Some time last spring, knowing that I was fond of hiking and photographing in the hills of Simi, a friend suggested I enter some of my images in a postcard contest sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce. I’m not usually lured by contests, but due to the particular subject matter of this contest, I have to admit, I was intrigued.
I’d always wanted to make postcards from my “Simi Rocks” images, a series of landscape note cards I created between 2000-2004, so I immediately I began a rough edit of my archived photos. Many of the note cards depict the Simi and the adjacent Conejo hillsides, which are dotted with gnarled and mangled oaks. The environment became inspiration for Oak Creek Printworks. The hiking trails that surround our little valley run through a rocky landscape that was home to the Chumash Indians, and later to early western film stars and crews. The few areas that remain open space tell tales of movie land cowboys and real life Indians. I swear there are commercials running on television where I even recognize the oak tree. To get a sense of what else is in the hills outside of town, the final resting place of Ronald Reagan and his Presidential Library sits atop the westernmost mountain range of our 7 mile-long by 5-mile wide valley.
The Oak Creek Printworks Studio has a north south exposure, and looking out our windows to the hills 1 mile due south we’re constantly reminded of the site of one of the worst nuclear accidents in United States history, by the tanks and cranes that line the crest. The 50s-era rocket testing site’s nuclear event, purportedly worse than the infamous Three Mile Island, is still off-limits and to this date is protected by armed guards. Erin Brokovich, where are you when we need you? One day I expect they’ll do a clean up and I’ll finally get up there to take photographs. For now, I’ll have to be satisfied with Google Earth.
Back to the contest. After finishing my rough edit, I figured I’d better read over the rules carefully, always a good idea.
Photo Contest Rules & Guidelines
- You can use any digital device for electronic submissions as long as the entry is in a jpeg or TIFF format measuring at least 1,000 pixels
- When entering a printout – must be 5×7 – 300 dpi minimum
- Must be original, unpublished, not currently submitted elsewhere, and must have received no prior awards.
- Photos must be “recognizably Simi Valley” and taken in our City
- Any photos entered may be used in City or Chamber of Commerce postcards, print or electronic media
- A completed entry form/agreement must accompany each submittal.
- All entries must be received no later than June 30, 2010
- You must obtain a signed model release for any recognizable people in your photographs.
Check out Rule/Guideline Number 5.
Any photos entered may be used in City or Chamber of Commerce postcards, print or electronic media.”
When I read this, my jaw dropped. All I can say is, that’s a lot of nerve! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that the “Contest” was a smoke screen and the City and Chamber’s way of taking advantage of entrants by stealing their images, whether they won the postcard contest or not. It’s really shameful there is so little respect for the hard work and talent of the photographers. I can only hope that in situations like this the artist’s ego does not reign and that cities and especially Chambers of Commerce learn that artists deserve to make a living, too. After all, we’re not asking for a City Manager’s compensation.