I’m unsure why, but DPReview Is Against Photographers Receiving Credit for Their Work. All of this has come to a head with my banishment from DPReview forums due to an obvious feud I have with moderator Mako2011. Yesterday I posted a link to my recent blog post titled, Even Digital Camera World Doesn’t Give Photographers Credit, in the DPReview Open Talk forum. It’s a post highlighting how Digital Camera World regularly leaves the photographer’s credit off photos used by the online magazine. The Blog post goes into detail on why a credit line is so important for photographers who have an interest in building a career. I’ve been writing about this issue for over ten years now. The entire blog post is all about HELPING other photographers. My banishment from DPReview is for “promoting myself.” In a nutshell, if you can’t get publishers to give you fair market value for your images, you certainly better get something in return, and that’s where a credit line comes in. As far as I’m concerned, the Blog post was a community service message. But not according to Mako2011.
I mention in the Blog post that it was 45+ years of a credit line that reads © Daniel J Cox/naturalexposures.com that has allowed me to segue from a career of selling photos to a career of teaching photography.
Apparently, Mako2011, the Open Talk forum moderator on DPReview thinks somehow educating his readers on the issues of making a living at photography is too self-promotional. How, in the name of Benjamin, does educating others about the business side of photography qualify for promoting myself and my website? And that’s apparently what moderator Mako2011 thinks I was doing. How many photographers who’ve actually made their full-time living from photography frequent these forums? Very few. And if Mako2011 would survey his readers, I would bet the vast majority appreciate true professionals joining the conversations and sharing their knowledge.
Below is a screenshot of the first time I was banned and the short note at the top of why I was banned this time. No information on this ban as to why he decided to block me. In my last ban, he mentions, “User was banned in the past for posting numerous threads promoting his commercial website in the body of his posts.” Mako2011 goes on to say that I have been “promoting and pushing folks to his site…offers paid tours, referral links and such”. Part of this is correct, like “Paid Tours” that are virtually all sold out. Nobody can get on our tours by coming through our website. “Referral links?” That’s completely fabricated. I’ve NEVER had advertising on my website, unlike DPReview, which has advertising everywhere. And his most pointed accusation, “and such” WTH is “and such?” Maybe this is the section he throws all other things into, like his jealousy factor.
Maybe this guy should have checked my 1132 Total Messages on DPReview with 70 threads I started that had nothing to do with self-promotion. Most were about settings and camera info that has been helpful to others. Every once in a while, my thread is short and to the point, with a link to my blog with an extended article. Does this guy really think I’m going to rewrite the entire subject for DPReview when it’s already on my blog? That’s what Mako2011 seems to have his underwear in a bundle about.
Anyway, I have no plans to contest my banishment. As far as I’m concerned, it’s good riddance to Mako2011. One guy has the power to be Judge, Jury, and executioner to the detriment of the others who follow DPReview.
By the way– Gear Patrol, the new owner of DPReview, might be interested in how readers are affected by this one overzealous moderator Mako2011. You can email Gear Patrol’s Chief Content Officer, Ben Bowers, at bbowers@gearpatrol.com. It would be helpful if he understood how one guy can affect his new business. Give him the link to this blog post.