Ok I have to vent..... a good friend of mine that I do alot with asked if I would edit her daughters pictures for Nationals & do a comp card (for those that dont know that is a big pageant where alot of different state winners are combined) I told her I would and I would only charge her for the pics to be developed. Well I didnt take the pictures but I did all the editing and created a comp card, (for Free). We got them in the mail two days ago, I gave them to her she loved them I told her that I wasnt going to charge her the $50.00 for the prints that I was giving them to her as a best wishes gift from my husband & I. (no I didnt have to do that, but the her daughter has been selling stuff to try to collect the money for the pageant & I wanted to help her) Well she took them to another friend of ours the one that took the pictures and has been doing the girls hair & makeup, she was not happy with some of them and wanted me to fix them. I said that was find, it was minor things like she wanted one in black and white, change the color on comp card, brighten eyes in one. Nothing that I couldnt fix. Well I had pretty much fixed them put them on my website for them to look at & was waiting back to hear what they wanted me to do. Well the girl that was doing the photos called another girl (that just plays around in photo shop) and gave the pics to her to fix. My friend said she didnt know anything about it, but yet shes not doing anything about it. Im not to sure if I am wearing my feelings on my shoulder or if I should really be mad. She will be using the ones I edited for her portfolio but the main two pics that the other person is editing are the ones shes using for her photogentic picture. I guess I am hurt. Dont ask me to waste my time if your going to use someone elses edits. Thanks for letting me vent!

 Added this paragraph to help explain better:

 The person that took the pictures is not a real photographer she is just the one that does hair and makeup but has kinda made a job of fixing girls up and things for pageants. People pay her for her advice and services to get there daughters ready for these big pageants. Yes she new I was editing the pics, (I would never do anything like that to another photographer, but like I said she is not one anyways) The lady she got to come & fix the pix is just another pageant mom that plays around in photoshop and creates comp cards. She taught herself because she didnt want to pay anyone for her daughters comps.

Ok, I'm a littttttle lost so if I read something wrong bear with me.

You took photos that another photographer took and edited them and used them on print and on your website? First, I have to ask and I'm not trying to be a bear, but did the other photographer authorize that you could do this?

Maybe, and again...I may have misread...the other photographer was not happy that your friend did that and insisted on editing herself because they were her work?

Either way...sorry you had to go through this with a friend...friends are the hardest to deal with in a business (next to family) at times.

Yeah sorry I wasnt very clear just typing away because I am still upset. The person that took the pictures is not a real photographer she is just the one that does hair and makeup but has kinda made a job of fixing girls up and things for pageants. People pay her for her advice and services to get there daughters ready for these big pageants. Yes she new I was editing the pics, (I would never do anything like that to another photographer, but like I said she is not one anyways) The lady she got to come & fix the pix is just another pageant mom that plays around in photoshop and creates comp cards. She taught herself because she didnt want to pay anyone for her daughters comps.

Hmmmm, I guess what I am thinking is that it probably isn't a good idea to take somebody else's pictures and adjust them even if they're not a photographer.  There are lots of things that are subjective.   

 Not a real photographer? So who decides who is or isn't a real photographer? Because she doesn't post here? Doesn't make a living doing it? Doesn't shoot to your standards. I'm not trying to be an ass, (I don't have to try it comes so easily ), but you are the one in the wrong here .Even an amateur photographer has copyright protection. You shouldn't have touched someone elses pics without permission.

Yes she new I was editing the pics, (I would never do anything like that to another photographer, but like I said she is not one anyways)

It seems as if the photog did know and that the person NOW doing the editing isn't the photog either...seems like the friend is flaking a little.

Edited since I started a seperate discussion ;)

wait wait...you can type ASS but not A R S E ?

Weird!

Red1:

 Not a real photographer? So who decides who is or isn't a real photographer? Because she doesn't post here? Doesn't make a living doing it? Doesn't shoot to your standards. I'm not trying to be an ass, (I don't have to try it comes so easily ), but you are the one in the wrong here .Even an amateur photographer has copyright protection. You shouldn't have touched someone elses pics without permission.

