Woman Shocked That Photographer Sold Headshots for Erotic Novel Cover
A woman says that a photographer sold her headshot photos to stock image websites and her face now appears on the cover of an erotic novel.
TikTok user Christian Demeritt says she never read “the fine print” on the contract when she paid a photographer $100 to take her graduation headshots in 2010.
@christian.joy.d Should I do a #Storytime ? #greenscreen ♬ Song Oh no oh no oh no no no – Hip Hop
Years later, she discovered that her photographer had sold her images as stock photos.
Demeritt’s face had since been Photoshopped onto a billboard outside the United States, a breast reduction advert, magazine covers, and on an erotic novel entitled His Big, Childhood Sweetheart.
On Saturday, Demeritt, who is based in Los Angeles, shared her story in a TikTok video that has amassed over 450,000 views.
“Thinking about that one time I didn’t read the fine print on my headshots contract and my photographer sold my pics to stock photo sites,” the video caption reads.
@christian.joy.d Replying to @shyfloralstudio #storytime #DoritosTriangleTryout ♬ Frolic (Theme from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" TV Show) – Luciano Michelini
In another clip, Demeritt says she hired the photographer to take her headshots after she got her theater degree.
The photographer was referred to her by an actor and he gave her a discounted rate of $100 for the headshots.
Since then, Demeritt’s photo has also appeared on job application adverts and workplace training images.
@christian.joy.d Replying to @mrskrystalkaye #Storytime #Part2 ♬ original sound – christian.joy.d
In a further clip, Demeritt explains that she has not made any money from her headshot photos being used elsewhere.
She says: “I ain’t make no money. I made zero dollars.”
‘Shocked’
In an interview with the Daily Dot, Demeritt says she was “shocked” when she first saw her photo being used elsewhere and she estimates that her image has been used in a “ton” of adverts.
When Demeritt first saw her headshot in an advert, she contacted the actor who referred her to the photographer and the actor said that the photographer’s behavior was “typical.”
According to the Daily Dot, Demeritt says she does not have a copy of the contract. However, she adds that she has found emails with the photographer in which he told her to “please bring ID, there will be a model release to complete.”
“I was fresh out of undergrad and didn’t know so I just went about my life,” Demeritt explains. “Every few years or so, people send me ads with my face.”
Image credits: Header photo sourced via Afro Romance Books and TikTok/@christian.joy.d.
