Saturday, April 4, 2009

BACKTRACKING...

Ok, it's Spring 2009... I'm late, but Im gonna play catchup... Let's go back to January 2009.
Something I would like to share with you all, then you can be the judge..

On Saturday, January 10, 2009, I did a private photoshoot to upgrade my portfolio with Lucas Pics. Husband and wife team, Luke Jones and Maddy Jones (she is the editor of Plus Model Magazine, online mag exclusively for the aspiring plus model).

Weeks prior to the shoot, I emailed Maddy and told her I wanted my pics converted to black/white or grayscale because I am putting together my own personal modeling website... and I also told her I bought a tutu, and I wanted to shoot something avant garde and different.. She told me the background was white, instead of the usual gray (I have shot with them before)..

So I show up and show out like I normally do... and this is the result of what came out (pics are not retouched)...
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Two weeks later, this is what showed up on the cover of the February issue of Plus Model Mag...
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SEE ANY SIMILARITIES TO MY SHOOT/CONCEPTS?

#1. The model was styled by the editor of the magazine..Maddy Jones.
#2. Did she steal my concept from the January 10th photoshoot?
#3. Is this lack of creativity from someone you would expect to have creativity since her magazine reflects the style and essence of the curvy model?

Opinions please... don't hold back!

9 comments:

  1. W/out a doubt, there are SIMILARITIES. It's quite obvious that you are the one who came up with the idea from the start. Ms. Jones 'claims' to be a professional, but from this, I beg to differ. I'm sure that there are others out there, she's wrong as well. Hopefully, they will come forward & expose Ms. Jones for what she really is. Taking CREDIT for someone else's work, isn't pretty. I'll like to tell Ms. Jones & others like her...What's done in the dark, WILL come to the light.

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  2. My question would be...did you talk to her two weeks later? If so, what was her response?

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  3. I told her the magazine was cute, just to see what she would say, and her response, "thanks"

    She don't care... trust me!

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  4. It seems to me that the idea was obviously stolen. What Plus Model Magazine has is a "knockoff".

    Unfortunately it seems that you're going through what so many designers go through when places like H&M sell designs that are obviously the same as the high priced better quality merchandise sold in high end department stores.

    Since ideas don't generally have a copyright, it's easy to steal them. Unfortunately it's a lesson learned, the hard way. This person is obviously not trust worthy.

    I would suggest having someone draw up an agreement for you that you have photographers sign and date before taking your photos (or even giving your ideas to them)stating that they're not allowed to use your ideas for any other purpose than YOUR portfolio. A kind of non-disclosure agreement.

    If she was going to use this idea of yours, she should have just made you the cover of the magazine!!

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  5. Glowing Faces...girl, if I ever make it big, and I do mean make it BIG, I'm hiring you on the spot to run my p.r. dept.. girl you are so DEAD ON!

    Lesson learn, get your stuff copyrighted.. I had no idea.. the crazy part is, a few months prior to this, the editor, Maddy, asked me in an email if I would consider being a stylist in the future for her magazine.. I told her I would consider once my production, "Miss NYC Plus" was over, because I was working my tail off trying to get the show finished...

    But after seeing what she did for the February cover, I said I could never work with her... she is NOT trustworthy...

    Had she sent me an email after the shoot, telling me that she admires my look and she wants to experiment on another model for the February cover, I would have been glad to help her style the model... Hell I would have lent my tutu to the model (the model is wearing a fluffed up petticoat which is NOT a tutu... if you are gonna copy, at least do it the right way..this look does not translate high fashion or edgy at all, which she was obviously trying to do)...

    She doesn't respect me.. a simple email asking me to help would have been great, but as Ive learned, this was a snake move... and NO, she would never make me the cover model because she has to answer to a clique of friends who do NOT want to see me shine... hateration at its finest... but its ok... I will be on a cover of a REAL magazine in the future... What goes up, must come down! This will bite her in the ass...

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  6. I am so glad you decided to stand up for yourself and talk about this issue. You have a wonderful sense of creativity and your ideas are right on point. It is very obvious that she saw this when she did your shoot. The least she could have done was given you your props on how good your idea was and asked your premission to use it, citing you as the creative mind behind the concept. It is very shameful that someone who is suppose to be professional would sink this low and pass your concept off as her own.

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  7. I agree w/ glowing faces. Why did'nt she use you for the cover? It would have come out better! I am glad you are speaking out about it as well. We don't know how many people she has done this to before and maybe the blog will stop her from doing it again. If she has to steal concepts then maybe she should be in a different business.

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  8. Well there is not much that I can add that hasn't already been said. She apparently has no creative thoughts of her own so she decided to steal your creativity. Not only did she steal your idea she oh to happy to blatantly put it in your face that she did it by publishing the magazine cover less than 2 weeks after your photo shoot.

    Unfortunately this is a lesson learned for you but knowledge is power and this will add to your armor against people who will try and stop your shine.

    Karma is a mutha so she'll get hers in the end.

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  9. Yeah looking at it you surly did get jacked! The is such a thing as coincidence, but this isnt one of them... But just like in any other arena most people on top get their ideas from people coming up who are fresher and bring new ideas to the table. That goes with music, fashion, business and the list goes on... All you can do is say that seeing your idea on a cover of a magazine must mean that you are doing something correct and you need to keep up the good work and take it up a notch so that you will get the credit next time.

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