I truly do not understand what it is that makes people think it's alright to steal another person's hard work and creativity. Photography is, or at least should be, a creative industry, and yet people can't be bothered to write their own words and thoughts. There really is no excuse.

A few points I'd like to make, addressing the usual excuses I hear from those whom I catch red-handed:

- "I didn't know you wrote that text or I wouldn't have used it."

Huh? My response to that is, "You know YOU didn't write it yourself. Whether I wrote it, or Johnny Walker in Greenland wrote it, it's plagiarism if you use text written by ANYBODY else without their permission. Period."

- "I figured it was OK to use it since the text isn't on your website anymore."

No. Seriously. Whether it is currently shown on my website or not, I am still the author, and it is still plagiarism.

- "I live halfway across the globe from you, so it's no big deal. It's not like we're in the same market."

First of all, I work worldwide, so no matter where you live, we ARE in the same market. Secondly, your physical location makes no difference. You have still stolen my work. Imagine someone 10,000 miles away from you hacking your bank account and taking your money. Is it not stealing just because they don't live near you?

- "I would've asked permission, but I didn't know who the author was."

Sorry, that's nonsense. Do a quick google search on the text in question. You'll find the author in no time flat. People, if I can find you, you can find me.

- "I've never seen your website in my life, so I couldn't have copied you. It's just coincidence. What are you so riled up about?"

Folks, I am fine with giving the benefit of the doubt. I do it very often. I don't complain about a similar sentence here and there, and I don't bother pursuing those whose text is clearly "very inspired" by mine without being a verbatim copy. But when I see, for instance, that someone has taken several paragraphs from me and used them word for word, I draw the line. That is NOT coincidence. (I will add here that it you may still be guilty of plagiarism even if you've changed the words. If you've used someone else's ideas without citing the source, it is plagiarism. Please see the link at the bottom of this entry for detailed information.)

Case in point: on a spa industry forum that shall go unnamed (for the moment) someone has taken a seventeen-paragraph article I wrote, kept the twelve points they could somehow adapt for their industry, left several paragraphs verbatim, and only slightly changed the rest. Not a single point was added that was not covered in my article. When confronted, the person claimed complete and total innocence. That fact is, the odds are astronomically against that. The truth is, this person may have actually plagiarized someone who plagiarized me, thus making it possible that she has never heard of me. However, she has still plagiarized SOMEBODY, and it's still illegal and unethical.

I will continue to fight the good (if futile) fight to protect my work. I just don't accept that kind of lack of creativity in a creative industry.

For some great information about plagiarism, including a thorough definition and legal implications, please see: http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/plagiarism_faq.html .

- CJ

Unfortunately, I hear from a lot of people who would love to have gorgeous, meaningful portraits of their children and families but just can't afford it right now. That's really hard to hear, because I feel it's so important to remember our kids at every age, and to have some beautiful memories to pass down to them. In portraiture, you definitely get what you pay for; those snapshots and cheap prints may fit the budget now, but they just can't stand the test of time like a carefully crafted traditional black and white print.

In an effort to make my work more affordable, I'm now offering a portrait layaway program. That means you can document your family now and pay gradually, without the guilt of running up a credit card or blowing your budget.

Drop me a line, and let's figure out a plan that will work for you. After all, beautiful memories should never be considered a luxury item.

- CJ

I've recently realized just how rampant plagiarism is, especially in the Internet era. I've found literally a hundred incidents of people plagiarizing the article I published in November 2006 entitled "What Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know." It's also been published as "My Advice For Aspiring Photographers."

I am more than happy to share what I've learned with other photographers, new and old, but I don't appreciate others putting their names on it as the author. Just as bad is seeing it published as "anonymous" with the excuse that "I just saw this online somewhere and don't know who wrote it."

People, in this day and age, that just doesn't cut it. If you type a single phrase, any phrase, out of my article into google, I will come up in many places, including this blog, with the original article in its entirety. It doesn't take ten seconds. Any time I hear a quote that I like but don't know the author, I google it, and I ALWAYS find it.

So, please, if you like what I write, feel free to share it. AFTER ASKING PERMISSION AND WITH MY NAME ATTACHED. Sorry for yelling.

