June 07, 2005
Wal-Mart won't print photos that look "professional"
No Photos, originally uploaded by satanslaundromat
Wal-Mart, among other photo printers, are increasingly refusing to print photographs which look too professional:
Photofinishing labs increasingly are refusing to print professional-looking photographs taken by amateurs.
The reason: Photofinishers are afraid of infringing on professional photographers' copyrights.
...
It happened to David Watson earlier this year as he tried to get old photos of his mother printed for her funeral. The photos were of his mother, taken years ago by family members, some since deceased.
Like Helmick, he had uploaded them to Walmart.com, then went to pick them up at his local Wal-Mart in Charlotte, Mich. Watson said the manager of the photo department "felt" that three of the photos were possibly taken professionally. One of the photos in question was of his mother 50 years ago.
It seems that the Professional Photographers of America has some hand in this trend, who has worked hard behind the scenes to protect its' member's copyright:
The trade group sent a wake-up call to the photofinishing industry when, in 1999, it sued Kmart Corp., alleging that the discount store violated federal copyright law by copying images without the permission of the copyright owners.
In 2000, Kmart settled the case by paying $100,000 and agreeing to implement procedures to guard against the unlawful copying of professional photos.
While trying to protect your business plan is natural, in the age of digital (and photobloggers), the lines between amateur and professional are increasingly blurry. A traditional income stream for professional photographers has been to retain full copyright of the work and sell prints to their customer. Obviously, this business plan needs updating.
Now, not many in the NYC-area will be printing from Wal-Mart, but has anyone had any troubles with printing their digital photos? Which printer - in and out of the city - do you use and would recommend? Here are some links to other photo printers culled from the (in no particular order), CafePress, LuLu.com, DPC Prints, Smug Mug, Print Room, & White House CC.
comments
Miller Photographic (mpix.com) has a great product, although they charge a little much for shipping. The metallic and true B&W prints are very nice as are the standard archival prints with matte surface -- they have a heavier backing than most places and frame up with fewer wrinkles or bulges.
posted by Tom at 2005/06/07
I've had good experiences with Adorama. Their prints are great quality and super cheap. A 4x6 is only $0.19! You can upload your images to their website (adorama.com) and either pick up or have them shipped within about 48 hours. The images are saved there, so you can re-print them at will. The only bad thing is that they close at 6PM - which is tough if you live in Brooklyn. But, they do have Sunday hours.
posted by
Flavorphoto at 2005/06/07
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