Uhg.  I try to remind myself that imitations is the highest form of flattery, but it's tough seeing someone copy my work! 

It's become my nightly routine going to her site and seeing what she's copying this week. 

I came across her on myspace and her page was set to private.  I sent her a friend request and she denied it!  I just wanted her to know that I know what she's doing without calling her out on it. 

Would it be unethical for me to share her website with you guys? 

 She wants people to see her work right?

So you would be doing some free advertising for her and improving her seach engine results....

otto802:

 She wants people to see her work right?

So you would be doing some free advertising for her and improving her seach engine results....

 +1 :)

Ok, so it didn't take a whole lot of arm twisting for me to give in. 

I want to preface this by saying that I know I'm not the only person in the world to ever do these poses or similar ones.  But, it's hard to believe it's a coincidence when she's JSO in the next town over and a very similar pictures pops up on her website a couple of weeks after it's on mine!  Oh, and denying my friend request...that's pretty suspicious too.

Pics and links removed

Funny thing is that she lives about 30 minutes away and drives out of her and shoots in the same places I do.  The couples that she shot there aren't even from my town. 

I don't know...

Well you can't copyright a pose or a location.

I think she is trying to capture the trend. And you are very trendy :)

I would just take it as flattery and go on.

*I just took a peek at her pkging..........how can you do 10 poses in a pkg? Wouldn't that drive you batty?  Also her color tone is on the cool side......her subjects look blue to me.

Shelly 

A lot of those are standard poses (I've never even seen your site, and have done a few of them myself). Maybe she is getting her ideas from you, but I wouldn't worry about it. If so, she must think you are a great photographer and creative in your places and poses. People tend to copy and imitate those they admire. Look at how many try to be like Ansel.

I agree with all the above.

I look around at other photographers sites to get an idea on a session I'm about to take on. Sometimes I draw blanks and get inspired by other photogs.  You certainly didn't create that pose or copyright it...so anyone can attempt to try it.  I've seen those poses before anyways.  Not just what you posted here.

Well, I've never seen your site, but I've used some of those poses.. they are pretty standard... she could have went to many different photography forums and found the same ideas..

I do think she is getting a lot of her ideas from you. I can see where she would be able to inspiration from you. I agree with Lowry though  you need to ignore her. She's not as talented as you are. She's not getting the kind of emotion that you get from your clients. As hard as it is try not to let it drive you crazy.

Since most photographers get ideas from other photographers, magazines, television and other media .. I wouldnt loose any sleep over it, the poses are often the same, just different locations and couples .....  If it bothers you then you have consider doing away with almost all of the images that you take as well... bridal portraits, group photographs, detail shots...the list would be endless.

 I'd remove the links just in case. $1 for a 4x6?

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HAH! I am laughing so hard looking at all of those pictures.(Yours look WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better girl) I know many people on here think that you are being ridiculous, and that these are "typical poses" that many people use (and they are!), but from what you have told me about her, its more than mere coincidence.Is plain to see.

 I myself have a copycat, BIG TIME! Its this girl I used to work with at a portrait studio. She was my boss there. She was HELL to work with and she fired me (long story).

Now SHE, herself, got fired from the same place   (HAHA! KARMA!-okay I know thats not a good attitude to have but I cant help it ), and so she decided to get a camera and start her OWN business. So she has a myspace, and she is my myspace friend. (I let bygones be bygones)

I look at her myspace pictures and I almost laugh when I see her pictures! First of all, she has the posing down. She has always been a good photographer, I wont deny that. But what her pictures look like to me, is if someone were to hang up a wrinkly sheet, and pose someone on a backdrop, and shoot thier picture with a point and shoot camera! LOL. There is no studio lighting, the subjects are horribly close to the backdrop, and some of the pictures are out of focus. She obviously does not know photoshop either, cuz parts of the picture have backdrop showing, etc....lol.....pretty funny to me. (As mean as that is)..........I saw her the other day and told her that I liked some of her work, and asked her if she would like photoshop lessons!

