Don't Do It For Free

A few days ago, I got an email solicitation from a guidebook-making company (which shall remain nameless), telling me one of my photos had been selected as a finalist to be included in their upcoming guidebook on London. My compensation? My name under the photo.


[Note: Don't watch this if you are easily offended by foul language.]

For how I feel about that, check out Mr. Ellison's feelings at about the 1:31 mark on the above video:
"And what are people going to say, ooh, I really like the way that guy gave that interview. I wonder if he's ever written a book? Let me go and buy- there's no publicity value."

I don't really see why this company thought I would like to give them the photo for free. It's the same reason I pretty much refuse to get an internship where I am not getting paid/compensated in some other way (free food/housing/education). I think it's almost criminal how companies are allowed to get free slave labour from students who give up an entire summer to make photocopies for a law firm when they SHOULD be getting paid instead.

The funny thing is that it's not really that great a photo anyway:



It's a crummy little snapshot, + if they had a camera and maybe half an hour they could go take the same photo themselves. But instead of doing the legwork, they feel the need to (basically) screw me out of my money, even when it says "All Rights Reserved" right there on the photo page.

I know this is the internet, this is the new age of freedom of information, + I am a hypocrite if I have stolen even one song from the internet ever. But lately I have been really getting into supporting artists, keeping my money with local businesses, and buying handmade, so stuff like this really rubs me the wrong way.

And hey, at least they asked first. I noticed the other day that my stats had gone way up on one of my photos, I checked the site that they were being linked from- it was a forum on Cirque du Soleil. I am completely behind that- the guy posted a link to my photo instead of just stealing it, and it was being used as part of a discussion. But I would have liked a little note from the guy linking it- just a little hello, how are you, would you mind if I..? Because the answer would have been an invariable yes, and then I would have had a little connection with somebody, as opposed to wondering why my photo was being stalked.

Coming Soon: My visit to Brick Lane, and a short wondering on Hipsters.