So Peyton’s cute little picture with her Phillip Lim scarf went viral.
You read right, 302,715 likes and 5,320 shares! Crazy huh? That is just one of the zillion posts out there! Folks are claiming to be her mom or that’s their baby. I have the best friends and followers in the world because they are tagging me and letting me know what is going on. My phone has been blowing up with folks tagging me, text messages and emails. Am I supposed to be happy? Well I’m not. I’ve been totally weirded out. This blog is almost 3 years old and has grown tremendously with out viral pictures. My goal is not to be famous. I just love fashion, especially for Peyton so I like to share it.
While i’m holding my baby tight in my arms, the photographer that we have been using is running around making sure she gets credit for her “work”. I get it.. you’re a photographer but relax! Pictures get posted all the time, we use them on our blogs. I hired her to take my daughter’s pictures for my blog. I guess she owns Peyton now… she is her “work”. Be careful who you hire to take pictures of your family. People see an opportunity and morals go out the door. SMH. Make sure you have a contract and agreement in place when you shoot with a photographer. Discuss how they would use your pictures. Don’t sign a photo release form that gives them permission to do as they wish with your pictures. So we will be going to be back to having mama as the photographer again. I did get a new camera though.
While the photographer is chasing pictures, this happened….
I’m wonder if the photographer wants credit for this? WTH? Some punk freak is posting Peyton’s picture as his cover photo, profile and all through his timeline. He shared them from my Facebook page so I thought if I deleted them they would go away. But the profile and cover photo’s didn’t. I sent him several messages asking him to remove. What does he do… changes the picture to another one of her photos. SOB! If you are freaked out.. mad… and want to put them Paws on him… imagine how I feel. SICK! Like, I’m going to throw up. I’ve reported each photo as many ways as I could. Still nothing. No help from Facebook. So I need your help to report this filthy guy! Click HERE for EBOW KENNEDY’s to report and block his profile.
First thing that came over me was that this is all my fault. I started this blog, with my cute baby girl posing in cute outfits. It was bound to happen. But then I thought about it after crying buckets of tears, it wasn’t. This could happen to ANYBODY! If you have ever posted any of your kids anywhere, this could happen to you. You may even shut down your FB but the images still remain. Everything that hits the web is here for life! What do we do? Bust up all our laptops, go back to old flip phones and hide in a corner? I refuse. I’m going to do what ever I can to let folks it’s not cool to stalk their children whether they have a blog or not. We should be able to get online freely with out worrying about these perverts. I will keep you posted on my progress on getting this resolved.
I’m pissed, upset and sad. So many lessons I am learning during all this. While I have pretty tough skin, this is my baby and I’m trying not to get all Remy from Higher Learning on folks. LOL! Have you had any problems with web stalking, catfish or on Facebook? Any tips or suggestions? Would you be upset too?
Shalanda Turner
October 28, 2013 at 6:53 pmI can’t believe people are actually that crazy….wow….
TeRea S.
October 28, 2013 at 7:06 pmI am sorry this is happening to you! I can only imagine how you feel bc I have two babies too and thought about posting them on my blog. Not so much now! That is just absolutely disgusting!
Who is that Girl Mo?
October 28, 2013 at 7:07 pmWow! That is sad. Hopefully it will die down soon and everything will return to normal. 🙂 And I would definitely be upset. Smart move for getting rid of the photographer.
Mo
luvlymskrissy
October 28, 2013 at 7:26 pmI believe it because this happens with Jas’s pictures. Folks take her pics and post and use them how they want. I try and take it as a compliment.
imani1029
October 28, 2013 at 7:32 pmTrina, try this link. https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/456046581124903 Also, ask whomever posted the viral picture to take it down immediately. Threaten legal action. That should get people moving.
Candace
October 28, 2013 at 7:36 pmWow.. That is so creepy.. I tried to report the photo on Facebook. I hope it gets removed. I am so sorry this happened to you.
