The face behind a stock image: How I gave my face for free

If she does not welcome immigrants to Canada and Uruguay, Shubnum Khan sells carpets in New York, conducting hikes in Cambodia or seeking love in France.

His face was on a McDonald's advertisement in China and a But in truth, the author and the South African artist have done nothing of it.

It all started in 2012 when a friend in Canada posted a photo on Shubnum's Facebook page. It was an advertisement promoting immigration in a Canadian newspaper.

"This sounds like you," replied the friend, and others responded that it was good of him.

"I could not understand why my face was in a paper all along this side of the world."

Another friend intervened and said, "Hey, we did a photo shoot a few years ago, remember?"

"We Did not Read the Fine Print"

Two years ago, a year -old Shubnum and some university friends had gone to a free photo shoot she had heard of called 100 Faces Shoot.

The photographer had promised 100 people professional portraits in exchange for being broken.

"I thought the photo would be used for his portfolio, or an art project," recalls the author, now 33 years old. "People remember hearing about an art project."

"It's very fast – you sign a piece of paper, you come in, the photographer says smile for a photo, it's fast but you do not tell me

"Initially I thought it was really funny," Shubnum says of his discovery of various versions of the stock image. "But with time, there were so many photos and I never had money for that."

She contacted the photographer who confirmed that she had signed the rights to the photos and that it was now pictures that he was selling.

"We signed an early release form," recalls Shubnum in a recent tweet: "We did not read the fine print, I know, it was stupid."

"It was so dishonest"

Someone at Shubnumcommentfairforecherched "reverse image" that allows you to find images similar to what you are looking for

"I've certainly seen more than 50 [versions]," she says. "It's a famous face without anyone really knowing me."

Many advertisements seemed innocent enough, but then she discovered the false testimony.

Skip Twitter post 3 by @ShubnumKhan

I can also take on new identities. The most shocking of them are advertisements for teaching and caring for children – so who is really with the kids? When I asked this to the photographer, he told me that I had signed rights to "character distortion, including fake names". pic.twitter.com/2MzIZPAfi5

– Shubnum Khan (@ShubnumKhan) July 28, 2018

End of post Twitter 3 by @ShubnumKhan

"The testimonies are the most shocking to me, " she says. "I thought I understood how stock images work, you know, like having a picture of a house to illustrate a house." But it was so dishonest, I never knew you could use images with fake testimonials and fake names. "

Those who bother her most were where her imperfections were published for an after-photo promoting a beauty product and when her name was changed with a false story of post-pregnancy melasma [19659033]. "I really had to have the guts to ask him because I thought he was going to say no," she remembers the exchange, I knew we had signed this thing, but I did not did not know that my photo would go like this.

"He told me that he was sorry to be feeling bad, but everything was legal and explained in advance", tweeted Shubnum. "But he agreed to remove it from his site since I complained as an author that I could be recognized."

Shubnum is adamant, she never said that the photographs taken when she was a student would be used as images of stock.

She adds: "Nobody told me that would a picture of stock, no one told me that my name would be distorted If someone had told me, I would not have signed it. "

Pbad the message Twitter 5 by @ShubnumKhan

I've also been looking for love online on a dating site in French. This translates roughly to: "I'm here, do not click too hard, I'm fragile. Here I look at Prince Charming of my dreams, who comes on his white horse to steal my heart … pic.twitter.com/Qod17B3LSf

– Shubnum Khan (@ShubnumKhan) July 28, 2018

End of post Twitter 5 by @ShubnumKhan

Warning account

Of the 100 people photographed alongside Shubnum in 2010, a number searched on the Internet for their own image as # 39; s image.

The friends who accompanied her that day did not find any, but Shubnum says that she heard about other people.

Although the photographer forced and removed her images, Shubnum continued to find her face on the commercials she had already purchased her image

Not so much as before, she is relieved to report it, but the The last one she saw was being promoted to sell villas a few months ago.

Since her story became viral on Twitter, people have contacted her to share their own stock market discoveries, some even telling her ake) the testimony inspired them.

Shubnum insists that she does not blame the photographer who took his stock image and does not consider any lawsuit.

It's a beautiful festive story, says Shubnum, but now she just wants to share her story as an edifying narrative.

"I can easily see how we have all been used," she said. "I feel pretty stupid and I do not want other people to make the same mistakes."

"Do not sign up for free photos, read what you sign and do not believe most of the things you read," she tweeted

"Just read the fine print of course, be aware, "warns Shubnum," do not let yourself be caught by the camera, think about what you do and who benefits – know what you are doing. "

She adds," You think that It's a small thing but you sign your face Basically, I gave my face for free. "