anyone familiar with picture.com?

cabbey

Anyone familiar with the subject site? One of my relatives is quite hooked on it... a quick look around makes me think it's one of those scams trying to make money off of amateur photogs. First they entice photos with a 'contest' that seems to have way too many winers to have been legit, then they sell you an anthology that includes your photo. Oh and they're selling all sorts of merchandise with your images on it if you'll register it for licensing. As near as I can tell the artist is getting a pretty small portion of the cost of the items... $4 on a $20 mousepad. That would be $12 if I set SmugMug's mouse pads to $20.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone here has any experience with them to confirm or deny my initial impressions.

RogersDA

http://www.google.com/search?q=picture.com+scam

Angelo

I am very, very, very ashamed to admit I have personal experience with them...

stay away. stay far, far away!


there was a lively thread discussion here about them but I can't find it. might be too old and dropped off the search system.

ShepsMom

When i fist discoverd that site, i submitted couple of shots, of course, they would send you email stating that your picture was picked out of thousands for publication, and of course they want money to publish this book. Yeah, ok. I thought it was kind of funny that they want money to publish it. I'd stay away from them.

cabbey

Sigh, thanks folks. Now to figure out how to break it to my Aunt.

David, I google'd them, or tried, but never thought to add the keyword "scam" to my search! The very first hit on that has the other great keyword I saw on their site by never thought to google: "International Library of Photography". Wow, that's an eyeopener... maybe I'll just send her that.

Angelo, I'm sorry to hear that. I too tried to search for them on dgrin, but no useful hits; just one thread where someone was trying to link to an image from their servers.

Marina, yeah, that's one of the first red flags I saw too.

entropysedge

ShepsMom wrote:

When i fist discoverd that site, i submitted couple of shots, of course, they would send you email stating that your picture was picked out of thousands for publication, and of course they want money to publish this book. Yeah, ok. I thought it was kind of funny that they want money to publish it. I'd stay away from them.

same here ... still sometimes get junk mail from them, all goes in the electronic round file

Moogle Pepper

So..

I hahaha fell for this too, recently!! haha!! I was a "semi-finalist!" But I didn't bother with any of the merchandise!

Ah well, at least I felt like I was capable of winning a photo contest. And that's all that matters.

[I submitted a pretty crappy photo too!]

ShepsMom

While we're on this topic, look what a found in our local newspaper today....


:bash

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20071228/COMMUNITY/712280527&SearchID=73305563137720Oh

Poor man has no idea where the Glory starts.... I'm tempted to pick up the phone......

RogersDA

... I'm tempted to pick up the phone......

Maybe you could contact the newspaper and inform them of the scam. Email a bunch of links that talk about the scam. Tell the paper that perhaps it would be wise to contact the photog so that he doesn't waste more money.

Then tell him to join Dgrin. I heard somewhere that they have a legit contest.

These sound oh-so familiar to thinly-disguissed "honors" such as being in a Whos-Who of Whatever...

ShepsMom

This is the prime example of our media "powers". They talk out of their "you-know-what" without any kind of info regarding the source. Oh, another thing, how come i wasn't invited to Las Vegas???

jdryan3

From Article wrote:

"K***** has been invited to attend a photography seminar in Las Vegas in March, sponsored by the International Open Amateur Photography Contest."

And how much will they charge him to attend THAT seminar?

ShepsMom

Hmm, i wonder when in March it is, i'm planing on going to Vegas for my bday, i'll see if i can find this seminar :ivar

RogersDA

ShepsMom wrote:

Hmm, i wonder when in March it is, i'm planing on going to Vegas for my bday, i'll see if i can find this seminar :ivar

Takes some contest-worthy pictures clickclickclick

ShepsMom

David, i don't think you have to really try, Picture.com thinks eveyone is great! I've seen their Journey book, i'm glad my name isn't part of it.

cabbey

haha, that is just too much... what irony of timing!

I sent probably the longest email I've ever written to a family member back to my aunt.... explaining in great detail about these scams, and giving her a few urls to research them herself. Hopefully without any damage to her ego, as some of her shots actually are pretty nice.