YaYa R
October 28, 2013 at 7:47 pmI saw Peyton’s picture on someone else’s Instagram and recognized her immediately. I would definitely be upset that random strangers have my child’s picture on their Facebook and as their FB header. I hope you get the issue resolved.
dela belle k
October 28, 2013 at 8:05 pmOMG! I just started adding my little jellybean to my blog and she loves it. I would be soo pissed about this! I am so glad I read this! Keep us posted on what we need to do to prevent this. I will do more research on this subject as well. Thanks for the awareness! Something has to be done honey! Sorry y’all are going through this.
http://www.delabellesbeautyblog.com
Frugal Shopaholics
October 28, 2013 at 8:10 pmWatermark your pics in places that can’t be cropped or photo-shopped out
Aracely @ Mama Fashion Files
October 28, 2013 at 8:10 pmI’m sorry you’re dealing with this! I reported the pervert! I hope you can get this resolved quickly it sounds like your taking the necessary steps. I’d totally be upset if this happened to me. You have some sick people out there.
caramelchica
October 28, 2013 at 8:17 pmI’m sorry you’re dealing with this! As someone who’s modeled, I’m used to discovering my own picture in random, unexpected places, but I’m not sure how I would feel about my babies. I guess it would depend upon the context/usage. You have every right to be upset.
I hope you find resolution for everything soon!
Kita
October 28, 2013 at 8:20 pmGirl I can’t believe this I have seen Peyton’s picture on about 5 different sites already myself (they had the link back to your site) a shame people are so sick. I only put a few pictures of my kids and I am now thinking I need to do it sparingly. As for the photographer once you pay someone and they release the photos to you that should be all that needs to be done you paid for the service I gave you the goods. So glad I have a decent camera for my kids because I can’t. I reported and shared hope FB does something soon.
NikG
October 28, 2013 at 8:22 pmIt’s sad to see you going through this. This right here is the reason I’m assuming I see lots of bloggers (very popular bloggers at that) not post pictures of their children showing their faces and/or not using their “government names”. Anything any of us put out there of ourselves and even our children, is there for grabs and it’s unfortunate that people take advantage of it. At the end of the day, it’s there because we put it there. I guess it’s similar to the dilemma of parents who are putting there kids into entertainment business. It’s comes with a lot of positives and negatives, unfortunately. 🙁
http://www.NikGLifeAndStyle.com
melissa ward
October 28, 2013 at 8:31 pmo noooo i hope it all works out for you we all love peyton
Alexandra Severini
October 28, 2013 at 8:36 pmJust reported the posts he had of her – sick! I’m so sorry to hear about this, Trina.
RChelle Mullins
October 28, 2013 at 8:40 pmI saw P’s picture posted on other folks IG accounts and they weren’t giving you credit so I try to always tag you. People are really gross and it’s sad shame you have to fight with perverts, ugh so gross! Sorry about the greedy insensitive photog and I really hope this all gets worked out.
Shana
October 28, 2013 at 8:55 pmCrazy! I reported/blocked that creep this morning after reading your post on facebook. I knew something was strange when I saw P’s picture on an instagram page a couple of weeks ago and they never mentioned you at all and I tagged you on that as soon as I saw it. Idiots.
Anonymous
October 28, 2013 at 8:55 pmI am soooo sorry. I just shared this picture and said that I would want my little snucka snucka to dress like this. I so apologize. I wish I could take it back. I promise not to share again and I will definitely try to delete that share. This is just made me realize how cautious I have to be with my children’s pictures. Again, I totally apologize for sharing.
Kimberly
October 28, 2013 at 9:06 pmI’m sad, disgusted and pissed for you, and I don’t even have kids…just a super cute nephew! First, it is ABSOLUTELY not your fault. You have no control over creepers and how their sick minds operate. (It’s weird…I’ve been noticing this trend of people sharing and liking cute pics of kids.) As a photographer, I will say that it is definitely important to discuss and sign an agreement over usage rights…both the client’s rights and the photographer’s rights. It’s a shame when things go awry in the business relationship. A child’s safety is more important than fame any day. Unfortunately, the only way to prevent images or other content from being taken and used inappropriately is to not post them online. Even if you disable the ability to right-click on an image, folks can always take a screen shot. Good luck getting this resolved quickly. Just know that your blogger friends are in your corner fighting with you!
Anonymous
October 28, 2013 at 9:22 pmThis is exactly why I stopped posting pics of nieces and nephews. Folks are straight crazy! You have every right to be pissed and report him and any other person doing this mess.
Nia B.
October 28, 2013 at 11:35 pmThis comment has been removed by the author.
Nia B.
