In that post 10 days ago I used\u00a0a specific and very recent example of the potential hassles of image sales\u00a0which I’ve\u00a0copied and pasted below:<\/p>\n
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- “The last example I\u2019ll include here (and the one that finally\u00a0inspired this post) began\u00a0several weeks ago when I received a request from a representative of a Florida university foundation asking to use these two Burrowing Owl images in a special card of thanks to be sent to their donors (on their birthdays). To begin with they would print 500 copies of the card and\u00a0I agreed to allow use of my images when we\u00a0settled on what we both thought was a fair price and I was assured that all I needed to do to receive payment was send them an invoice. I sent her the images and the invoice\u00a0and then awaited payment. But then last week I was sent two more complicated forms (more red tape) that I had to fill out before eventually\u00a0being paid. I wrote back and told them to hell with it \u2013\u00a0that I wouldn\u2019t fill out the forms and I\u2019d just take the loss. At this point in my life I really despise menial work, especially when it wasn\u2019t part of the original agreement. I know, that was\u00a0cutting off my nose to spite my face but that\u2019s just the way it is.”<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
After that post was published I accepted the loss of the licensing fee for the two images they used\u00a0and moved on with my life because I\u00a0thought it was\u00a0over. It wasn’t.<\/p>\n
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Yesterday in the mail I unexpectedly\u00a0received a delightful and thoughtful\u00a0note from Barbara Belknap, the graphic designer who originally contacted me about the use of my\u00a0photos for the card. I learned after the fact that Barbara was caught in the middle – when we originally made the deal she was unaware that her client,\u00a0Florida Atlantic University, would require much more than just an invoice for me to eventually\u00a0be paid for the images. I do not<\/em> hold\u00a0Barbara or FAU\u00a0responsible for the misunderstanding. It just happened…<\/p>\n
With Barbara’s note she also included…<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/birthday-car-scan-1b-florida-atlantic-university-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFlorida Atlantic University Birthday Card, front and back<\/em><\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/birthday-car-scan-2b-florida-atlantic-university-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFlorida Atlantic University Birthday Card, inside<\/em><\/p>\n
one of the 500 cards FAU had printed to send to their donors on their birthdays. The card is classy and well-done (and looks significantly better than these scanned copies). In Barbara’s thoughtful and\u00a0detailed note she included the following:<\/p>\n
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- “In the end we\u00a0figured out\u00a0that although you are not an approved vendor, I AM! So I can pay you and get reimbursed. (cool, huh?)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And enclosed with my copy of the\u00a0card and her note was a check\u00a0written on her own\u00a0checking account\u00a0for the full amount we had originally agreed upon!<\/p>\n
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At that point payment\u00a0was completely unexpected\u00a0because I had already written it off as a loss (in effect letting them off the hook)\u00a0and I\u00a0had told them so when I\u00a0informed them that I refused to fill out those complicated financial forms. But Barbara went the extra mile to get me paid just because it was the right thing to\u00a0do.<\/p>\n
To say that I found the timing of Barbara’s\u00a0efforts\u00a0on my behalf refreshing is an understatement. Just a few days earlier I had observed several unethical and even illegal events while photographing birds on Antelope Island (events that I’ll likely\u00a0cover in an upcoming blog post) so I’ve been somewhat discouraged by the recent\u00a0ethical performance of Homo sapiens.<\/em> Barbara’s example lifted my spirits.<\/p>\n
Her unexpected (and even unnecessary at that point) display of integrity meant at least as much to me as the payment. Probably more because it gave me hope.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
PS – I suspect that Florida Atlantic University deserves some of the credit. I doubt that such an arrangement could have been made without their efforts and cooperation.<\/em><\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The moral and ethical behavior of my own species often appalls me but a very recent event has reminded me that I shouldn’t color with a brush too broad.<\/p>\n
- “In the end we\u00a0figured out\u00a0that although you are not an approved vendor, I AM! So I can pay you and get reimbursed. (cool, huh?)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n