How blatant (and clueless) can these image thieves get?
Low lifes out there steal my photos fairly regularly and I’m sure I don’t even know about most of them. But sometimes when I do find one of my photos that’s been stolen, their thievery is so flagrant and their lies are so infuriating I make it a point to try to make the thief ‘famous’. Especially if they’ve stolen one of my favorite images.
One good turn deserves another.
I took this photo of an adult male Northern Harrier hunting voles at Farmington Bay WMA and posted it to my blog on November 3, 2013. Here’s the link to that post. Because of the menacing look from the bird, it’s one of my favorite Northern Harrier photos so you can be damn sure I remember it and remember it well. Even after all these years.
I belong to a Facebook group called North American Raptors, so every time someone posts a photo to that group it shows up in my FB timeline. You can imagine my reaction when the following post showed up in that group two days ago.
Really, Debbie?
- “He flew right over me!” Yeah, right.
- “This is the best photo I’ve gotten of one”. You’ve gotten? Your proboscis is growing.
- “Washington County, NY” A blatant lie, by about 2230 miles. I took this photo in northern Utah.
- And what happened to my copyright watermark? I know, it fell off. Accidentally.
I didn’t find Debbie’s post until late in the evening so I decided to sleep on it and put off my decision about what, if anything, to do about it until the next day.
This is what I woke up to. It put me over the edge so yes, I made a biting comment on it.
Sometime during the night Harry Ridgeway, moderator of North American Raptors, had made my stolen image the cover photo for North American Raptors. An honor in Debbie’s name. I don’t blame Harry or the folks who gave it positive comments. They had no way of knowing it was stolen.
I suspect a reverse image search on other photos Debbie has posted might be… enlightening.
Note to Debbie and other potential image thieves. It might be a good idea to peruse the membership list of groups you’re about to post a stolen image to, to make sure that the rightful owner of the photo isn’t a member of that group.
Duh…
Ron
PS – When I got up this morning, moderator Harry Ridgeway had removed both of Debbie’s posts of my photo from the group, made my photo of the harrier the cover photo for North American Raptors in my name, and removed Debbie from the group. Thanks, Harry.
Sayonara Debbie.
Late Addendum at 5:50 AM on 2/18/24: If you plan on searching for additional stolen photos on Debbie’s timeline as some others have already done, better hurry. They’re being deleted fast. That’s where screenshots come in handy.
You can ask Facebook to pull all instances of her copyright theft rather than doing a bunch of “legwork” chasing after her yourself. The list of groups someone put together above could be helpful to include. I have a special fondness for male harriers and the shot is stunningly lovely. In the hand, they are almost all feather and talon with light wing loading equivalent to a sharpie.
I did contact the admin of three of the groups that were listed. They have since pulled her pictures. I also was able to contact two people whose pictures she stole and they responded accordingly.
What a lying, thieving, conniving b#&%@! 🤬
Wow, I can’t get more blatant than that. I am glad you called her out, Ron.
Some people may want to take a look at https://www.pixsy.com/
I have a subscription and they are bounty hunters for image thieves, you collect 50% of any fees/fines, they do all the work.
I am so dang sorry this happened Ron. I second/third all the comments about ‘what is WRONG with people”?!?!?!?!?!
Deep breaths….I’m glad you confronted her on her fb page and really really hope her dishonest shenanigans will truly catch up to her and stop her in her tracks.
Ron, it was finding some your harrier photos online (with your information) that first led me to your blog – and I’m very happy that I found it. So somehow the blatant theft of one of those signature photos feels even worse to me. I’m glad that you and others here have called this out and brought attention to it in a public way.
Way to get the thief, Debbie, and have her deleted from others that lie about their bird photos.
One of the things most inspiring about your blog is your ethics – you show us with every photo – how you captured it (not baited, not called in), with your watermark, etc. You don’t reveal where the “prize birds” or raptor nests are. You explain over and over how you approach your subjects (or not) so they are at ease in your presence. You have called out people who are behaving like idiots. And you have exposed others before who have stolen your work. You are a shining point of light in the darkness of the ethics morass, and we should all learn from you. Thank you for this most disturbing post. Harry Ridgeway really should explain, clearly, completely, to all his followers, the seriousness of this case.
That’s high praise, Carolyn. It would be nice to think that I’ve earned at least some of it.