October 28, 2013 at 11:37 pmUnreal. It’s scary when you’re kids pictures are all over the internet, but when some weirdo has someone else’s child’s pic as his cover photo, things certainly get elevated to a brand new level. Such an unfortunate situation…
http://www.askniab.com
7eventh Letter
October 28, 2013 at 11:49 pmAwwww Man, Trina. Girl, I am sor sorry for you and your baby girl that this has happened. I have seen two other bloggers share this pic on Instagram but I paid it no mind because a lot of bloggers share pics and know each other. But this is INSANE!!! I feel violated for you. I hope you can get to the bottom of this girl. These kind of losers suck at life. I can’t believe this page is up and live!!! Good Luck Girl.
7eventh Letter
http://www.whatsmoreimportantthanfashion.com
symphonyofsecrets
October 28, 2013 at 11:55 pmEven in wedding photography, the original images belong to the photographer to use in their portfolios unless you have it listed in their contract not to, which photographers normally won’t agree to because that’s how they get new clients (and if they did sign such a contracts where they have no rights to the images, they would expect a much high rate).
Tiffany C
October 29, 2013 at 3:01 amOMGEE Trina. We were just talking about the photos and this gorgeous photo of Peyton going viral and THIS? I am so sorry. It’s scary, You know my boys are out there in photos modeling and such and this is scary stuff. People are so nuts? Keep fighting the good fight. I got your back. Don’t cry, just keep on fighting and blocking, and watermarking. xx
Jill
October 29, 2013 at 11:34 amthis is just weird, why does he want Peytons picture on his FB page??
Kamadiva
October 29, 2013 at 11:49 amThis is crazy! You can protect your photos on your site from being copied or even saved. Look into that!
KeeKee
October 29, 2013 at 1:29 pmWow! I’m so sorry you are going through this. I pray you get this resolved as soon as possible! People are really creeps AND selfish (that damn photographer)!
LoveBrownSugar
October 29, 2013 at 1:47 pmTrina, hang in there mama. I know how frustrating this probably is. I sometimes find random pics of myself on Tumblr and online sites and even though I’m happy for the exposure (though they often don’t link the original source anyway) it does leave you feeling a little violated. So I can’t imagine how angry you are that people are doing this to your baby girl. I would literally want to slice somebody for that. Not only is it your intellectual property but that’s your baby girl! Just know that you are not alone. We are all on the look out for P’s pics. I’ve reported that stalker guy to Facebook as well. Stay positive and know that you are inspiring up and coming mommies like myself with your story, despite how frustrating it is. There is still good coming of It!
CurlyHead
October 29, 2013 at 3:44 pmCrrrrrrraaaaaazy and scary at the same damn time!! I know you are going nuts about this. The icing on the cake was that fb profile though. We all know pics are going to spread like wildfire but for people to claim that’s their baby, etc or using her image as their profile or cover photos and you’re not even affiliated or know her is just bogus! Major creep life!! You know I’m on it and will keep you informed anytime I see her pics. Hang in there Trina, you will get this situation under control.
Reginia - PoisedinPrint.com
October 29, 2013 at 4:05 pmI am so sorry that this happened. I’ve seen little P’s pic everywhere even with your logo. The photographer is less than professional and this creep makes me want to hunt him down in Ghana. It’s unacceptable. Perhaps we shall share his pics and profile to see how he likes that.
Don’t be discouraged. Continue to do well and grow your brand.
Reginia - PoisedinPrint.com
October 29, 2013 at 4:06 pmPS. I know an awesome attorney in Atlanta if you need one. He shuts things down quickly.
Laila @OnlyLaila
October 29, 2013 at 5:44 pmSo sorry to hear that this is happened to you. But am thankful you are sharing your experience so that others can learn from it.
Nicky (NickyGoGlam.com)
October 29, 2013 at 7:26 pmI am sorry to hear that you are upset like this! Yes, I would be upset about the freaky guy posting her picture and having it as his cover photo. And yes, about the photographer’s morals going out of the window. Peyton is a beautiful little girl, and so many of your readers (including me) love to see her pictures and yours. I have not shared this picture, but I can see why so many people would share it. It’s a fantastic shot of her. And you styled her so beautifully. I think the misuse of her photo is wrong, but I think your amazing eye for fashion and styling your daughter is a wonderful blessing and talent that you have. I always try to find the bright side of things, and although, the creepy guy and people lying about her being their child is disgusting, it also goes to show how talented you are and how beautiful Peyton is. Some people are liars, cheats, snakes, and there is nothing you can do about that. It’s great that you added your signature to her photo. You have a lot of readers and I think if we all try to help in some way, we can get facebook to listen up. You can also contact help me howard. Have you thought about going on the news to get the picture taken down? That might open up another can of worms as well. I do hope that these issues get resolved soon, and FB responds to you. Maybe with all of your readers helping out and reporting his page, it might just do the trick. There is power in numbers and also power in prayer. I hope things get better soon. Blessings to you and sending prayers up as well. xoxo.