 Alright, I totally know where you're coming from, but I also agree that they're not original.   Here's my story....I have a friend who's husband bought her the same camera I have b/c she "likes" photography.  She would ask me how to use it, what to do, etc, etc and look at my site and blog.   Then she got a wild hair and decided to start charging people to take pics.    First shots on her blog are the exact same first shots on my blog, pose wise.   I did ask her about that, jokingly, and she said she was nervous and liked my ideas.  That's nice.   She lives on the complete other side of the country though.  

Other story.  I'm shooting a wedding and the bride's sister's friends are doing the videography since they're in school right now and wanting some practice.   They followed me EVERYWHERE and did stills of my shots.  I've never had a videographer do this before, and it was really starting to chap my hide, it was just getting ridiculous.  So finally I asked if they were going to take all of my exact shots, b/c it's in my contract, blah blah blah....and they backed off.   To me, that's not flattery, that's outright lack of creativity to come up with their own stuff.

If you'll read my original second post, I said that I'm sure I'm not the only person to do these poses.  I'm not claiming to be their creator! 

BUT when I post them on my site, then a week or two later, their on hers AND in the same locations (which aren't easy to get to) it makes ya wonder.

I'm not mad about this.  Although it is somewhat annoying, it's a little amusing at the same time.  I'm just trying to look at it as flattery anyways.

I didn't want to keep the links up long, so I'll take them down now.  Thanks to all who looked and commented!

Don't let it get to you - it's called competition.  Those who feel they need an edge when they don't have the skill will stoop to undercutting all your prices.  Remember, you get what you pay for.

I like to see people copy my stuff.  By the time they are copying it, it's a year or two old for me.  You have to be like Madonna.  Don't rest with just what works for now.  Constantly update and create new stuff.  We are in a profession of creativity.  Create.  Sure, we may have reached the point where every pose that can be done has been done, but there's a lot more to this than just poses.

I go to seminars to see what everyone will be doing in the coming year, then I don't do it.  I go another way.  Let the others be carbon copies of each other.  If you have a website, hold back on your new stuff.  Why put it out there at the beginning for your competition to mimic?  Start adding it at the end of the season so that next year people are doing what you did while you move on to new.

I'm relatively new to the world of photography and I get a lot of inspiration from other photographers shots. I don't try to imitate the pose and the setting, but I do get inspiration from them and then take it from there.

 I would say ignore her and go on about creating new techniques in your work. I agree with the post by jollygreen.

I would also take it as a compliment that she thinks enough of your work to want to try to imitate it. Even if she shoots the same location, she will probably never get the same effect that you do.

Or.....

go to modelmayhem.com, get some people to do some really, really,bad, bad, bad poses... and set the bait! Of course you'll have to do some good ones for the models too.

Dave

Dave W:

Or.....

go to modelmayhem.com, get some people to do some really, really,bad, bad, bad poses... and set the bait! Of course you'll have to do some good ones for the models too.

Dave

 

this is so funny!!!  But I could never do this myself.. either way, let it go.   

 the downside is that you'd have that ugly ass shot on your page..

Dave

lphoto:

If you keep this up, it will drive you crazy and she would have accomplished what she is trying to do.

I will agree with that because my "copy cat" has succeeded in driving me nuts. And I know you can't say that they can't use your locations and poses etc., but when you see a unique location that you drove around all day to find, with a pose that you thought was unique in that location and then they just come along with no creative thought of their own and set up the exact same thing and get credit for it....you want to rip their head off.  

You think you have it bad...

My cousin does this to me. She used to assist me on wedding and do simple things like fluff the dress or fix a tux jacket. Then she went and got herself a little camera and now tells everyone she's a photographer. She has no idea what she is doing. She uses all my poses and charges people way less. Its awful!! I can't believe she would do this to me. Oh and then she has the nerve to try to book clients that she already knew I had scheduled.

 Sometimes its just not worth it. I have learned to let it go and laugh when I see what sh