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Author Topic: Has anyone ever seen where their image has been used?  (Read 11271 times)

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« on: November 29, 2016, 15:15 »
+2
I'm just curious if anyone has ever seen their work being used? If so, how did you come across it?

Rachel


« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2016, 15:20 »
+3
my guess is everyone in stock will have and if you (general, not you) havent you probably need to reassess your work as a photographer

« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2016, 15:26 »
+7
Yes, I google my name and a lot show up. Stolen images show up too, unfortunately. Be prepared.

« Reply #3 on: November 29, 2016, 15:51 »
0
I use Tineye to see where my images have been used.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2016, 16:07 by Osiris774 »

50%

« Reply #4 on: November 29, 2016, 15:54 »
+1
sure
poster, billboard, internet...

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #5 on: November 29, 2016, 16:14 »
+1
my guess is everyone in stock will have and if you (general, not you) havent you probably need to reassess your work as a photographer
Or maybe they just need to know how to find their work in use.
I try:
Google reverse image search on files which have sold
(Previously Tineye)
Google "Copyright myname" and "copyright myusername" "agency myname", "agency myusername"
And, as Cathy said, brace yourself for the likelihood of finding a lot of dubious in-uses.
(Which reminds me to post in the Image Sleuth thread)

« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2016, 16:33 »
+2
Lots of times - searches, as mentioned above (I keep a folder with screen grabs as a sort of digital tearsheet).

Also, I've run into my images - in an airport when two images from a previous trip were wrapped around posts in the departure lounge. A relative living in another city recognized a bus wrap use (it was his lake house in my photograph) and sent me an iPhone picture. He also got some advertising in the (snail) mail from a local realtor including a number of my photos. Another relative saw my picture (it was of me) in a magazine in a waiting room. A photographer in another city noticed one of my pictures in a local paper and sent me a copy. A few times the designer has sent me a copy (or in the iStock old days, it showed up in the designer's showcase).

I've even seen my house in a Facebook ad (doing one of those "That house looks awfully familiar...") :)

« Reply #7 on: November 29, 2016, 17:52 »
+1
I'm just curious if anyone has ever seen their work being used? If so, how did you come across it?

Rachel


There are a number of reverse search options from Google, TinEye, and Yandex for example. What I often do is check the zooms and sales options in my Alamy account and reverse search those. Also, there is a contributor forum at Alamy and one of the most common subjects is images found this month (example:) newbielink:http://discussion.alamy.com/index.php?/topic/6292-have-you-found-any-alamy-photographs-september-2016/page-14?hl=%2Bhave+%2Bfound+%2Boctober#entry107079 [nonactive].

I also have a Google Alert set for my name and my pseudonyms. Regrettably most users don't show my credit for reasons I don't understand.

« Reply #8 on: November 29, 2016, 19:57 »
0
Hmmm I tried those things and found nothing. I've had about 100 downloads over the last month. Should I just give it more time maybe?  Thanks everyone. I had no idea you could do these searches. Someone mentioned their work being used for questionable uses... do you mean inappropriate stuff? Has anyone had that experience?

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #9 on: November 29, 2016, 20:00 »
0
Hmmm I tried those things and found nothing. I've had about 100 downloads over the last month. Should I just give it more time maybe?  Thanks everyone. I had no idea you could do these searches. Someone mentioned their work being used for questionable uses... do you mean inappropriate stuff? Has anyone had that experience?
You can find images which are being used contrary to licence (often editorial files being used commercially), but you're more likely to find images which have sold once then stolen from the legit site and copied to plenty others (particuarly common with some sales to UK newspapers, which are copied to multiple East Asian blogs etc almost instantly). You might find watermarked files being used on sites.

« Reply #10 on: November 30, 2016, 06:02 »
+1
I don't search for them but stumbled on one in a magazine once.....quite gratifying

« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2016, 15:14 »
0
I do reverse image searches on my photos from time to time, but on two occasions I've seen my images truly "in the wild."  The first was on a news story that a friend of mine shared on Facebook. He shared it because of the news content, and had no idea that it was my photo at the top of the article. The second was an online humor-based website I read that used one of my images in a visual joke montage.

 I also have a sneaking suspicion a few of my images have ended up in 12 month wall  calendars, because I can't think of any other reason to buy them. Unfortunately, I don't spend a lot of time in calendar shops.

« Reply #12 on: November 30, 2016, 16:23 »
0
I'm just curious if anyone has ever seen their work being used? If so, how did you come across it?

Rachel

I saw myself as a model (I worked with my mentor to try to compensate him for his patience) in a lot of uses of, mainly, the same image. And this always remebers to me that if I do well, this is what happens: no "wow I sold ONE image! yahooo!!!" but "oh, good, I've sold another 200 times the SAME image ...".

