My photo was selected by American Heart Association

[Mike Buckley]

The American Heart Association (AHA) has created a save-the-date card for use by its offices throughout the U.S. to announce their local Heart Walk fundraising and awareness events held in fall 2014 and spring 2015. The national headquarters asked AHA employees to submit photos to be considered for use on the card. They selected my photo submitted by my wife.

I made the photo at the local 2012 Heart Walk event conducted in the Washington, D.C. area where I was an official volunteer photographer.

An image of the card is shown below. My photo is the one of the little girl with a red heart being painted on her cheek. Sorry that the image is so small but I had access only to a small insert in an email.

AHA selectively converted the image to black-and-white without explaining in advance or asking for permission. They also incorrectly attributed the photo to my wife rather than me. Such is often the way of the nonprofit organizations that don't "get it," despite that their marketing department professionals should certainly know better. These details aren't important to me but they are important to many photographers, so I'm working on educating the folks at AHA through my wife.

EDIT: My original photo is also shown below.

[Donald]

Good on you, Mike. And good luck with trying to teach them how to properly make use of your image.

[deetheturk]

Congrats Mike,well done you!

[Brownbear]

Congratulations Mike! And good on your wife for sending it, and you on your education mission.

Can we be treated to a larger view of this delightful photo?

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, everyone!

I added my original to the first post in the thread.

[Digital]

Congratulations Mike.


Bruce

[RustBeltRaw]

You aren't alone, mate. A portrait I did with a local ceramic artist wound up as his biography pic on the wall of a local gallery. My last name was misspelled. He didn't write it, but no one seems to know who did. I can see why the AHA liked your shot, but it's rather irritating when they expect that their gratitude is somehow worth your effort.

[Mike Buckley]

Well done, Lex! There is so much to like about your photo that it's really easy to understand that it was selected.

[IzzieK]

Congratulations Mark and also Lex for your works being published for such a good cause. It seems that charitable organizations do not care much whether they got the author's name right or not.

[tbob]

I am glad both of you had your images used. Nice to see you get recognition for your skills even if they didn't formally acknowledge you. Too bad really.

I am quite surprised that anyone who is going to use an image, especially for charitable work when the only compensation is publication of your name, wouldn't go to the slight effort of acknowledging the photographer. If the photographer is recognized then the chances of people submitting an image for their use would be greatly enhanced. Plus they run the not inconsiderable risk of pissing off one of their supporters. A poor strategy at best.

[Mike Buckley]

especially for charitable work when the only compensation is publication of your name

I very seriously doubt that American Heart will publish any of the photographers' names. They regularly use volunteers' photos without attributing them.

[RustBeltRaw]

Plus they run the not inconsiderable risk of pissing off one of their supporters. A poor strategy at best.

You'd think, but it seems that most places which expect to find free photographers are none too concerned about them. I made Alex's portrait pro bono, with full knowledge of where it'd wind up, so I can't gripe beyond wishing they'd spelled my bloody name right. But it's refreshing when your client offers, ex post facto, to pay for a job you did free. I stuck to our original terms, but he insisted on giving me a very nice iridescent-glazed vessel he'd made. I've been paid in beer, too.

[Colin Southern]

Congrats Mike,

I'm reminded of an opportunity Joe McNally had to shoot the late James Brown; he was given 20 minutes warning to shoot in a location 10 minutes away (so 10 minutes to spare). When he got there he didn't have time to ask permission, so he just seized the opportunity to move some hotel furniture outside and made the image (possibly the last formal image of James Brown before he died).

Moral of the story (right or wrong) "sometimes forgiveness is easier to get than permission".

[Mike Buckley]

"sometimes forgiveness is easier to get than permission".

It works that way with my wife.

[ShaneS]

Congratulations to you both for creating such meaningful images - you know in your heart that it was your image and I'm sure all the important people in your life do too

[Shadowman]

Very nice.

[Brownbear]

It's so special. Thanks for posting it.

[NorthernFocus]

That's awesome, Mike. They made a good choice.