While looking at my own images on Shutterstock, I noticed the Shutterstock algorithm was suggesting my photos as “similar” images. I thought it was a bug on the Shutterstock website until I noticed that others had downloaded my photos from other sites then uploaded them to Shutterstock. Shutterstock’s similar photos algorithm then noticed this and suggested the stolen photos along with my photos.
Here's a bizarre story out of New Jersey: a man reportedly stole an iPhone and then proceeded to shoot a grotesque close-up selfie of himself to share on his victim's Instagram account. Police are now widely distributing the strange selfie in hopes of identifying the man.
This is bizarre. A Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens just popped up in an online auction. Problem is, the lens doesn't officially exist yet.
Camera stores have become the targets of more and more thieves in recent years. While many of the reports involve nighttime break-ins, robbers do attempt to steal gear during store hours as well, and that's what just happened to the well-known camera store The Camera Store.
I use Fat Llama to loan out some of my photography gear when not in use, and I’ve been very happy with the extra beer money. Well... up until last week, that is, as my camera kit was stolen!
The popular photo-sharing service 500px has announced that it was the victim of a hack back in 2018 and that personal data was exposed for all the roughly 14.8 million accounts that existed at the time.
In September 2018, the Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus announced the winners of a #ShotonOnePlus photo contest in India to celebrate the best photos captured by its phone cameras. One of the winning shots was a shock to photographer Aman Bhargava: it looked strangely similar to a photo he had captured two years earlier on his Canon DSLR.
Want to see how camera equipment goes from being stolen from a car to being sold on the Internet? Here's an 8-minute investigative report that exposed one particular stolen electronics fencing operation.
Like many professional photographers, my main camera is a bit of a beast. A Fuji X-T2, usually with a big lens, and always with a battery grip on it. It’s a bit big to go traveling with, and although it’s not as big as my Nikon D600 and grip that I used to use, it still warrants the travel/side-arm camera I bought in the D600 days.
I first heard of KitSplit about a year ago and thought it was a great idea. Especially living in New York, everything is so accessible. Browsing through the site and seeing what type of equipment was available, I saw that there were a lot of high-end RED Epic cameras and digital cameras, but there wasn’t a lot of film equipment. I have such a big collection of film photography equipment that I figured why not -- I could possibly corner the film camera rental market on KitSplit.
Heads up: you should never post photos of modern event tickets online. A Boston Red Sox baseball fan just learned this lesson the hard way. After sharing a photo of his $650 ticket to Game 2 of the World Series on Instagram, he was later shocked to discover that someone had used it in his place.
A popular camera store in the UK was targeted this week by burglars who made off with over $200,000 in Leica cameras and lenses.
South African photographer Graeme Williams was attending the opening of the Johannesburg Art Fair earlier this month when he was shocked to see his own photo on a gallery wall with credit being given to African American artist Hank Willis Thomas.
Wildlife photographer Barbara Jensen Vorster was photographing a pride of lions in Botswana in July when she had her camera stolen by a lioness. She luckily had another camera ready and captured a series of photos showing what happened next.
It seems that burglars are increasingly targeting camera stores across the United States, going as far as to cut holes in buildings (or ramming holes with cars) in order to steal thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of equipment in a matter of minutes.
On July 20th, my username got stolen from me on Instagram. Since then, I exchanged a number of emails with Facebook Advertiser Support, talking to a real person, but that has lead nowhere so far.
Daryl Aiden Yow is a Singapore-based photographer and social media influencer who has over 100,000 followers on Instagram. He's at the center of controversy today after it was found that many of his Instagram photos were actually uncredited images shot by others.
Update: Fox News claims it licensed Robinson's images legally through another channel after being directly rejected by the photographer. See the network's statement below.
Over the weekend, Ellicott City, Maryland was pummeled by massive rainfall, which triggered devastating flash floods through the historic district of town. Resident Max Robinson was trapped in an apartment building near Main St and Maryland Ave when he started documenting what transpired on Twitter.
Photographers Tony and Chelsea Northrup were shocked when they discovered one of their photos being used on a product's packaging without their knowledge or permission. They then sued the photo thief and collected AU$60,000 (~$45,000) for the offense. Here's a 26-minute video in which they share the story of how it all happened.
Photographer Sean R. Heavey was watching the hit series Stranger Things on Netflix when he spotted a storm cloud that looked strangely familiar. It turns out the show had apparently used one of Heavey's photos while creating the scene, and Heavey isn't happy about it.