On the other hand I saw one of my first works in a poster from a national European videogames selling company. That images keeps selling and I don't know where :-)

Printed work is really very difficult to find, also because I try to work with strangers, mainly black ("african descent" "black" "mixed race") people: my sales are mainly in countries (as per SS sales map) in which this "descent" started: Africa.
I try to create images with multiracial or multi-etnic groups ... but the main group of "races" wins: if there are 2 black people that files sells in Africa. If there are asians: they sell in China, Japan, Mongolia. If I used Polish or Romanian people, they sell there.
So... I work with everyone: if local people want to collaborate, I work with them. If they are strangers and are more collaborative: I work with them.

So I think I'm not going to see printed works with my files in Russia or China.

For everything else I use google images and of course I saw lots of uses.

Well ... "a lot" for my numbers :-/  :) And I'm not Arcurs.

« Reply #13 on: December 03, 2016, 04:33 »
0
Besides Google image search and tineye I think Pixsy should also be mentioned.

« Reply #14 on: December 03, 2016, 06:01 »
0
Thanks guys... I must be doing something wrong though since I've now sold many and I can't find a single one. For example on TinEye, do I just upload the original photo? And for Google, what exactly do I search? "Copyright..."


« Reply #16 on: December 03, 2016, 06:32 »
0
Thanks ShadySue but that's what I mean... I tried that and can't find anything. Can you give me any more detail? I must be doing something incorrectly.


ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #17 on: December 03, 2016, 08:45 »
+1
Thanks ShadySue but that's what I mean... I tried that and can't find anything. Can you give me any more detail? I must be doing something incorrectly.
That's what I do, exactly as I said. Not everything which has sold is used online, and some of what is used online may be replaced after a very short time.
For reverse image searching I use the Chrome browser directly on files which are reported as being sold. Still, I've found in-uses for files which have sold once, but also found nothing for files which have sold over 50 times.
Don't waste a lot of time on this. It can be fun finding in-uses; you get a warm glow if you find your file has been used by an entity you admire. However, it's  horrible to find you image being  used, albeit legally, by an entity or cause you despise.
« Last Edit: December 03, 2016, 13:41 by ShadySue »

« Reply #18 on: December 03, 2016, 12:53 »
0
Give this a try, I think you may be as surprised as I was.  Have Fun!


Try searching your name or MS account name in the Google Books sub-catagory. I have found many books using my images over the past few years and am amazed how many books show up from educational to entertainment. Some of mine include love novel covers, science, mathematics, nature etc. The one that surprised me was National Geographic's "Backyard Guide To The Night Skies" using a lightning shot I took years ago. 
 
 

« Reply #19 on: December 03, 2016, 13:26 »
+1
You likely need a few thousand sales before stumbling across your images. Here is a fun one of mine from years ago:
http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/ohio-farm-barn-gm157283645-701388

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Paws-Claws-Pet-Vet-Wii-Wii/11983465
I'd hate to meet that big rabbit in a dark alley!

Giveme5

« Reply #20 on: December 04, 2016, 09:21 »
+1
You likely need a few thousand sales before stumbling across your images. Here is a fun one of mine from years ago:
http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/ohio-farm-barn-gm157283645-701388

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Paws-Claws-Pet-Vet-Wii-Wii/11983465
I'd hate to meet that big rabbit in a dark alley!


that's so cool! Great work!

« Reply #21 on: December 04, 2016, 10:12 »
0
A couple of years back I was at the pharmacy, and there was one of my photos at the cover of their printed winter catalogue  :) I got a copy of the catalougue, but I'n not sure the clerk believed me when I told her that I had taken that photo  :)

I have also a couple of times seen my images used as illustration for articles in newspapers, and when google searching.

« Reply #22 on: December 04, 2016, 11:12 »
+1
All over the place. Some of my travel shots appear on boards outside local tour companies in the tourist resort down the road, for example.
I've seen them stolen and entered in online competitions, too. That's rather rarer than seeing them online or in print, fortunately.
Oh, and at least one meal I cooked and photographed ended up on a TV chef's website, as if he'd done it.
At one point someone I knew hired an agency to produce a glossy magazine and they used a heap of my pictures in it without anyone knowing the connection.
Perhaps best of all, National Geographic used one in an advert inviting people to enter their photo competition. That's almost as good as winning the contest.

« Reply #23 on: December 04, 2016, 11:19 »
+1
my guess is everyone in stock will have and if you (general, not you) havent you probably need to reassess your work as a photographer
It's the newbie forum. They need time to build up sales to the level where you start stumbling over your work.

Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #24 on: December 04, 2016, 12:37 »
+2
The most fun was when I was watching Last Week Tonight on TV and saw my illustration on the show. :D

« Reply #25 on: December 04, 2016, 14:06 »
+2
Kraft ran a Hockey Canada contest - they were selecting a hockey coach to honour and gifted cash and improvements to the home community club.   They used a photo of a coach friend out on the ice with a dry board and a circle of kids around him.  The twist to the story is a player on his real team wrote an essay nominating the same model/coach and he was selected and won the national contest - and no, Kraft didn't know he was in their marketing.  My son had him for 3 or 4 years and he really was an amazing coach.

