enjoy 365, i mean people stealing images are screwing themselves over really, this is a self reflection website and some people might think what they stole was cool but it wont do anything for the thief. What your doing is good though dont get me wrong :D
It's great that you guys are catching people using stolen images; i too believe their accounts should be banned but many of the reasons your stating could include those of us who post only the images we take. Don't be so quick to judge, many of us have an amazing day/week/run of some sort and then a lot of mundane shots we hate; many of us use multiple cameras (don't most photographers?) and considering i myself use multiple programs to edit&enhance my images many times my photos are without exif data. This is a strong community that has something great going but posts like this can deter people from joining who are really passionate about photography, and take all their own images. just my two cents.
if a banning of a person is in order, that seems fair, after a warning. what happens if they are an ace and have paid to be here? would that change things? i don't think so, but what do others think? or, what if it were a retake of another shot? an example is moonrise over hernandez (sp?) a few years ago a lot of photographers went to the spot in order to get the same photo. i thought that was a bit odd to go for the same exact photo, but that is just me.
Lesson I am learning here is don' t post anything that you might consider valuable for one reason or another. If the site is not self policing, it will be self limiting.
@andiejayehttp://365project.org/msanders/profile.
She said first that a FB friend hacked her account and upload the stolen images...then she deleted that post a few minutes later and posted that someone from school hacked her account (whom she did not know) and uploaded the images. My question is if someone really hacked her account and she didn't know (yah right) then why did she respond to peoples comments on the false pics...or was that the hacker too?
@stephd hmmm...she must have deleted that account too... i click on the link and it goes to my home page.. good riddance... oh! and following you now! i'm an AF wife!
@andiejaye Yep it's gone..either she saw this thread (her account was active when I posted the link) and realized she was exposed or Ross took care of it. Either way pretty ballsy to get your account shut down and then still come back under another name. Following you too hun....yay for military wives ;)
I agree wholeheartedly with reporting such breaches of copyright. Well spotted and well done.
However I am a little concerned that people who use a variety of cameras and don't always post exif data are now automatically under suspicion.
I not only use my Cannon DSLR, I also use 3 different Olympus point and shot cameras. I keep one in the car, one in my laptop bag, one in my shop. They are all 16mp cameras and in the right situations, can take just as good a shot as my DSLR. I don't like to go out without a camera and most of the time I don't want to be lugging a big heavy DSLR and an bag full of lenses around with me. so the Little Olympuses are perfect.
I use various different pieces of photo editing software, many of which seem to strip off the exif data. So the lack of exif data should not automatically be considered suspicious.
If you looked at my account and checked my camera and exif data, you might smell a rat...... but I can assure you that every photograph on my account is my own work except for maybe 2 or 3, which I always say are taken by somebody else and give them credit.
Let's not start being suspicious of each other because of a few people's misdemeanours. :)
Write a Reply
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
There was/is a 'report' button in the works... should be easy enough for Ross to add a Copyright button... might be handy for people who find there copy righted photos on this site using something like tinyeye...
All of us work hard to capture just the right shot, so it is maddening for a stolen photo to make the "Popular" page, giving credit to the wrong artist, when my hard work hardly gets noticed. Thank you for reporting her. Do you know if this account has been deleted by now?
I've never reported one because people always beat me to it but in this case I would've had it not been pointed out.
Nice eye!
I did not report her because the person who posted 1st I'm sure did but I did let my peace be known on the thread. I like the Idea of a report button credit should go to the person who took the photo.
Art is Art and I want to see what people can come up with not what they can find!
@kimshawball I think different cameras/no camera/no good EXIF is a sure sign, unless it's consistently like that...you can lose EXIF with "save for web" in PS apparently.
@relicsong I think that's the person they're talking about -- just their shoes pic
A couple photos with no data didn't get any results on tineye but most have.
@loztsoul LOL @ Hall of Shame
I just don't understand why someone would do this??? It's so ridiculous. .
http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/order.htm
@debmayne there is a site called tineye.com. you can search for an image online and it will tell you what sites the image is found on. many stolen images pop up on several sites as they are stock photos.
@kaylaferguson @mattyb @triptych_angel see above pic.
@sdpace @amz87 thanks....once a prison guard, always a prison guard. lol :P
@icywarm sounds like a great idea to me! can't wait!
@ashleyjwilson my thoughts exactly
@dejongdd not deleted yet. i sent ross an email about an hour ago. it's the middle of the night in the uk. will probably get taken care of on friday (u.s. time).
