Recent posts from the websites of professional photographers have highlighted an ongoing issue in the world of digital image creation of which designers, photographers, and their clients should be aware: the fauxtographer. A fauxtographer is someone who uses another photographer’s images on their website or in their portfolio and claims it as their own work. This is theft. Often these thieves are are newbies on the digital photography scene who are trying to jumpstart their photography career before putting in the time to build a portfolio, but their actions are not only illegal, unethical, and unfair to their fellow photographers, but also unfair to clients who think they’ve booked a seasoned professional to shoot their wedding, but have actually purchased the services a two-bit fraud at a professional rate.
Read this article from Allebach Photography for tips on spotting and avoiding fauxtographers. AAS Arts is also happy to recommend some trusted professional photographers to our clients and community.