Inky-Dinky-Do Blog

It is time again.... The Annual Scavenger Hunt!!!

You spoke- we listened!  I know we have a lot of teachers that play and complained about the timing so this year no excuses!  Not to mention lots of crazy fun!  Watch the blog this week for rules, the items and a fun little twist because we can!

Out of the office-phone lines and Angela out this week...

Sorry to fall off the radar guys.  During our move we ran int oa couple snags- transferring phone lines and what not.  If you haven't been able to reach us via phone- fear not- email is getting answered- phones are getting sorted out.  We had a great idea to transfer the phone to Angela's cell Friday night- only we didn't anticipate Angela's son ending up in the hospital!  Yes, just what every Mom with a child in the trauma unit needs- a ringing phone.  Since we couldn't un-transfer the phone at that point we had to let them roll.  Now that Max is back home and phone line should be taken care of we will be returning whatever calls weren't lost in translation so to speak!  Again email is a great way to reach me during the move.  The studio is closed until next week and with Angela being out for obvious reasons we are running just a touch behind in getting the studio move settled. 

We do want to thank The Center for Neuro Skills in Bakersfield for being so helpful to us this last week.  They were wonderful at explaining things to Angela's family and giving recommendations.  We are happy to report that Max is home from the hospital and doing much better.  A very big thank you to our clients for understanding and allowing Angela to step back as needed.  Now we all agree that it will be great to have her back soon since I don't even know how to access voice mail!  :)  Yes, it is a good thing that I use the camera and not the phones!

2009 Changes

(new posts will appear below this one so scroll down if this is old news to you!)

2009 is all about simplicity- for us & for our clients.  The kind of simplicity that brings peace, simple joys and sense of family.

I know we have been pretty quiet lately on the blog.  We have been pondering what changes we wanted to make for the new year.  It was worth the wait because we have some serious changes coming your way! 

I have so loved watching all our inky-dinky-do kids grow up and document their lives.  We also have become part of the Bakersfield community since moving here and we aren't too proud to acknowledge that economic times have impacted our area and many of our clients.  So many of you have become like a big extended family for us and of course would love to still see the kids grow and share in the little joys that happen.  So we have reached a decision.  We are opting to close our boutique on Calloway Drive and focus soly on the studio and creating the best value for our clients.  Sure the boutique was nice, but at the end of the day staying affordable to our clients during a tough time is more important.  Angela will still be scheduling and thanks to modern technology she can do that virtually anywhere.  Previews will happen at the studio instead of the boutique.  So the only difference is you get to come back to the studio and visit me twice!  I'll make sure that candy bowl is refilled!   The studio will be as it has always been by appointment so that we may give you our full attention. 

Because we are moving stuff around (you notice there is no photo of boxes piled high!) we are essentially closed until the 9th of Feb.  Now don't panic, orders moved over and we will be checking them in next week, appointments will be scheduled, we are just buried in boxes.  My office is looking suspiciously organized thanks to Kim today!  The studio is getting a face lift and we are getting excited about the new set up.  Sometime, I'll have to tell you all about my trip to IKEA... never been in one and they sent me alone... you can only imagine! 

So in review.... the boutique location is closing and  we are revamping things at the studio to give our clients the best possible value and keep inky-dinky-do portraits an affordable luxury.  Prints are at the studio and scheduling will continue with a slight break for remodeling.  Watch for updates and new stuff to come! 

The path to the studio door.  Ok- when it isn't winter!  The roses should be great this spring!

Back From Texas and lookie who I sat next too!

OK so I know this is backwards- but  I will post about the Texas conference later... too many things to unpack!  I just had to share this for now....

The trip back from my presentation in Texas was kind of funny.  Texas to Arizona and in Arizona I sat next to this tall young man... Yes, that is Jarrett!  We photographed him this last spring.  He was coming back from Orioles camp- He was drafted this last year and got to go to "camp" and show them what he's got!  So his super duper cool Mom is Dana from the NWVoice and I caught a photo of them as he disembarked and Mom got to see him for the first time in weeks!  Then to make things even funnier... my rep had brought to the workshop these cool clipboards that we now offer... guess who was on one of the samples.... Yep!  Jarrett!  So Mom scored her son back home and a new clipboard!  That woman has good timing.

Isn't she cute with her new clipboad- now that is a proud mama!

Flickr Images / Facebook Postings...