@kimshawball right on the money ;)
@msk1p2 i do understand. many of my shots do not have exif info. however, i do look at the dates of people's shots, what camera was used, and the file name. sometimes the names are so different. i have a standard format for dating my shots (like this 365.2-10-11). and i always ALWAYS verify with tineye before reporting to ross.
@amz87 It works, I looked it up and saw the 77 matches.
She is truly acting like she took these pictures....that's me, my momma, my cousin, my best friend, etc., etc., etc.
@sdpace I totally agree! Just got my DSLR, don't even use my point and shoot, haven't picked it up since.
I put up a photo a few weeks ago that wasn't by me but it was with my camera and editing but I sat for ages deciding whether or not to put it up but it's of my sons first fishing trip so I went with it. I couldn't even pretend a photo was mine especially if it came from say...193 other sites!!!
@andiejaye And to even say she was wearing her mums and her mum was wearing hers...not sure I even get that part lol
This morning there was another photo on the popular page - it was of a gate with a sign saying "don't sit on the gate" and apparently that turned out to be stolen too.
http://www.tineye.com/search/1a4aa6c7471dcdc0868026c0a7ecca724dc73875/
Thanks for the info on Tineye I will definitely be using it especially since she was following me...lol
mmm... very cool site but wow.. why would you bother "faking" 365!
p.s. i am now obsessed with tineye. what a cool site!
What is the point?!?
I went onto her page and I do have to agree that the range in her photos of poor lighting, love of a flash and then perfectly crisp volley balls and owning a white back drop could indicate a clear inconsistency.
I do want to note, that I own three cameras and am getting ready to purchase a fourth (sometimes I do NOT want to carry the dslr and all its accessories) and just grab my bridge camera or use my dads point and shoot or my phone. So I do not think using different cameras should be a sign of claiming a photo as your own. If you look at my photo from today, you might be impressed it was from my phone on my way to lunch.
I think that taking any photo as your own is just wrong and morally, ethically and legally wrong, what worries me more is I think I can imagine why she did what she did. When you first get a few followers on the site you get excited that people like your work, the next thing you think, is I want to have a popular photo (and many discussion links talk about how to be popular) and you start to not see your photos get there, and then the friendly non monetary competitions start and she probably got frustrated with not being good enough. I think that drive to have a successful photo led her astray.
I had to tell myself that I am satisfied with most of my pictures, even in winter when I hate leaving my house or office, and that it does not really matter what everyone else things. But for a few days there I was a little stressed out.
I almost think the popular page may cause a bit too much stress.
The orange ones are my mothers shoes but I am wearing them, the pink my aunts, the purple my cousin's, the blue a friend of mine, the black is my mom but my shoes, the green my friend's daughter, and the red is another friend of mine.
All I can say is WOW, if she put that much imagination into her pictures as she does making up the captions, maybe she wouldnt have to steal?
And now I feel icky. D:
if putting watermark on the center of the picture and making it as big as your monitor, stealing shoudln't be a problem.. but nah, you can't do that ughhhhhhh...
looks like it was taken on a TV or computer screen...
I know my work aint steal worthy BUT im gonna start watermarking anyways now :(
Glad someone is on the look out for these people hopefully by posting threads like these, people will become more and more aware that people are on the look out and it won't be tolerated. @andiejaye Thanks for opening my eyes to this, I'm only new on here and although to think people are doing this is pretty sad.
First, @andiejaye , you go girl! Because I don't think my skills are up to par enough to spot a fraud. I actually specifically looked at the converse shot yesterday and LOVED it! I went as far as showing my husband the photo! But yeah - props to you for being able to see the "weird stuff" going on.
@thomas_lans I'm with you! It seriously blows my mind that someone would take the time to start an account just to upload stolen photos! Like, really?? Is your life THAT boring?
I don't think my photos are worth stealing, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I think I'm going to have to work on a watermark design today.
And, @Scrivna , you rock for taking care of things like this. You've done a great job making people feel protected and respected here! =)
I just hate dishonesty above all. I feel like these people are not only cheating themselves out of a experience of a lifetime for learning but they are cheating others out of having there work on the PP and so one its really sad that they had to do that and why because they feel that by doing it they will get followers and good comments.
In truth something seemed off to me the 1st time I had seen the rose crush can photo I think I had seen that years ago when searching for inspirational art.
but she sure did go to the extra trouble of finding and posting a link on how to.
I use/have multiple cameras. Am I in trouble? ;-P
I replied to the girls question, and I said "To fix the date, you have to stop stealing pictures from google and pretending they are your own"
Within a few minutes her account was deleted!