Photographers commonly deal with photos being used without permission these days, but oftentimes infringements can be resolved in a friendly and agreeable way. Concert photographer Adrienne Row-Smith recently experienced the opposite: after asking nicely that her misused photos be taken down, Row-Smith received some angry words for a music label.
Photographer Daniel Zvereff lost his precious custom-modified Canon 50mm f/0.95 "dream lens" last month, and this week he came across that very lens for sale through an eBay auction. He then watched as the auction ended yesterday with a ridiculous winning bid of $65,100.
The camera superstore Adorama is closed this week in observance of Passover, but it still somehow found itself in the center of controversy among passionate film photographers over a pro-digital article and "stolen" photo.
A few months ago, a girl came in to apply for a social media position at my last job. I was one of three photographers at the company and we had an opening for another photographer position. She mentioned to the HR recruiter that she also does photography.
The Internet is becoming a hectic and volatile place for photographers to share their work. Social media enables photos to be put in the hands of tens, thousands, and even millions in a matter of minutes. However, one small break in this sharing frenzy can lead to massive loss and frustration for the creators that dedicate themselves to doing their passion well.
Canon recently shared a beautiful Golden Hour landscape photograph on social media in Italy and Spain. Problem was, it was a composite photo in which a large portion of the image was taken without permission (and without giving credit) from a photo by well-known landscape photographer Elia Locardi.
A Texas man was shot and killed this week after he spotted what he believed to be his stolen camera in an online listing and then arranged a meeting with the seller.
There has been another notable burglary in the world of camera shops. The Camera Store, the Calgary-based store that has a huge following on YouTube, was broken into this past weekend, and the burglars made off with roughly $35,000 CAD (~$27,000) in Leica and Hasselblad cameras and lenses.
Here's a tip for the digital age: if you're commissioned with $15,000 to create a public art installation in a large city, don't steal photos from the Internet and pretend they're your own. That's the mistake one well-known artist in Canada recently made, sparking a good deal of controversy and embarrassment.
An Indiana couple has admitted to stealing over $1.2 million worth of cameras and other electronics from Amazon.
In September 2016, an Indian couple made international headlines after it was found that their photos "proving" they had reached Mount Everest's summit had been faked using Photoshop. It turns out the husband and wife were both police officers in India, and they've just been fired after an investigation into their deception.
A photographer in San Francisco is offering a $1,000 cash reward with no questions asked for the return of stolen memory cards containing irreplaceable wedding photos. The cards were taken from her car a week ago by a thief who also made off with $15,000 in camera equipment.
Violent criminals are still targeting photographers in San Francisco for their valuable camera equipment, and the latest victim is a 71-year-old photographer who was shot and killed this past weekend at a popular tourist spot by two robbers who stole his camera.
Photographer Max Dubler struck a nerve last week with an article documenting the theft of one of his downhill skateboarding images. After finding a skateboard brand using one of his photos without authorization, he did as he always does: he contacted the offending party and requested a payment of $25 for social media usage.
My name is Max Dubler, and I am a professional photographer who has been working full time in downhill skateboarding for the last several years. I am a well-known person within this little niche: I started an influential website with my friends, was on staff for the only downhill magazine since its first issue, have written extensively about downhill skate safety, and have been hired by almost every major downhill skate brand to shoot photos.
On Saturday July 1st, 2017, £600 worth of cameras and equipment were stolen from inside my rucksack, itself packed into a larger suitcase, during a Tunisair flight from Tunis to London Heathrow while they were checked into the hold of the plane.
Environmental researcher Matt Beedle was using a GoPro camera to capture some shots of bald eagles a couple of years ago and ended up with some unexpected and viral footage: while the camera was rolling, an eagle decided to snatch it up and take it up for some aerial shots.
Arguably Snapchat's most popular feature to date is their augmented reality 'selfie filters' that allow you to augment your face with bunny ears, vomit rainbows, and occasionally trample on someone's copyright. Now, in a move absolutely everyone saw coming, Instagram has copied the feature.
If you're flying with pricey camera gear, it's often advised that you bring it with you in a carry-on bag instead of risking all the handling issues that could happen behind-the-scenes with checked-in luggage. But your carry-on isn't necessarily safe either, as photographer Sam Hurd recently discovered: he lost $20,000 in gear when a fellow passenger just walked off with his luggage.
Yesterday, we revealed that award-winning photographer Souvid Datta had published a photo back in 2014 in which a woman had been copied-and-pasted from a 1978 photo by renowned documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark. Datta today admitted that he had indeed doctored that photo, as well as "appropriating" other photographers' work as his own.