Was I snubbed for a photo shoot I did?

Lucid

Last summer I attended a local event(involving human rights), a marathon. I was initially volunteering as a non photo related position. Shortly after I arrived however, I was recruited on the spot to take pictures(I had my camera with me as I always do) for the event by someone working with amnesty international.

So, I spent the entire morning/afternoon taking pictures of everything. I gave me contact info to the appropriate people(all volunteers) and they said they'd get in contact with me.

After a month or so they had not contacted me yet, so I decided to email them(through the site) and inquire as to whether they needed photos. The woman I communicated with seemed enthused and I got the pictures together and sent them(although they initially failed to send somehow, and there was a minor misunderstanding with this, but it was cleared and they received my photos). The woman I was in contact with seemed excited and said they were great photos. I don't believe she specifically proclaimed that they'd use them on the site, but I felt that this impression was given to some extent. Especially since I had to work with someone else who did the release form stuff at the event.

I checked periodically to see if they updated the site, and just recently they did(it's volunteer run, so a little slow in updating).

However they didn't use any of my photos. Honestly the photos they have online aren't as good either(I know, bias right), they were mostly standing around shots and very few actual running/walking shots. I was a little dissapointed.

I don't have a lot of experience with event shoots, so I'm a little unsure of the protocol here.

Would it be worth it to contact the woman I communicated with previously to inquire about them not using my photos? Should I just forget it and move on to whatever event I find next?

Robman

NGOs are notorious for being chock-full of nasty internal politicking in the developed world (a huge number of egocentric god complexes go to those places) while the people actually on the ground in the developing world are the best of the best on the planet.

Someone on some sort of executive advisory board or something probably took the pictures you're not too impressed with... I'd just ask that woman if she wouldn't mind being a reference wrt your abilities as a photographer, and put the best photos you took into your portfolio. No harm, no foul.

Doc

Lucid wrote: »

Last summer I attended a local event(involving human rights), a marathon. I was initially volunteering as a non photo related position. Shortly after I arrived however, I was recruited on the spot to take pictures(I had my camera with me as I always do) for the event by someone working with amnesty international.

So, I spent the entire morning/afternoon taking pictures of everything. I gave me contact info to the appropriate people(all volunteers) and they said they'd get in contact with me.

After a month or so they had not contacted me yet, so I decided to email them(through the site) and inquire as to whether they needed photos. The woman I communicated with seemed enthused and I got the pictures together and sent them(although they initially failed to send somehow, and there was a minor misunderstanding with this, but it was cleared and they received my photos). The woman I was in contact with seemed excited and said they were great photos. I don't believe she specifically proclaimed that they'd use them on the site, but I felt that this impression was given to some extent. Especially since I had to work with someone else who did the release form stuff at the event.

I checked periodically to see if they updated the site, and just recently they did(it's volunteer run, so a little slow in updating).

However they didn't use any of my photos. Honestly the photos they have online aren't as good either(I know, bias right), they were mostly standing around shots and very few actual running/walking shots. I was a little dissapointed.

I don't have a lot of experience with event shoots, so I'm a little unsure of the protocol here.

Would it be worth it to contact the woman I communicated with previously to inquire about them not using my photos? Should I just forget it and move on to whatever event I find next?

It's more likely that either your photos never made it to the web people for whatever reason, or whoever was responsible for putting up the photos just put up their own or their friends'.

The whole situation reminds me of how all the friends of the yearbook staff would always get like 4x as many photos as everyone else.

Robman

For reference: I was a senior executive on the student government when I was an undergrad, and because the person making the yearbook didn't like me, I got some random-ass picture off facebook of me four sheets to the wind for my official council facebook photo while everyone else got a sharp, professional looking photo. Coool story.

But I'm sure we've all got stories of that time we got snubbed by someone on some sort of committee.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

So, you volunteered at an event and wound up taking photos, and they apparently didn't like them or for whatever reason didn't use them on the website, and now you want... what? For them to use them on their website? For them to explain to you why they didn't use them?

You shot/drew/wrote something on a freelance basis that didn't get used for whatever reason; internal politics, someone didn't like it, they never actually got the photos at all and didn't want to hassle with you, who knows. I'm sure you think it's awesome because you did it, and maybe it actually is better than whatever they used, but this is pretty much how it goes. If you think they're portfolio material or something then run with it, but there's no real point in badgering the organization about it.

Lucid

I didn't have any desire to badger them. I can't say I really want something in the terms you've described, simply curious.

It's not a big deal really. I was pretty much set on just shrugging my shoulders but I thought I'd check H/A to see if there was a better alternative. Apparently it's as I thought however, not really worth getting into.

I guess it's just different than other organizations I've shot for which when they decided not to use my material, mail me to let me know and inquire as to whether they can keep them on file for possible future use.

TychoCelchuuu

Someone has bad taste and didn't realize your photos were better, or they're stored one folder down on their internal directory and someone doesn't know they're there, or someone is bad with computers and it was easier to upload the other photos, or someone else whose ego they care about took those other photos, or some other event happened out of the millions of reasons why they might decide not to use your pictures.

Subsequently, the woman who talked to you forgot your contact information, or forgot to give it to the person who decided about photos, or didn't relay your call to anyone else, or was too busy to get in touch with you, or felt awkward about contacting you after acting so enthusiastic, or tried to contact you but had your phone # wrong, or some other event happened out of the millions of reasons why you might not get contacted.

This isn't some sort of personal slight against your abilities as a photographer. Stuff happens. How many times have you forgotten to do something, ever, or done something inadequately? All it takes is for someone else to forget something or screw up a bit and blammo, your photographs aren't on a website. That's how life works, and it's not something to get worked up over.

Lucid

That's how life works, and it's not something to get worked up over.

I'm not worked up. I'm just a little verbose even when it comes to matters of minor importance. I admit the use of the word snubbed may come across stronger than I intended, I just couldn't really think of a better title at the time to match the content of my post.

Anyways thanks for the insight. I've went on the path of changing careers later in life(30) so this path is somewhat new to me, even if I've been artistically inclined my entire life. Any learning experience is appreciated, no matter how sardonic.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

Well, welcome to the wide wonderful world of freelance creative. At least they didn't ask you to sign over the rights before they declined to use your stuff.

Sarcastro

Sounds like one of many gambits that could have paid off and yet didn't. Good job on being in the right place at the right time though. Life is an odds game, and you were able to at least ante up. Can't win if you don't play.

Random anonymous validation: Hey, thanks for coming out! Good hustle out there!