Adrienne
October 29, 2013 at 7:37 pmYour real friends are rocking with you!! Remember that 😉
Kathy
October 29, 2013 at 7:37 pmYes I saw your daughter’s picture in my timeline and was going to email you about it being on some photographers website but when I saw that he had tagged your site as where it was from, I thought you had approved it. I was very surprised to see how many likes that it had got and I was happy for you. I thought this was something that you guys had worked out together. There are truly freaks out there that will “try” to make you life difficult. So sorry you are going through this.
Kim Porter
October 29, 2013 at 9:16 pmI’m very sorry to hear this happened to you. I know some parents would be ecstatic because they’ve come this close to having their 15 minutes. This is the exact thing I fear, and why I don’t post pics of my daughter on the web. I don’t believe random strangers should have access to them.
GirlsAreDolls
October 29, 2013 at 11:33 pmOmg….people are weird.
I hope you get everything worked out.
I was hesitant about posting pics of my niece and nephews on my blog because of people out there.
Carmen Alexandra
October 30, 2013 at 12:12 amPeople are terrible, YES! but I think the photographer wanting credit is nothing spiteful, just as you would want credit for it being your child, it’s also her picture. I personally loved the picture and submitted it to blackfashion.co’s tumblr where it has over 16,000 notes. As bad as it sound, pictures posted on the internet are public domain, if you put it out there you personally risk the world seeing it whether you get credit or not
Rochelle Sodipo Washington
October 30, 2013 at 1:02 amI’m so sorry that this has happened to your family. My thoughts are with you. The internet is a gift and a curse. However, if the “photographer” has loose business ethics, please believe and understand that karma is real. She cannot and will not prosper operating that way.
Krystal
October 30, 2013 at 2:36 ami understand that you are frustrated over this situation. However, when I went to report the photos I noticed that the man’s pictures had your watermark on them meaning that he actually took them from your website and not from the photographer. Any person would be disgusted in this exact situation, but photographer’s put their work on social media sites all the time because this is how they ensure work. Anyone with a computer or smart phone can easy copy and paste, or save pictures wherever they please. You should be upset, but it seems like you’re also looking for someone to blame because of your frustration with this man. There are several pictures online that end up in several other places and when you put pictures online you have to assume that anyone in the world will have access to them. I’m sorry that this happened to you, but even if you do the photography yourself there is still a chance of pictures of your daughter ending up in the wrong hands.
Baby Shopaholic
October 30, 2013 at 3:17 amThanks Krystal! I’m not blaming the photog, for the picture being on this man’s page. I’m ok with photos being shared, that’s what we do on blogs and social media. But there should be a level of respect and sensitivity when a parent expresses there concerns about perverts. There is more to the story than what I shared. If I told you more you would be really appalled by what else is going on behind the scenes. Let’s just say my lawyers are involved now. Thank you for your support.
Carly Walko
October 30, 2013 at 4:32 pmahhh…I am so enraged for you…kind of has me rethinking Connors toddler style posts…why are people so freaking HORRIBLE!
Thinking of you and beautiful Peyton…
C
Kinna LeBlanc
October 30, 2013 at 6:43 pmTrina, oh nooooooo! OMG, I cannot believe this happened to you and Peyton. Wow, I am at such a loss for words. but yes, I tell my middle school students this ALL the time. once you hit “upload” you can kiss it and your rights goodbye. Do you remember that Dave Chapelle Internet skit? it’s real! Of course I will help in flagging this creep-a-zoid for you. And you go right back to being the photographer and keep up with those watermarks in the CENTER of your photos 😉
PS he could never produce something as immaculate as Peyton 😉
deesibecool
October 31, 2013 at 3:07 amI understand your disgust and frustration with that creepy man, but I am having trouble figuring out what the photographer did wrong? It seems like that man got those pictures either from Facebook, which is a legitimate place for a photographer to share their work, or directly from your blog. I don’t think it’s fair to blame this photographer for what that man is doing. She (just like you) had not way of knowing how huge this picture was going to get and DEFINITELY no way of knowing that creepy man would do that. I think you’re being unfair to the photographer because of your fears of your daughter’s image on the internet.