I wouldn’t dispute what you said Harry should have done. On the other hand, it’s his group and I suspect Debbie’s post put him in a bit of a ticklish spot.
Damned infuriating. The is one thing that enrages me every time! I say expose all of them in every way…freakin’ liars, thieves and cheats. Geez. I must leave now to do some deep breathing…
“Geez. I must leave now to do some deep breathing…”
Made me smile, Susan. That’s pretty much how I felt when I first saw her post. I’ve calmed down a little now… 🙂
First – That’s an amazing photo. The character of a harrier cleary comes through. I can see why it’s a favorite.
I’m glad you found and exposed this low-life crook! She’s not even good at theft. Mosr people make some alterations but she only removed your name and watermark. A crook by any standard and incompetent and stupid as well.
Many years ago I had a student who submitted his paper to me. It was very poorly written – inaccurate facts, poor grammar, etc. Far below any standard for a senior-level university Biology course.But two paragraphs were very good. What he didn’t seem to understand was that I read the journals and the research papers they contain. I knew exactly which publication this was from and who the authors were and none of what he submitted was altered. When I confronted him he claimed it was all his work. I showed him the publication, put an F on his paper and as a course grade and told him that I would be submitting this to school authorities as a case of plagiarism. (Even without this his work in the class was so bad that an F was the highest grade I could have given.). I dislike dishonesty be it academic or otherwise and these people need to be exposed and prevented from doing it again, if possible. I’m glad you caught this thief.
Thanks, Dan. You feel the same way about cheating and dishonesty as I do.
Am stunned by your post today Ron. Her complete fabrication is so shocking! Shameful indeed!!! Quick comment on AI – it’s amazing! AND it requires people to pose excellent questions. The next few years are going to be interesting!!!
Also – your photos are SO excellent! They are probably tempting to the frustrated bird photographer who knows s/he will never attain your greatness. 😀
Kathleen, I’m not a fan of AI. It’s scary. Thanks for the kind words about my photos.
I just checked a couple more of her bird pictures and they are also stolen from other photographers. Such a sad and sick individual.
Sure sounds like it, Sharon.
Harry did the right thing, but after reading Susan’s question, I thought he should have done more by publishing a more complete explanation and a warning to his group. I cannot think of a single birder or photographer I know doing something like that. Even using one of your photos without credit is of course wrong in itself, but to post it and claim it as your own is really low.
I hope Ms. Piekarski is aware of your website and right now is reading these comments from your FP followers and feeling the shame. Good work on your part by taking action to expose this person’s thievery.
Thanks, Everett. I suspect she’s well aware that she’s been outed.
First off Ron, it is a fantastic photo! My first time seeing it. Just wish it was under different circumstances. It’s just outrageous.
I went to her Facebook page, and before I saw that some other followers had already called her out, I did so my self.
Good on Alan for hunting down her other posts. Hope she is shamed and hounded out of all these communities.
Michael, thanks for your efforts on my behalf. Some folks have no shame. Hopefully she isn’t one of them.
Ron, thank you for sharing this incident, distressing and all as it is.
I have to admit that it kinda set me off. 🙂
Every year, I teach a course in research and technical communication at Calif. State Univ. Stanislaus (Turlock, CA). One of the first lectures is about ethics, and just ‘good ‘old-fashioned plagiarism. I point out that ethical violations are common in academia, politics, and the public at large, and is not just confined to using someone else’s words w/o attribution. Unauthorized use and misuse of images are every bit as unethical as using someone else’s words as your own.
A key point I make to the students is that because of the growing power of the internet and social media plagiarism is easier and easier to do (and accidentally too for novice/careless writers), but that it is also easier to detect, as happened here re. your beautiful photo from 2013.
I plan to share your blog post with my students as another example of ethical lapses, a particularly egregious example. Finally, I wonder if you could file a civil claim against this individual, especially since the deliberate action that was taken seems aimed to promote a business. You are at least owed a written apology.
Patrick, the emergence of AI has sure made me glad I’m retired from teaching. I hear through the grapevine that many teachers are being driven crazy by it. Some are even resigning, for that very reason.
I’m not holding my breath for an apology.
Your photo is beautiful. I hope this shameful women is forever known as the thief that she is.
Take Care,
Kaye
Thanks, Kaye.
Hi Ron.
AI is indeed a new and challenging development for instructors at all levels, but I use Turnitin on major assignments and it seems to do a pretty good job at screening for problems. If caught early, I can work with students to show them there is a better way.
