Yes, Reposting Instagram Photos is a Copyright Violation

“Just because you used #repost, doesn’t mean you didn’t steal it.”

— yours truly

This morning, I woke up to find that yet another one of my photographs was reposted by a major company on Instagram.

So let's be real - when my photographs are resposted, I'm flattered. Truly. But as more and more of my photographs are reposted, often times with no credit to me at all, I find myself becoming, errrr.... irritated... to say the least.

I love Instagram.

It's a place to express myself, become inspired, and showcase my work. What I don't love is how large companies are taking advantage of the content we work so hard to create.

Before platforms such as Instagram, companies had to create all of their own content. That means they had a budget and had to spend money, time, and other resources on creating advertising campaigns. Now, they can (and do) steal content right off of Instagram, effectively maintaining a very influential social media marketing campaign with little to no cost at all.

On the one hand, we see a #repost as a compliment and oftentimes a goal. On the other hand, we tend to forget that this is our content; we (and by we, I mean every single one of us that takes a picture, whether professional or not, and whether with a DSLR or an iPhone) hold a copyright to it and that copyright has value.

But, in reality, companies are benefiting from your hard work in a way that is unlike any other time in the history of photography. They have free content because we let them steal it. They have more to gain from your hard work than you do from their repost. So start protecting your creativity and hard work, because in a past life, it was worth a lot. In this life, it still can be.

Think about that.

The Perfect Everyday Necklace

“A woman can be overdressed, but never over elegant.”

— Coco Chanel

I've been searching for the perfect, everyday necklace for years now. Not kidding - YEARS. Unless I'm getting dressed up for a specific occasion, I don't wear much jewelry. So when I started seeing celebrities wear those barely-there gold and rose gold necklaces, I knew what my soulmate looked like. Of course, that was the easy part. The hard part was finding it.

I very rarely make impulse purchases. Instead, I will spend an unreasonable amount of time waiting for stars to align for the things that will stay with me for years. And so my search for my necklace began, during which I ran into two problems:

1. Finding jewelry companies that made delicate, barely-there jewelry. I kept coming across bulky chains and large charms. They just weren't right.
2. Finding jewelry companies that made delicate, barely-there jewelry that I could afford. Even when I managed to find the perfect necklace, they were $1,000 and up. No. Thank you.

So when I happened upon a boutique in Miami called Eberjey, I nearly yelped out loud with joy because there it was! The perfect, delicate, barely there rose gold necklace at a price I could afford. At $325, I had to have it. So I did what any girl would do who has a boyfriend that couldn't decide what to get his girlfriend for Christmas: I went home and told my boyfriend, who couldn't decide what to get me for Christmas, that I found the perfect necklace. Having helped me with my years long search for said necklace, the first words out of his mouth were "Let's go get it."

And so here we are! I've been wearing my Ginette NY 18 carat rose gold necklace day and night for almost three months now. It's perfect: it's a delicate accent to my neck and collarbone area and it gives my every day look a touch of elegance. According to Ginette NY - discreet yet striking.

So now onto my next task: finding the perfect every day bag for my photography gear. Sigh.