We all love the social networking boards- they keep things fun and allow us to keep up with friends.  (I know I'm awful I haven't checked my space in like a year and it might be a year on the face book page too!)  People also love to upload those galleries to places like Flickr to share with family- only there are some problems you might not think of.

Here are a couple things to keep in mind with sites like Flickr.  You might not know but in that jumble of text you basically are giving away the copyright to your images you upload.  Yep.  So if Flickr wants to allow "acme itching cream" to use your image on their campaign... don't expect a royalty check or apology.  So our images we remind you keep the logo on them and the watermark.  #1- you don't want to be someone on the next embarassing ad & #2 we own the copyright so you can't really asign it to them with out a bunch of legal junk. 

Check out these Flickr snafoos with photos

Virgin Mobil

ticketmaster stole this image from Facebook and used it with no compensation to the person

Image thief steals photos from Flickr to sell on iStockphoto - this one is a person stealing images from a professional photographer who had a Flickr site  and then selling them iStock to make $$. 

excerpt from Anna Goodson's article click for link to article

"I think that everyone really should take the time to read them. They need to understand that anything they post on Facebook can be used by Facebook and re sold to a third party. This is very important, particularly artists who are sensitive to their copy rights.

Under the terms of Facebook,

User Content Posted on the Site

“When you post User Content to the Site, you authorize and direct us to make such copies thereof as we deem necessary in order to facilitate the posting and storage of the User Content on the Site. By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing. You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content. Facebook does not assert any ownership over your User Content; rather, as between us and you, subject to the rights granted to us in these Terms, you retain full ownership of all of your User Content and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your User Content.

So that said, basically anything that is posted on Facebook can be used or sold by them to anyone. Yes, you do retain full ownership but you automatically grant the usage over to them."

We live in a rapid moving, ever changing world and as all this techonology makes our lives easier we will find a new set of complications.  I don't advocate living in a cave or not sharing- that of course makes life fun and lively.  However, I do think there are some precautions that people should take to make sure they aren't being taken advantage of.  More on this later....

Buyer Beware Fauxtographers are out there...

Photography has been my passion and love for many years, unfortunately, like any industry there are some bad apples that make is hard on everyone.  There is a growing trend in our industry that clients should be aware of and it has effected how we even do things at inky-dinky-do.  We are now adding the light ©inky-dinky-do© to  the blog postings.  Please know this has nothing to do with our wonderful clients- we allow all our clients to download off the blog to their personal computers provided they leave the logo.  I have to say clients have been great about that and it is fun to stumble across one of our images on a family blog or a myspace.  However, in the last year we have had problems not with clients, but other photographers stealing our images.  About once a week there is a new photographer exposed for posting images on their website that do not belong to them.  Seriously, I know it sounds odd.  Everyone that got a camera for Christmas and can buy a website is a "photographer" these days and  some are even stealing images to post to get clients in the door.  Not only is that a legal issue for using my image to promote your business, but what about the poor person that books them thinking they can do that work?  What about my client who you just took the image of them and put it on your site- they didn't give you permission to do so.  As a professional in the industry for 17 years it makes me sad to see this happening.  We haven't yet decided if we will add the ©watermark to all images on the website (which is changing soon) or just to the blog posts for now.  Please know this isn't a punishment to our clients, but a safeguard to our clients and our images from being used elsewhere. 

Here is an example a recent "fauxtographer".  She has taken image from several photographers around the country and Canada.  If you look at the video you will see a fellow photographer recorded her site with the photos on it before she could delete them.  If you look at her blog you will see her work isn't even close to what you see on the site.  I am blessed to be in a network of photographers that are quick to alert each other if stumble on images that we know the real photographer.

Recorded Website of Stolen Images

The Website which now has her images after being exposed, the quality is obviously different than before.

*This happened in St. Louis and while the offending photographer is named Ashley Karandjeff and operates under Hoffman Photography  this is not the same company as Jerry Hoffman Photography & Video in the same town which is called Hoffman Photography & Video.- never met the guy but I hope he doesn't get any fall out for her actions having a name virtually the same!*

As a photographer what to do if you have images stolen by another photographer. (be certain before doing anything)
- record the site or at least screen shot the entire site- yours might not be the only images stolen.
- don't contact the photographer immediately- you need to record it before they delete them all.
- notify PPA, state affiliations, DWF,ILP,WPPI- any of the associations that this person may belong to and make them aware of the situation.
- contact any other photographers that you recognize the work of on that site.
- then contact the photographer
- decide what if any legal action you would like to take

