How can you tell if the photos on a website are not the photographers?

[AnneWynne]

Was cruising Craigs list and checked out a photographer's offer for wedding photography. His standard wedding package includes up to eight hours of photography, two photographers, a wedding album, a proof book, a disc of professionally edited images and a personal website, for $2,900.

That raised my interest as he was offering a lot for what I would think is a little. I checked out the galleries and the photos on it have locales that are not local, and while he could have traveled to some more exotic locations, I just don't think so...my BS alert is going off.

They could be his work, but I would like to know how to check it out, and rat him out if he is claiming other, better, photographers' works as his own.

So how would I figure out whose works it really is?

Anne

[SuperDan]

although I havent used it yet, I have heard that you can use some program out there, and I dont know exactly the name, but it can pull exif data... that MAY be one way to do it

another would be to ask for more references.. tell him that you'd like to see the work but want to see more of his style to make sure that you are getting what you want and that to make sure the style fits
one way for that to work would then see how many photos are the same .. like same couples and locations???

another idea would be just to do more research yourself.. do they have a flickr? do they have a FB? ... all can lead that way

i would be a little leary myself if they are putting up various photos without any watermarks

[BuddhaPi]

Originally Posted by AnneWynne

Was cruising Craigs list and checked out a photographer's offer for wedding photography. His standard wedding package includes up to eight hours of photography, two photographers, a wedding album, a proof book, a disc of professionally edited images and a personal website, for $2,900.

That raised my interest as he was offering a lot for what I would think is a little. I checked out the galleries and the photos on it have locales that are not local, and while he could have traveled to some more exotic locations, I just don't think so...my BS alert is going off.

They could be his work, but I would like to know how to check it out, and rat him out if he is claiming other, better, photographers' works as his own.

So how would I figure out whose works it really is?

Anne

head on over to TinEye
enter the URL of the image in question, if it is someone elses you might be led right to the owners site...

Hope this helps

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by BuddhaPi

head on over to TinEye
enter the URL of the image in question, if it is someone elses you might be led right to the owners site...

Hope this helps

This. TinEYE is wonderful.

[nokiN]

And you can download EXIF readers at Opanda.com - Professional Photography Software (DigitalFilm, PowerExif, IExif, PhotoFilter) and PhotoME - Exif, IPTC & ICC Metadata Editor.

Professional photographers make use of a digital images metadata fields. the EXIF fields and the IPTC fields have places to put copyright, use license info, and contact information.

However, accomplished photo thieves know to strip all the metadata from images they have stolen.

[Jim Bryant]

Anne, this seems to happen all the time. I remember one gal did that, was caught and she pulled the photos off. I can't remember what tread it was.

[scootermcq]

That was the groupon girl was it not?

[Jim Bryant]

Yes..good memory..............

[AnneWynne]

Thanks for the link to TinEye....he uses a flash site so I could not check them all, but he has posted several from Dreamstime (stock photography). I suspect some of the others are also not his, but can't find out where they come from. He says he is a professional photographer and a member of the Professional Photographers of America and the National Association of Photoshop Professionals but a name search on the PPA did not turn him up.

So, considering the amount of deceptive promotion that goes on, how does the honest photographer compete?

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by AnneWynne

So, considering the amount of deceptive promotion that goes on, how does the honest photographer compete?

With honesty. His customer's will quickly realize he was full of crap.