Unexpected Truth About Reference Photos
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“You stole my friend’s idea!”
– I expected to hear this while bracing myself for the upcoming storm. However, let’s not run ahead of ourselves. Let’s see... how has it all begun?
This story took place on June 16, 2019, at Comic-Con in Munich. It was my very first exhibition. To say I was worried is an understatement. I struggled to smile and to look confident as I had no idea what to expect.
People passed by my stand. A few stopped and browsed through my products, and even fewer struck a conversation. One guy reached out to my winter pigs’ postcard saying that the frozen soap ball looked a lot like his friend’s photo. That’s when my heart sank. I found that reference on pixabay that provides pictures for free for commercial use. So I knew I had the right to use it, but at that moment all I could think about was:
“Oh my god! This photo must have been stolen from another website! I had no right to use it!”
My mind was spiraling while the guy was painstakingly slowly looking through his smartphone. And of course, he produced the exact photo I used as a reference for my artwork. I was mortified, expecting the worst. There was no point in denying it, so I nodded, my heart sinking even deeper. But wait… he was smiling! He wasn’t mad at me. He said:
“My friend will be excited to see your artwork!”
Wait, WHAT?! Excited?! I couldn’t process it. He bought the postcard and left. I was standing there alone, trying to wrap my mind around it: “His friend will be excited.”
My postcard
The very next day, that postcard reached the photographer. She DMed me on Instagram.
“Hey
My friend brought me a postcard from you. He got it from Comic-Con. I am so happy that you make such great artwork, also with pictures of mine! Just wanted to say thank you! I was really happy and excited when I recognized that you used my picture from pixabay for the cute artwork.
Best wishes”
I was speechless. I’ve read that message again and again, so unexpected it was. She was happy I chose her photo over all the rest as the reference.
That wonderful lady made my artwork possible, and I made her happy, even if for a moment. That’s a kind of interaction between an artist and a photographer to strive for. And all it took was getting a reference image from a reliable source, not Google or Pinterest, where ownership and rights are not clear. Look for the websites which clearly state what you can and cannot do with the images they have. If you don’t know any reliable sources, then check out this list of my favourite free stock photo websites.
P.S. Do you look for references online or prefer to use your own pictures?
Be confident!
Yours,
Tatiana
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Hello!
My name is Tatiana Kuvaldina.
I am a colour expert.
My purpose is to help creatives like you to build their confidence one colour exercise at a time.
Let’s talk more on Instagram
Find me @tkuva_illustrates