As a consumer how to not get taken by a "fauxtographer"
- websites are a great way for photographers to show portfolios, but go see the actual prints in their place of business- look for large prints- you can't get a good wall portrait off  someone's website.
- If you saw things on the site and they aren't on the walls... why?  Photographers like to show off their work and if it is a stunning shot they will most likely have it up.  Now keep in mind we shoot a lot and change things all the time... but if there are NO big prints that look like the quality you saw on the web- that should be a flag.
- are there locations that you have never seen before?  If you are stealing images from the web- well the world is your shoot room.  I've seen people steal images from photographers in Australia and Canada- complete with notable landmarks- yet the "fauxtographer" has never been out of state.  (that is one amazing camera then!)
- compare their website and blog.  For some reason they will often post the images to the website, but wont blog them.  Maybe they are OK with stealing and mis-representing their abilities, but don't want to come up with at blog story about them!
- if you aren't seeing any people and locations you know- ask for local references and the images of that family.  Sure they may not want to give out everyone's information, but there should be some testimonials, or local people that they wouldn't mind putting you in contact with if need be.
- Finally, trust you radar- you know what I'm talking about... that little voice that says.... "wow this work is amazing and  I can't believe it is so cheap... "  It most likely wasn't cheap for the person that created it and like most things you do most often get what you pay for.

Workshop Alert!

We are happy to say inky-dinky-do will be speaking at the fabulous Children & Families Conference in Texas this July.  We had such a great time at the Bright Beginnings Workshop they put on last summer we are presenting a day entirely devoted to Bright Beginnings!  This is a great day geared to photographers that are just starting out or need that kick for creativity and thinking on their feet.  A little bit of business, a lot of creativity and problem solving.  Other speakers include Ana Brandt, Eric Doggett, Vicki Taufer, Stephanie Clark, Deb & Rick Ferro & Heather Khalhoff.  It is great to see so many great photographers coming together. 

 

My only question is why is it that I always end up in Texas in the heat?  Don't you guys do spring time stuff! 
Hmmm next it will be Greenbay in the freezing cold.  :)

Get more information about Stephanie Deveau's program

Post About inky-dinky-do at Bright Beginnings 2007 on our blog.

Don't forget if your state or local organization is interested in Stephanie speaking at your event to contact the studio soon to make arrangements.

 

Happy to be back from Texas!

So where is a girl to go to escape the Bakersfield heat.... Texas of course!  I must say the whole humidity thing was new for me, but the heat was familiar!

I had a great time teaching at the Bright Beginnings Workshop in Austin, Texas this last week.  I met some up and coming new photographers and hung out with some old friends.  The days were long and hot, but the information was flowing freely.  Even outside of class, in halls, the elevator almost everywhere we were answering questions and giving advise to excited photographers.  I loved the energy of all the students.  So I promised to share some of the images from Sunday.  We had a great day at the studio of a friend and while the others enjoyed the air conditioning my class braved the heat and the smell of the dumpster!  That's right, the dumpster.  We went over everything from how to work in bad lighting, bad environments and failing equipment to making backgrounds, reflectors and sets/ costumes for cheap and on the fly!  I can't wait to see what my students create when they get home.  We forgot to get everyone a discount code for our inky-dinky-do marketing launch coming up... so we will post something on CFPA for that.  :)  Stay tuned! 

Special thanks to our fabulous young ladies that braved the heat and me pausing to explain something to a class while they waited in the heat! Miss Shelby is from Odessa, TX.  She is just one of the bubbliest and most helpful young ladies you will ever meet!  We had loads of fun over the week.  Only a real trooper will hang out at the dumpster for you though!

Miss Gillian with a G- she is going to be the first intergalactic fashion designer- now there is some creativity!
 

This is Miss Darcy the little sister of Miss Gillian with a G and she loves High School Musical!
The two girls together.  Thanks again Lisa for letting me borrow the nieces!
This is Miss Rhianna she is a photographer's daughter all the way. 

This is Miss Lauren.  I only had Lauren for a couple minutes before I had to trade two of my models for Ross's one Miss Rhianna!  Isn't she a cutie pie?
My last young lady was Cassidy.  She is a typical teenager!  She looks great in jeans or acting all artsy!

I had a great time, but I'm excited to be home to start photographing my clients too!  Thanks again ladies for a great week and I look forward to seeing you on the boards and seeing what you create!