Thursday 2nd May
Last week I had a photo issue which I did not write about. Today another photo issue occurred which I feel compels me to mention. Especially if anybody shares a photo on Facebook OR The Internet for that matter. It does not make any difference if your photo is an unfocused happy family snap or a carefully arranged creative image which has been sensitively edited to achieve a work of art. It is especially true if you share on Facebook which is after all, supposedly a friendly, caring, sharing and embracing outlet. Although I use Facebook I do not like Facebook. OK here comes the long story. Get a coffee before you start to read.
I am sole Admin for an Australian based Facebook photo sharing group. When people apply to join they must answer three questions and obviously must be a Facebook member. Included in their application is a link to their FB profile. As a matter of interest I like to look at their profile or more correctly at their photos, if any. What their profile might reveal in terms of idealogical, political or other personal beliefs has no bearing on their application. (Although if the person was paedophile or terrorist that might take some soul searching on my part). One applicant had answered three questions so I looked at his FB photos where I was confronted by a photo which I knew I had taken way back in 2010. I compared the two side by side. To me they were the same in every way, not only visually but edit points were the same as were the number of pixels. I sent the two photos to a trusted source for a second opinion. The result was the same. Same photo in every respect including light shining from the same source direction.
I wrote to the applicant and said I had not yet approved the application and explained I was uncomfortable with the photo and could he provide an explanation (By the way one of the rules of every photo group I am involved in is that any photo must be your own work). Several hours later he replied saying he saw the photo on the wall of the Hebel Hotel which sits in a remote part of the Qld/NSW border. He took a photo of the photo and put it on his FB page. Hmmm. I realised I was dealing a very talented photographer and super talented photo editor who could take a photo of a photo and edit and crop perfectly. So perfect it is the same number of pixels! All cameras are different and have photo image of different sizes. How he managed to get his photo of photo image cropped to the exact size is brilliant. I wrote to the applicant again and included a copy of our rules, bringing his attention to those relating to your own work and copies of photos not being acceptable. I asked if I approved his application could he abide by our rules? I did not get a reply. That was a week ago and still no reply. I declined his application.
I also reported it to FB but not unexpectedly, they have not acknowledged my report let alone given any feedback.
Today on another group of which I am a member was a photo taken from the air of a small water course. The Admin asked the member if it was his own work. He replied, of course it was. It was taken in the Amazon – that’s a big area – from his Dad’s private helicopter. Another member asked the same question and this time he replied he used his own Phantom 4 Drone to take the photo. The Admin posted a link to a website where the photo was used to show some devastating eco damage in Africa! So far that member has not responded further. I did an International Tin Eye reverse search engine hunt on the photo. It has appeared on-line 52 times since 2016. Although the original photographer is not named there are enough resources to show where the photo came from. None were the person purporting the photo to be his own.
Why am I telling you this? If you are comfortable with your photos on FB not falling into the wrong hands than that is fine. If however you post family photos or as sometimes happens with younger people, more intimate or revealing photos, they can be taken and used by anybody anywhere, claimed as their own or used in a way not intended by you. As seems to be the case, FB is not prepared or not capable of follow up and will not or cannot help if you have a problem. Although FB state that photos always remain the property of the photographer, proof that it is your property is up to you. FB is tarred with the same Political Correctness brush that has invaded our world. They are too busy telling us how to run our lives they do not have time or resources to follow up on artistic or intellectual theft or piracy. Simply be careful what photos you show of your family, especially your children and even more especially your teenage children. Do not expect any help or guidance from FB.
Friday 3rd May
Up at 5am to take Donnis to Coolangatta Airport for a flight to Melbourne as it is granddaughter Hannah’s 6th birthday next week. Although there is a 7.30 am flight, Donnis is on stand-by. There is usually drama on arrival as there are 3 options. The flight is only partially booked and she gets a boarding pass immediately. That does not happen often. The flight is full or nearly full so we wait, along with the other stand by passengers to see if a passenger does a no show. Any spare seats are then allocated to seniority and then arrival at the airport times. The third version is the plane is fully booked and there are lots of stand by ahead of you. This is worst case scenario as you then wait for the next flight. Or the one after. Or the one after that and so on.
I dropped her at the airport and started to drive to Kirra Beach to see the surf and take a few photos. Before I arrived at the beach Donnis called. She has a ticket.
The surf was sloppy, the sky was dark with storm clouds and it was beginning to rain.
There were no surfers in the water.
Time to head home and make myself bacon and egg for breakfast. Despite the rain I had a nice drive home along the Gold Coast Highway.
Saturday 4th May
A bowls match was planned at our green today. Within 20 minutes of starting it began to rain. The game was called off but it continued to rain anyway. The bowls committee had gone to a lot of trouble preparing meat pies, mashed potato and mushy peas with gravy plus a dessert. While some sat around socialising the table tennis players got in some match practise. Then it was time for a pie and couple of glasses of wine. We all had a good afternoon anyway.
Sunday 5th May
After a cool morning around 12° the day warmed up. It was brilliant sunshine so I decided to drive to Coolangatta for a day out.
I forgot it was a long weekend and traffic along the Gold Coast Highway was heavy but from Surfers Paradise all the way to Coolie it was a good drive. Parking on the other hand was impossible. I drove into NSW and found a spot about half a Klm from the beach.
Oh the sun was shining the water was warm and clear and the surf was only about 60cm and gentle.
The surf from Kirra to Greenmount to Snapper Rocks was just rolling in wave after wave and was simply annoying.
Annoying?
Yes annoying.
I was annoyed I did not bring my boogie board and not out there enjoying it.
Almost every board was a Malibu.
The waves were probably too slow for the hot dog boards.
I recalled my first visit from NSW to Qld many years ago. We arrived at Kirra and the waves were perfect as was the water temp.
The next day we surfed from Snapper Rocks all the way through to Greenmount.
After walking around and going bananas taking photos I had lunch and drove through Tweed Heads and onto the M1.
The weather forecast is for another prefect day tomorrow with even better surf.