Baby Shopaholic
October 31, 2013 at 11:15 amThank you for you comment. I don’t see how I came off like I am blaming her for the man having the picture up. Maybe I was to brief in my post but there is more to this than I shared but I will share it here. Yes, photographer should get credit (a I paid her). I even told her she could use them on her sites. I have a blog for almost 3yrs that is pretty popular and I would like to continue growing. Not the problem. Problem that I have is there is a moral obligation when you are dealing with people, especially children. I requested that she chill out with her photo hunt and demanding on diff bloggers sites and pages they give her credit while I deal with this creep on FB. Never blamed her! But what does she do? Continue to post pictures of my daughter saying this like “If you see my WORK, let me know”, “Do you see how many times my WORK was shared, finally got my name on these”, “My email is blowing up!”, “I laced these images with some good drugs cuz they are being shared like hot cakes”. I don’t know if you are a mother or not but at the end of the day, my daughter is not someone WORK. She is my daughter. I know the law is that she has copyright but what about customer service? What about morals? I hired her, and for her to disregard my daughter for her gain is very hurtful. While I see my daughters picture on this creeps site, I see her posting more pictures of my daughter with the comments after I asked her to chill out. I’ve had several photo shoots with PROFESSIONAL photographers, images may not have spread like this but the gained a lot of business from other families and businesses. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I think it’s important for parents to know what they need to be aware of.
Beyond the disrespect to my family from someone I hired for a service, there has been some other malice and immature acts done by this photographer. I’m not sure if you are one of the friends she sent to leave comments on my blog (very nasty ones), i’m sure she is not going to share that in her “I didn’t do anything wrong” story. Things have progressed and my lawyer is involved. Meanwhile that creep still has the pictures up.
K.Nicole Williams
November 1, 2013 at 5:38 pmI hate that you’re going through this. As a mother I wouldn’t want someone using pictures of my children in ways I didn’t authorize.
I’m going to voice a dissenting opinion to most of the posters, but it is an honest one and I hope you see the advice, albeit unsolicited, in it. When you hire a photographer most times you sign a release agreement and they are entitled to use your photos for their portfolio and publicity. You telling her not to post anymore of the pictures because you’re dealing with someone snatching your pics, could be impeding her business. Also, you have/had pics of your daughter on your site and anyone could take and use those pictures in ways you do not like. Is it right or fair, no, but it is what it is.
A lawyer could also argue that because of your blog and the subject matter therein that you don’t have a “reasonable expectation of privacy” in not only the photographer’s pictures of your daughter, but all pictures of your daughter on the site. Although, you said that your expectation was/is not to go “viral” with pictures of your daughter, you run a very popular blog and show pictures of your daughter on various social media sites. Your entire brand and blogger capital is based partially on your ‘fashionable’ pictures of your daughter. I think if this is truly an issue for you, you should re-brand yourself as solely a Mom who is a Fashion Blogger and not post any pictures of your daughter anymore.
Also, I don’t know the whole story with the man on FB, but from the posts I can see he’s from another country and it seems English is his first language so maybe you’re also dealing with a bit of a language/culture barrier. Although posting someone else’s child as my FB Header isn’t something I would do unless there were corresponding perverted language going on with it, I think it might have been harmless. But yes he should have acquiesced when you asked him to take the photos down.
Our Delightful Home
November 4, 2013 at 4:12 pmI’m sorry to hear that you are going through this… You have every right to feel this way. As a parent, I know I would feel the same!! Thanks for also sharing this lesson with your readers. I know I appreciate it, and it also gives me a different perspective when working with photographers.
Carissa G
November 6, 2013 at 9:13 pmOMG…this makes me mad…and I guess it really drives home how I need to start using a watermark! Im so sorry this happened to you, but I can understand wanting to SHUT it down because I probably would have thought about the same thing!
Danica Kombol
November 9, 2013 at 5:52 pmTrina, As you know I’m only belatedly learning about this. You know you have the support of me and everyone everywhere!!!!