Grand Prize Winner

Last year around this time I entered some pictures in a photo contest at a local feed store and won the grand prize of 150lbs of bird seed. I entered some photos in the same contest again this year and again won the grand prize! This year the prize was lessened to 100lbs, which is fine with me. I still have seed left from last year!

This is the picture that won.

My prize

The person who judged the photos last year was from a park system in a nearby town. She took two of my three photo entries from the store last year, without my permission, to use at the park. When I found out, I contacted her to find out what she was going to use them for, thinking if she was going to print them in a publication I would like to be sure to get the photo credits. She told me she just wanted to hang them in her office, so I asked her to send them back since she took them without permission. We went back and forth a little, and I never got my pictures back. I wasn't happy, but I let it go. Well, guess what happened this time. I went in to get my prize and noticed one of my pictures was missing. The person judging the photos took it! I think it was the same person but am trying to verify that. I don't think I've ever charged anyone for my photos, but they are mine. At a minimum I think she should have asked my permission before taking it. I probably would have let her have it anyway. A couple months ago one of my FB "friends" laughingly told me she had several of my pictures printed to decorate her house. While I was flattered she liked them enough to hang them, I was a little hurt that she didn't ask me first. So I am a little frustrated with that whole thing tonight.

On a positive note, when I went tonight to pick up about 20 pictures I had printed to hang up at work, I was asked to sign a copyright release to indicate I had the rights to print the professional photos. The sweet girl behind the counter even asked me if I had a business card. Granted, it was Walmart, but it was a nice little ego boost.