Thieves....

Oh Pooh... Really, it's Oh Shit!

So, I get a phone call from Coop this morning, telling me that someone on Flickr has taken photos of me that he shot last year (actually from our very first shoot :), and created a new account, claiming that the photos are of them! The nerve!

I've been on Flickr for about a year and a half at this point, and have come across profiles with made-up personas and stolen photos. How do I know that they're stolen? - I've come across the exact same photos on other web sites. One was a nude pin-up model, and the other photos were from a stock photo site. The fakes have promptly taken down their Flickr pages.

Now, I take what I do very seriously. And for someone to not only steal from a photographer, to steal from a model, is beyond gutsy, if you ask me. Making up a new persona? I actually find it sad and pathetic, really. Stealing my face and my body.... pretending to be someone that they're not. Are they doing this for kicks? Or doing this cause they're a bit crazy? A little from column A, a little from column B, probably.

This isn't the first time that a photographer has had photos stolen... and I'm sure that it won't be the last. I know several who have had their work pop up on other sites, not just Flickr.

I will say this, for as many issues that I have with Flickr, they are very prompt in deleting accounts with stolen photos. Coop has had this happen to him in the past, and once an account gets enough blocks or complaints against them, they're gone - Flickr waves that magic delete button around.

Thanks everyone, for all your support. It really means something to me that you care. Of course, I'm sure that it doesn't hurt that in most of the pics I'm nude. ;)

Musings....

Where do you find inspiration?

I just realized that I havn't blogged in almost a month. I keep meaning to, but each time I log in, and lay my fingers on the keyboard, I just can't type, because either I get side-tracked by something, or I have no idea what I'm going to write about.

Lately, it's been the latter.

I've gotten bogged down... got really sick a couple of weeks ago, and then had to go out of town - and the changing weather doesn't help - it goes from sunny and 70 to rainy and 50. This is all in addition to those normal, everyday things that you've gotta do. It's been an emotional roller-coaster. I know that everyone goes through this, from time to time, but it seems like it hit me really hard.

But I am always on the prowl for something, anything, which I can use as inspiration. So, where does it come from? Doing what I do, I'm so keenly aware of my surroundings and the people I come across. So, by me changing things up, trying to break the routine, I'm hoping to unblock the creativity, and allow it to flow within me.

Partners in Crime ;)

So, been out having fun, maybe causing a bit o' trouble along the way too. ;) This actually helps to keep me sane. I can get too wrapped up in things, that I lose sight of them along the way. Could be a sign of adult ADD or something, but probably more than that, I think that I tend of over-exert myself, take on too much. I like to think that I can juggle everything, get on just by. But it's not necessary - I always have help if I ask for it.

I'm sure that my current lack of creativity has started affecting others too. As I model for other photographers, I am often their muse, their source of inspiration. In fact, I'm sure that you've seen this one by Coop:

Photo and all paintings by Coop

But as it is said, this too shall pass. And I think that it will real soon. I've got a feeling about this sort of thing. By enlisting the help of friends, I can get back to normal. Or at least my version of it. This is how I should be:

Photo by Mark Velesquez

I love you all. Happy belated Valentine's Day. :)