I’m not on Facebook (anymore), but family members are. They checked to see if she still had your photo posted, but they could not find it. Maybe she at least has learned a lesson.
Pat
Your comment of “Sadly, there’s a significant segment of our population that has no concept of truth. Or honesty. And that segment is growing.” is so true. This incident makes me so mad. Especially after looking at her Facebook page. I wish she could be confronted.
I think she is being confronted, Jonelle. On multiple fronts.
Good way to get “credit” without having to do the actual work I guess…….. 🙁 Stapling the vole to her head sounds good to me!) Even putting your name on the photo by on the cover page is still a problem to me as it seems he didn’t have your permission for that either! Hope enough people get the word about her thieving habits and she gets destroyed big time. Glad you caught it even if infuriating for you.
“it seems he didn’t have your permission for that either”
I’m OK with it Judy, even though you make a valid point. I think he was just trying to make the best of a bad situation.
Since she didn’t even have the wit to photoshop out any details, I’m
wondering if she actually DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT WAS WRONG !
I guess if you “found it on the internet”, some people think “finders
keepers”–now you can slap your own name on it! Galleries and museums worked conscientiously in the past to stop people from
phone-photographing their hangings, but it has become so ubiquitous
that it’s become impossible to police– but this instance is really over the top. I’m sorry this happens to you, and I’m glad she was caught–she really should have been publicly shamed………
“I’m wondering if she actually DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT WAS WRONG”
Kris, these days she’d have to be brain dead to not know it’s wrong. Maybe that’s the case…
Unbelievable. I’d like to staple a vole to her forehead and have your Northern Harrier fly right over her. Well, that’s kind of harsh and cruel, I shouldn’t say that. The poor vole doesn’t deserve to be stapled.
BTW, I went down that rabbit hole you suggested and pursued Debbie’s personal Facebook page. Many of the photos she’s put her watermark on show up all over the internet, many as public domain from years ago, and I suspect she is not the original photographer.
“I’d like to staple a vole to her forehead and have your Northern Harrier fly right over her.”
Mark, I’ll provide the staple gun. And the (dull) staples.
I did the same thing you did. One of “her” Great Horned Owl photos, for example, is on Wikipedia of all places.
Ron, it’s hard to believe someone can be that stupid or desperate. I’m glad you took the time to respond. You may like to know she posted this in other groups as well, here is the list.
Bird Lovers of New York State
The Universe of Colour photography
New York Outdoor Photography
Wildlife and Nature Lovers of New York
Amateur Wildlife and Landscape Photographers – used as banner
photo for the group
Alan, thanks very much for providing a list of other groups she’s posted it to.
Gotta give her credit. She’s a prolific thief.
Now I’ll have to think about how I might respond. But I’m not a member of any of those groups so my hands may be tied. Hopefully the word will get out.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1526062284278255/?paipv=0&eav=Afbi3BBBU9enrmXDfBodaKoOCsSEnvZffYtyshmlNtXaoHNL0iyo4X9wq64tC4yRi4Q&_rdr
Sheesh!
Did you contact the admins of those groups? Thanks for the good research!!
Just curious: when Harry made the corrections, did he by any chance write an explanation of what he had done and why and perhaps even caution folks about violating copyright laws??
He didn’t, Sue. This is all he said.
“Thank you, Ron Dudley, for this excellent cover shot, and sorry about the mixup yesterday.”
He told me that he’d removed her from the group in a private message.
But my pointed comment on her post had been there all day and part of the night so I’m sure that many members of the group know what happened. Several actually commented on it and let their dismay be known publicly.
In my opinion, his apparent cowardice only compounds the mendacity.
I wouldn’t argue with you.
Shameful. What is wrong with people?
Good question, Jimmy.
This is so astonishing to me. This is more blatant than any thieving I could have imagined. I’ve seen thieving where the thief is trying to make money from an image, but to steal an image, pretend it is your own, write a blurb about having taken the image–all to collect likes and comments…? It beggars belief.
It’s hard to figure, isn’t it Sharon.
Sadly, there’s a significant segment of our population that has no concept of truth. Or honesty. And that segment is growing.
Thanks in no small part to certain politicians! Grrr! Sorry – I shouldn’t bring politics to your site, so delete if you wish. I’ll understand.
Tony, I had a hard time not bringing it up myself.