- CJ

If you look hard, you'll see those changes reflected in my recent work. Expect to see photographs that reflect more realism in all its raw beauty. Expect to see the unconventional. Expect to see an adventurous spirit. Or, just don't expect anything. That's probably more fun, anyway.

I'll try to be a little more faithful to this blog in the coming year. I hope you enjoy the journey with me.

- CJ

For the past few years, I've spent a lot of time on the road teaching workshops. I've really enjoyed it, and have learned so much from teaching and getting to know other photographers. I haven't had much time to spend behind the camera, though, and I've missed it.

It's time to get back to what I do best: photograph. And not just children. I do love working with children, but I also love documenting adults of all shapes, ages, and sizes. I'm passionate about people regardless of their stage in life.

It'll take a little time to wrap up the loose workshop ends, and to clean up a few broken plates that at some point stopped spinning. But I'm excited about the new adventure ahead. I love it when the winds shift.

- CJ

The holidays.... What can I say?

They're magical and sometimes miserable, given what I do for a living. Mostly, though, I love the time of year. I married into a family of holiday junkies, which has a great deal to do with my rediscovering the joy of the holidays.

I sit behind a pile of paperwork, receipts, proofs, faxes, and a world-class to-do list, and if it weren't for my husband, Father Christmas, I would sit here until December 23rd, when I would realize (maybe) that I hadn't bought anything for anyone. Or sent holiday cards. Or fed the dog. Or eaten a meal myself in days.

My idea of balance is usually defined as "being only as unbalanced as I can get away with without people feeling the need to comment on it." I have come to realize that my best and worst personality trait is single-mindedness. That can come through in the form of "focus", but often manifests itself as "obsession". I'm miserably ADD, but for me it's not a problem of lack of focus, but hyperfocus. I get focused on one thing (and I can't control what that one thing is) and am totally incapable of pulling myself out of it. Telling me to snap out of it is just like telling a clinically depressed person to just cheer up.

So, this holiday season I'm thankful for a person who forces balance upon me, and for that wonderful thing called Adderall.

- CJ

Today's question of the day was, "Do boys have uvulas?"

Heh heh. I think she's got her anatomy crossed.

- CJ

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I get asked all the time, during workshops, in e-mails, in private messages, what words of wisdom I would give to a new and aspiring photographer. Here's my answer.

- Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don't look outward for your style; look inward.

- Know your stuff. Luck is a nice thing, but a terrifying thing to rely on. It's like money; you only have it when you don't need it.

- Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a concensus.

- Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don't fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you're stressed and anxious.

- Learn to say "I'm a photographer" out loud with a straight face. If you can't say it and believe it, you can't expect anyone else to, either.

- You cannot specialize in everything.

- You don't have to go into business just because people tell you you should! And you don't have to be full time and making an executive income to be successful. If you decide you want to be in business, set your limits before you begin.

- Know your style before you hang out your shingle. If you don't, your clients will dictate your style to you. That makes you nothing more than a picture taker. Changing your style later will force you to start all over again, and that's tough.

- Accept critique, but don't apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn't not make you ungrateful, it makes you independent.

- Leave room for yourself to grow and evolve. It may seem like a good idea to call your business "Precious Chubby Tootsies"....but what happens when you decide you love to photograph seniors? Or boudoir?

- Remember that if your work looks like everyone else's, there's no reason for a client to book you instead of someone else. Unless you're cheaper. And nobody wants to be known as "the cheaper photographer".

- Gimmicks and merchandise will come and go, but honest photography is never outdated.

- It's easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you've got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. You need a decent camera, a decent lens, and a light meter. Until you can use those tools consistently and masterfully, don't spend another dime. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you've outgrown your current equipment and you're being limited by it. There are no magic bullets.

- Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection.

- Never forget why you started taking pictures in the first place. Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself. Never let your technique upstage your subject.

- Never compare your journey with someone else's. It's a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never "arrive". No one ever does.

- Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacence.

- CJ

Somebody asked me if I was going to celebrate it.

I said, "Every day is the day of the dead. Those people have it easy."

The girl giggled, but I think it was because she didn't know what else to do. Some people have no sense of humor.

- CJ