Take-a-View competition

jerry12953

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Jeremy Moore
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Anybody here entered this apparently very prestigious competition, the brainchild of a very well-known landscape photographer?

If so, they may be interested to learn that if their entry gets through to the shortlist, it may be used by any one of the national tourism agencies, for any reason, and no payment will be offered!:shake:

For further information have a look at www.copyrightaction.com, where the offending paragraph of the conditions of entry can be found. Or just log on to www.take-a-view.co.uk and look at Paragraph 16.

Furthermore they accept sponsorship from VisitWales (aka Wales Tourist Board) which runs a notorious copyright grab on all their freelance photographers.:thumbsdown:
 
I think it's fairly standard now, the use is limited to use in connection with the comp.
 
Read the small print!

The tourist authorities can use any image free of charge for any purpose until December 31st 2009. By which time, of course, there will be another competition running! In practice it is only the shortlisted entries that will be available at high enough resolution to be useful.

One might have thought that the very well known landscape photographer behind this project would have the photographers interests at heart. :(
 
Yes, with credit. I still don't see the problem - if you don't like the T&Cs vote with your feet, don't enter :shrug:

These comps are designed to bring in promotional materal, it's a marketing tool...

Anyone making a living from photography will likely consider the T&Cs and make a judgement on entering or not. They can still sell the shot elsewhere and a win might helps sales. But traditionally comps are the domain the of amateur, can provide good exposure and lead to paid work and sometimes even a career.

I really don't see what the fuss is all about, the T&Cs are clear and nobody is being forced to accept them against their will, are they?
 
if you don't like the T&Cs vote with your feet, don't enter

I didn't. But if one did enter, and you pay for the privelege, the last thing one would expect six months later is to find your pic in a tourist brochure and not to have been paid for it.

It is a trap for the unwary.
 
You seem to be suggesting that the comp was set up in some kind of underhand way? As I said, the T&Cs are pretty standard.

Unwary isn't really the best way to describe someone who didn't read the T&Cs but ticked the box to say they had and agreed to them. Being kind I'd say they were a fool.
 
You seem to be suggesting that the comp was set up in some kind of underhand way? As I said, the T&Cs are pretty standard.

Unwary isn't really the best way to describe someone who didn't read the T&Cs but ticked the box to say they had and agreed to them. Being kind I'd say they were a fool.

What I am suggesting is that the competition may have been set up with the best of intentions but in order to fund it, the organisers may have entered into a rather dodgy agreement with some of the sponsors. The losers will be those who pay to enter the competition, don't read the small print, see their pictures being published to promote tourism somewhere in the UK, and don't receive a penny.
 
Need to think out side the box here, me thinks. If your pics are used then it could be a stepping board to greater things. You'll be able to add whatever agency to your client portfolio.
 
Need to think out side the box here, me thinks. If your pics are used then it could be a stepping board to greater things. You'll be able to add whatever agency to your client portfolio.

But isn't that like saying to yourself

"Oh, if I give them this photo to use however they like (or actually, if I pay them to use my photo...), they might use me again in the future." ?

My point really is that photographers get ripped off in so many ways, that we could do without this kind of competition.
 
I see on the competitions forum here that Curry's ran a competition with similar T&C's and following pressure from photographers (!!!!!) the T&C's were changed.

You might expect a commercial outfit like Curry's to try this on, but one run by a respected top name in photography you would expect something better, wouldn't you?
 
You're granting the tourist board a licence to use the pic for a year, then, as it says later on in para 16:

"For any use that falls outside this remit, royalties will be discussed & negotiated with the photographer concerned.

Copyright of each image is retained by its respective photographer."

Which is far, far fairer than the Currys T&Cs were... As said, if you don't like the t&C's, don't enter:)
 
"Oh, if I give them this photo to use however they like (or actually, if I pay them to use my photo...), they might use me again in the future." ?

No, that's not what's being said. Listing a national tourist organisation as a client looks good on the CV. Winning high profile comps looks good on the CV.

Entry fees for comps is pretty standard, it generates the prize fund and covers the costs of promotion.

Is it a rip off? No. That would imply deception and intent of which there is no evidence. The T&Cs are clear, someone who enters and is then surprised to find their shot being used 6 months later isn't a victim. They might claim it's a rip off but that won't change the fact that it's their own fault for agreeing to the terms in the first place.
 
It looks like I'm flogging a dead horse on this one....

Maybe the T&C's are not as bad as the Curry's competition, but I've confirmed with the organisers that the sponsors can use any entry free of charge for whatever reason until December 31st 2009.

Now if repro fees were paid, that would be fair. But there is no payment.

I'm sorry, but I call that a rip-off!
 
Well the only answer is to organise your own comp with T&Cs you consider fair then, good luck finding a sponsor ;)
 
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