Community / Dog photographer left feeling ‘sick’ after scammers sell images online
A LOCAL dog lover who has used photos of her well-trained pets to raise money for charity – as well as smiles on people’s faces – says she felt “sick” after seeing scammers use her images without permission in an attempt to make a “quick buck”.
Kaylee Garrick, well known for taking photos of her seven dogs, was alerted to knock-off images being sold via Amazon for between £17 and £20 as part of kits that allow people to make pictures from coloured beads.
Prints of the photos were also spotted being sold through online outlet AliExpress.
Garrick said it “makes me sad seeing someone selling my hard work for personal gain because it goes against every reason as to why I produce my photos in the first place”.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into these shots – constant training, scouting for locations, often tears when my kit decides to fail when I’m all the way up a hill in the middle of nowhere,” she added.
“The dogs and my work is something I take a lot of pride in and it gives me great pleasure knowing how much joy my photos bring to people when they see them.
“It’s not about money for me – it never has been. It’s about bringing a bit of good in this world and god knows, we need it right now. The only time my shots are ever sold is when it comes to producing the calendar, and all that I make from that goes to charity.”
However, fans of her photos launched into action and it seems their work has paid off, with some of the listings now taken down.
“We seem to have tackled this in the best fashion, through knowledge and sharing on social media,” Garrick said.
“The fans on my Facebook page have been incredible, scouring the Internet for any others who may have used my images without permission and writing letters of complaint to the retailers.
“It feels so good to have the support behind me and by the looks of it, we’re winning the battle against them.”
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