Photo usage

[turf hokie]

I wanted to start another thread instead of continuing to hijack the other thread about 3 ways....

Originally Posted by meets1

The phote thing - those there are fighten words!!

Originally Posted by David Gretzmier

I do use some stock photo's from HBL as I sell HBL products. I see no harm in that. but the houses on my site are done by me.

It really crawls under my skin when a "professional" passes work off as his own when it is not. So if my words instigate something so be it.

Here is my stand on pics etc. IF you are associated with a franchise, membership etc and they have stock photos for use, by all means use what you have available to close a deal or draw a new customer.

On my website I have stock lawn photos for my back drop, they are from the web designer, fair game...All photos of lawns and houses on my site and my portfolio that are not obviously stock/backdrop are mine. If a customer wants to see a picture of something that I dont happen to have in my portfolio, I will dig into the stock photos that I have permission to use.

I draw the line with the guy using photos that he right clicked off the internet without permission, uses said photos to promote his business at the expense of the owner of those pictures. I have a local guy using Christmas Decor pics on his web and print ads. He is passing off our work as tho he is providing that quality workmanship, he uses mini- lights on roof lines, net and icicle lights in trees from home depot. He is not even close to our quality of work, yet he will get calls off of the ad based on what I consider to be false advertisement and a whole lot of other things.

Some of you folks may not have felt the sting of competetion when the competetion decides to play dirty, I consider using pictures that are not yours or you dont have permission to use, misleading, lying, cheating, stealing. I cannot say how much it p!sses me off.

If you cannot beat me by selling yourself and your services on their own merits, If you have to resort to using things that are not yours to beat me or worse yet, to present yourself as tho you are me, you are a thief and a con artist, not a business man.

Rant over
Bryan

[addictedtolandscaping]

There was a company I saw earlier this year that was doing the same. this one didn't effect me, but after a conversation with Mike, I do know that they removed the HBL photos.

Possibly Christmas Decor can get something done about this for you. It sucks, no other way to put it. I agree with you completely. I had a direct mail campaign that supermedia did, not images of my work, I have no idea where they came up with the photo(s) they presented. I was extraordinarily pissed to say the least. Plagiarism is illegal.

[hotrod1965]

I personally like the guys who steal crappy photos.... we have a new guy here who stole a photo for his website.... it has a section of icicle lights out....
Same guy has pictures of yard decorations and wreaths he will sell you... Home Depot shelves are in the background of the photos!

[David Gretzmier]

I mentioned in another thread that service masters' corporate website uses a briteideas inc stock photo, and then you click on thier catalog button, and it is HBL's catalog. I have seen tons of folks use Christmas Decor's stock photo's.

I will say that every photo that I have taken of my work in both landscape lighting and Christmas lighting is extremely difficult to take. I probably have taken 500 photos and only 5 or 6 is really worth using in my marketing.