I think you have to register your copyright in order for it to be protected .........correct me if I am wrong, someone. 

I personally wouldn't touch any photo taken by someone else. I would prefer to do them myself. And give them a percentage off , never for free. That causes more issues down the road. Been there done that and got the T-shirt :)

 I know you were trying to do a good thing, but you brought this on yourself. Live and learn.

Shelly 

I've got a couple of opinions here:

1.  You're hurt, and that's affecting your judgement.  What you have to remember is Pagentry is a whole other world and what you may believe is PERFECT editing, may not live up to the standards of Pagent Moms (they all crazy).  Thefore, they're looking for something different than they way you edited.  Not necessarily better (quality wise) but different for the pagent world. 

Note: Remember those icky pagent girl pictures someone posted on here where the eyes were sooooo overdone and the face was all air-brush looking - on a bunch of 3 year olds! Now, you wouldn't normally edit like that, but aparently, some pagent people expect that in thier prints.

Don't feel bad, it's just a different style.

2.  For the future: I would charge your friend if she ever asks for editing services again.  Explain to her that you spent a great deal of time on something that wasn't used.  Remember, it's not her that said they weren't good - it was the Pagent psycho-stylist and MWPS (mom with photoshop).

3. Also for the future: I would refuse to edit other photorapher's work if it is for marketing materials/modeling/etc.

Wait about 3 months and you'll see a website for this stylist gone photographer.  And I'll bet she'll showcase your edits on her website showing that she can do it.  At that point, who is in the wrong? Is she misrepresenting herself because the pictures were doctored up by you?

Things to ponder....

As friends I would do everything for free but I would not touch someone else's photos.  I would start with my own work. 

ok let me clear the air on alot of things! I didnt take the photos because I was out of town for the summer. She knows what she is doing I never said she didnt. I wasnt trying to say who is or who isnt a photographer because lets be honest everyone ownes a camera (in the since) what I was trying to say was this is not how she makes her living, therefore she doesnt really have a copyright issue. She new I was editing the pics heck her and my friend both asked me to do them. (she handed me the cd herself) I was doing this to help out, I was putting them in a private gallery on my website where the could see them before I printed them and where they could pick them out. (Its easier than sending through email everytime) The girl that took the photos was out of town we had to order them and she would not answer her phone. So me and my friend had to make a judgement call and order the picks. So after she saw them she told my friend what she wanted corrected. So I stayed up to 2am fixing them. The next day we could not get a hold of her, so come to find out she burned the pics and called another lady to fix them without telling me anything. I am mad because I wasted more time all she had to tell me was I dont like them I think someone can do better!! I like honesty & believe everyone is entitled to it. I hope this cleared some of the air I dont want anyone thinking I stole someone else work, used it on my website, or wasnt really saying she was a photographer.  When Im mad I get to typing and what sounds clear at the time may not be so clear sorry. Thanks for listening seeing things in b/w have helped me see the light!

RedBarn:

1.  You're hurt, and that's affecting your judgement.  What you have to remember is Pagentry is a whole other world and what you may believe is PERFECT editing, may not live up to the standards of Pagent Moms (they all crazy). 

This part is so funny!!! and so so so true!!! 

That's not what we are saying, Hon. ( I can't really speak for others )

It's just better all the way around if you had said "NO" whether she was in agreement about it or not. There will be issues. In these types of situations it's just best to say no, but if they would like to schedule an appointment with you to re- take the photos. Then you will be doing your own work and she wouldn't have done this to you. She wouldn't have a say in it.

I think that the issue of copyright stuff came up just the fact that you didn't take them and you were working on them. Most of us were worried that she may come back at you with that. I have seen that before. It sucks!

{{HUGS}} Sorry if you miss understood some comments.  

 IMO......you should avoid anything like this. It's just bad. Then they suck you into doing more edits and wasting your time.

S