I saw this on BoingBoing today and was shocked. This happened to me a few years ago when I was taking photos of pet cremation urns (don’t ask). The Wall-Mart refused to print them on the grounds that they were obviously shot by a professional. Well after blushing and thanking them on the complement I realized that they were still not going to print them. I had to produce my business card (it says photographer on it) and told them that I shot the photos (I was using film then) and insisted that they print them. With some reluctance they did. Not they they looked very good but it was a rush job and I needed proofs on the weekend.
To t his date I have not used any photo services at Wall-Mart. Now Costco on the other hand kicks ass. Low cost high qulaity photos and not once have they questioned the copyright on my work.
Photofinishing labs increasingly are refusing to print professional-looking photographs taken by amateurs.
The reason: Photofinishers are afraid of infringing on professional photographers’ copyrights…