John Orr

This is from The American Society of Media Photographers, Inc.: "Copyright is a right, granted to you by law, to control the copying, reproduction, distribution, derivative use, and public display of your photographs, and to sue for unauthorized use (infringement) of your work. This right begins at the moment you fix your photographic expression in a tangible form, that is, when you create the latent image on film. Copyright ownership, bestowed automatically when you make an image, does not depend upon registration with the copyright office or placement of a copyright notice on the image." (italics added.)

Hi all! Sorry for not responding to this thread sooner. John, I think I sent you an email thanking you for the tip - if not, I'm sorry. Here's what happened: After getting John's tip, I immediately emailed the owner of the offending site, requesting that my pics be deleted asap. I pointed out to him that the pics he was using are my signature pics; I use them on my home page as well as my business cards and some of my signage. I received a reply the next day agreeing to remove my pics, but claiming that he had bought them from a broker who claimed that, since I didn't have a copyright on them, they were fair game. I replied that, legally, photos are assumed to be copyrighted unless otherwise stated. I sent him a link to a website that explained the law. My pics are of his site, so I am satisfied, though I suppose I will put a copyright notice on my site. Thanks again John for letting me know.

I do mostly residential, but I had a call last winter to clean the inside of a smokehouse at a local meat processing plant. Its two gas ovens about 4x10x10 that had built-up soot that was getting on the smoked meats. It was so cold (10 deg and windy!) that I had to drive there with the machine running in bypass so that the pump wouldn't freeze. The only way to access the ovens was by running the hoses (both supply and pressure) through an exhaust fan in a wall. Every trip to the rig required walking all the way around the building. Of course, even with a rain-suit, I was soaked - and then frozen/thawed each time. Plus, I smelled like smoked meat. Fortunately, it only took me about 2 hours to complete. Why did I take the job? a) I needed the $$ b) the customer was desperate and c) I was promised future work. LOL

On "unusual, but not too difficult" work, I charge my hourly rate of $50/hr. I assure the customer that I work fast and try to give a guesstimate on how many hours it will take. You didn't mention it, but is there rust on these curbs? and do they expect you to remove it? Make sure you charge extra for that.

rfitz, I have been telling folks about KK for some time. Actually, it is much easier to skip the spraying and apply with the brush. Use a very soft brush and one or two passes will give you the same results. Rinse right away - no dwell needed. John