My other stand outs are my son on a book called "How to Raise a Serial Killer"  and elk on the lid of a wooden toilet seat. 

Finding them on the Internet is one thing, but it's still a rush to randomly run into your work in a store or on a billboard.  Of course, after the initial thrill you will always think... "I don't remember ever selling an EL of that one...."

« Reply #26 on: December 04, 2016, 15:58 »
+1
yes, lots of times... blogs, posters, travel brochures, airport ads,etc..
at first it was thrilling..
you run around town telling everyone "weeeee, i am a stock photographer!!!"

but eventually, when you consider that it used to be you get paid 100 to 1000 dollars in the old glory days to shoot one of those things,
and you now get 28 cents to 102 dollars,
the novelty sort of wears out ...
and you no longer go "woo yay!!!"
..and you react like your frederich neitsche family member...
ie. blank stare with a duh face looking like a giant question mark, "uhhh, so? what is your point?"


« Reply #27 on: December 04, 2016, 20:51 »
0
You should give picMatch a try...www.picmatch.ca. They offer a free trial.

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #28 on: December 05, 2016, 00:04 »
0
Seen my work on House of Cards, a documentary on colonizing Mars on Ustream, A trailer for some low budget sci-fi movie, and a South Korean sci-fi/music TV show. Not too shabby. 

« Reply #29 on: December 06, 2016, 18:56 »
0
Seen my work on House of Cards, a documentary on colonizing Mars on Ustream, A trailer for some low budget sci-fi movie, and a South Korean sci-fi/music TV show. Not too shabby.

Nice!

Most of mine I find in book credits.  https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=photo+

It needs + and then your name that you use for agencies. Example: https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=photo+tylerolson#hl=en&tbm=bks&q=photo+tyler+olson

Searching +TylerOlson and also +Tyler+Olson  :)

The word photo is also searched. Otherwise it would just find your name everywhere. Photo credits search.

Giveme5

« Reply #30 on: December 06, 2016, 20:03 »
0
Yeah,

Here is one one of my images- Not sure if this is what I really wanted it to be used for  :-[

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/04/25-salmonella-cases-possibly-linked-to-raw-tuna-consumed-in-southern-california/#.WEdfv1whGYM

I should look on the bright side- at least none of my people shots ended up on front page of a porn magazine...


alno

« Reply #31 on: December 07, 2016, 03:39 »
+1
I'm just curious if anyone has ever seen their work being used? If so, how did you come across it?

Rachel

Printed work is really very difficult to find, also because I try to work with strangers, mainly black ("african descent" "black" "mixed race") people: my sales are mainly in countries (as per SS sales map) in which this "descent" started: Africa.


Actually those sells are not all African, the sale icon just being placed in the middle of the map (if there is no small white dot with it) when the country of purchase cannot be traced. That is Africa in case of Shutterstock map :)

« Reply #32 on: December 07, 2016, 04:10 »
0
Yeah,

Here is one one of my images- Not sure if this is what I really wanted it to be used for  :-[

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/04/25-salmonella-cases-possibly-linked-to-raw-tuna-consumed-in-southern-california/#.WEdfv1whGYM

I should look on the bright side- at least none of my people shots ended up on front page of a porn magazine...
Check them all regularly do you? I think quite a few turn up on dodgy dating sites and the like. I just did a quick check today and found one of mine on BBC site gratifying though they probably only paid peanuts.

« Reply #33 on: December 14, 2016, 06:38 »
0
First time I got into one of my images without actively searching: I was looking at the presentation video for Affinity Photo for Windows and stumbled on a zebras image that looked too familiar :-) (0:09)

https://www.dpreview.com/news/7495946883/affinity-photo-for-windows-now-available-mac-version-updated-to-1-5

w7lwi

  • Those that don't stand up to evil enable evil.
« Reply #34 on: December 15, 2016, 01:46 »
0
I'm just curious if anyone has ever seen their work being used? If so, how did you come across it?

Rachel

Printed work is really very difficult to find, also because I try to work with strangers, mainly black ("african descent" "black" "mixed race") people: my sales are mainly in countries (as per SS sales map) in which this "descent" started: Africa.


Actually those sells are not all African, the sale icon just being placed in the middle of the map (if there is no small white dot with it) when the country of purchase cannot be traced. That is Africa in case of Shutterstock map :)

Actually this is only partly correct.  It is true when there is no data available in the metadata as to where the buyer is physically located, the image is placed on the map with it's upper left corner directly over longitude zero, latitude zero.  This default location is off the west coast of Africa in the Atlantic ocean and, as noted, there is no small white dot to indicate this is the proper location of the buyer.  It's just a housekeeping location for images with no GPS data.  It is unfortunate that the back edge (right side) of the image just happens to fall over a portion of west Africa, giving the erroneous impression that the image was purchased in Africa when in reality the odds are it was likely purchased almost anywhere else in the World.


 

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