I can't understand why someone would do this either! Plagiarizing a term paper or something, while certainly wrong, is understandable on a certain level. Claiming someone else's photo as your own on the 365 project is just plain baffling...and very sad!
@natew214 comparing her pic to her feet was one of the things that threw me in the first place....those feet were waaaaay too skinny.
@crappysailor haha...you're a comedian AND a photographer, huh? multi-talented...me likey.... :P and no... your shots all have that same amazing quality about them (not diamonds next to a pile of bird poop like the stealers do)
As a few folks have noted, the absence of exif info is not, in and of itself, suspect . . .Maybe half my photos don't have exif info because one of the editing programs I use strips it when I save it back to my computer as a jpeg . . . so that alone is not indicative of plagiarism. I just think it's very sad, I mean, what's the point? It's not like we're in the running for cash prizes!!!!! Recognition and landing on the PP is definitely nice, but if it's not your own work where in the hell is the satisfaction!
I actually commented in a subtle way on her Passion Flower photo on how she managed to get that shot in winter since it is a flower that hates cold and wet and loves warm and dry. Hopefully she will get the hint that it was noticed, but I doubt she will stop since she makes up stories. I just almost feel bad for her other than the fact that she is stealing. I would rather not have a photo than claim what is not mine.
I still think the girl was completely stupid in her photo choices because two were not possible to even take with the Blue Morph moth or the passion flower out of season. I just feel that she may have real issues in her life that will be a problem later in life.
But my point is, the exif is missing from a lot of peoples shots I notice, so that doesnt bother me, but for her specifically, she would have one or two shots or "fillers" that were just random snapshots and in my not so expert opinion-not great pictures- with some Sony P&S and then no exif and an amazing shot. THAT is what is suspicious.
Thanks to the eagle eye for catching these people and putting them in their place!
I hope these people feel ashamed because they are embarrassing (and ripping off) the rest of us.
Keep up all those inspirational shots that continually make me reach further fellow 365ers!
Peace out everyone!
I post images scanned form film occasionally. Film doesn't have EXIF data. Just sayin'.
"beyond a reasonable doubt"
Many people have mentioned watermarks...how do you do that??
good job @andiejaye!
Re the stealing issue: it has already been said many times here, why bother joining this project to challenge yourself, and then cheat?
Well done Andiejaye for your spotting vigilance. And thanks Ross for getting on top of this so quickly. At least I can rest assured that no one is going to bother stealing any of my work. :)
@andiejaye & whether my own photos become pop or not, it doesnt matter, i own up to my own 365. "my own" 365. we're not here to impress in the first place, & so there's no need really for validation. i do my 365 because i love what i'm doing, & loving what i'm doing should never equate into saying that i love stealing & faking.
@rafaelseno :)
Also, I didn't check all of them but the latest photo has over 100 results on tineye. The dates on the calender are all over the place too.
Maybe lots of comments saying how great are their pictures? but they know those pictures are not theirs. So, for me it would mean nothing getting people praises for something that I haven't done and its not mine!
it really perplexes me why people do this, why would you want credit for something you havent actually done? its fake praise
So dont worry about how many times you have done it...I have real appreciation and respect that you take out time to follow-up and not just look and keep quite
Strange thing, I'd think if you're into stealing pictures and posting them as your own, you'd find a different site for them.
Well, all I can say is, no one is allowed near my dear sweet pets, so it'd be very hard to use one of my pictures and say they're yours!
Good Job
She said first that a FB friend hacked her account and upload the stolen images...then she deleted that post a few minutes later and posted that someone from school hacked her account (whom she did not know) and uploaded the images. My question is if someone really hacked her account and she didn't know (yah right) then why did she respond to peoples comments on the false pics...or was that the hacker too?
However I am a little concerned that people who use a variety of cameras and don't always post exif data are now automatically under suspicion.
I not only use my Cannon DSLR, I also use 3 different Olympus point and shot cameras. I keep one in the car, one in my laptop bag, one in my shop. They are all 16mp cameras and in the right situations, can take just as good a shot as my DSLR. I don't like to go out without a camera and most of the time I don't want to be lugging a big heavy DSLR and an bag full of lenses around with me. so the Little Olympuses are perfect.
I use various different pieces of photo editing software, many of which seem to strip off the exif data. So the lack of exif data should not automatically be considered suspicious.
If you looked at my account and checked my camera and exif data, you might smell a rat...... but I can assure you that every photograph on my account is my own work except for maybe 2 or 3, which I always say are taken by somebody else and give them credit.
Let's not start being suspicious of each other because of a few people's misdemeanours. :)