wilowdreams's blog

copyright this azzmunch

 abuse

This is going to be a long blog but amuzing to say the least.

By now you all know I am into photography and I am slowly getting my own business off the ground. I have to use other companies to print my photographs for now since I cannot afford the 600.00 photo printer I desire. I use MPIX.com on orders that can wait, I usually use Walmart for my one hours, they do print well.

Well I took a picture of my son with his buddy from church, she is getting ready to leave the country on mission work and I wanted her to have a wallet photo of the two of them so she can have it with her. I placed my order online like always. I had about 2o pictures total printed, some vacation photos, some fun pics of the kids, one I did of my neighbors little boy for his birthday and the one of my son and his buddy.

Today I went to pick them up. The girl behind the counter noticed me but she continues to act like she didn't see me. Finally I was like excuse me. She comes over and I give her my name and she picks up the envelope and starts going thru the pictures. She comes over and says, " I can't give you these "

I raised an eyebrow and said," Excuse me ? "

She says in her best ghetto Im gonna get one over on you voice, " I can't give these to you cause of the copyright laws. "

I snickered and said, " Please don't try to educate me on copyright laws, this is my work and I would like to have my photos please and IF NOT you can get the manager over here. "

She waddles her pregnant self over to the phone and calls for the manager. A few moments later, the pregnant employee and the manager are over at a table looking at my pictures talking and I say, " You all need to come over here, this isn't a private conversation when it comes to my work."

The manager right away I can see is going to be one of these type of women who have no further education then 11th grade or 12th grade at the most ( no offense, I dont either ) and she's going to use her " Assistant manager" power to get over on me. Shes like ma'am we're not having a conversation, but I need to tell you that the copyright laws say we cannot give you the pictures cause this one has a background used on it ( my neighbors little boy, I used a black backdrop )

and that's considered proffesional photography.

" that's great," I reply," Is there a copyright waiver I can sign to prove to you that it's my work ? Im a photographer, that's the only picture with a backdrop, the rest is in natural setting and some are enhanced using photoshop for effects."

She tell me NO. Okay so now Im really starting to get ANGRY, I WANT MY DARN PICTURES.

I then ask her," do I need to go to my car to get my husband to prove these are my pics, he did the lighting for this session?"

She says no, it will do NO GOOD.

I then ask her if she wants me to drag my children out of the car to match them against the pictures Ive had printed, she says NO.

She keep repeating about the copyright law, I said please lady, thats bull and you know it. I have friends who had a monet picture printed for their childs birthday cake and NO one said anything then. Then she says well I dont know who this monet person is, Im like thats a real big surprise.

She then says well if we break the rule I could lose my job and walmart could be closed down. I was like that won't be that big of a loss, she's like what ma'am ?

I said if Walmart closed it won't be that big of a loss, I mean they have slaves making all their products, shes like what slaves ? Im like the slaves in India and China making 2 cents per stripe they sew onto the jogging pants in aisle 5( the arabic woman next to me snickered at that one )

She says she will try to contact the marketing manager again, she leaves them a message. At this time my kids and hubby have been waiting 30 minutes for me, Ive left my cell in the car and can't tell them what's going on. Finally Im like look which ones can I take with me, she looks at them and scans over and says NONE of them. I ask her what time they close and she tells me and I inform her I will be back and NOT to touch my photographs.

I get to the car and I tell hubby what has happened. I call from my cell to the walmart and they put me on hold for 25 minutes. Hubby calls up there and takes names of everyone he speaks to, he gets the assistant on the phone, the one from the photo lab and she doesnt even acknowledge my husbands request to spell her name for him.

My hubby and her speak for a few moments, she apparently tells him the lie of OH I offered her to sign a copyright form, LIE LIE LIE.. Hubby advised her that we would be back up there so we could watch them shred the photos, cause I dont want anyone else to get their hands on MY WORK. He explained to her that I have my own business and I do have my own backdrops and that them doing any further printing of my photos they would not need to worry, and for that matter buying anything from their company again.

The point is this guys, I understand copyright laws. I was willing to sign a copyright form, she told me that wouldn't be good enough. She used her little bit of authority to now get a handwritten letter to the store manager, regional manager and district manager as well.

So I will be saving for my own super duper photo printer. I will used the money from any photography work I acquire.

Tomorrow I will be going back to that stink Hole Walmart to see them shred the photos that belong TO ME to ensure they aren't laying around there.

I will have to get my sons buddys pic printed somewhere else, no biggie, she will have them before she leaves the country this weekend.

So folks, I was made angrier than a hornet on my anniversary but some azzmunch who couldn't understand I was the photographer and didn't know who Monet was !