I have a friend in Manila working with different Philippine magazines and I told her my story. Here is what she wrote back to me:
I phoned the Editor in Chief at Metro Magazine herself and found out this person was trying to scam other photographers too. Oh my! You are not the only incident that has been reported. But the e-mail address keeps changing.
I have gotten several inquiries for more information about the scam. Unfortunately not all my posts yesterday had the link to my blog where I gave more information. On LinkedIn the author is limited with how much she/he can write.
Here are more details: On October 2012 I received the following email:
“Hello my name is Isabella and am on contract as an editor in Phillpines. I would need some nice landscape and wildlife pictures for the next issue of our magazine here. I will like to know if you have some pictures to liscence and if yes how much and if I can see them so I can pick the ones that suit what I want.”
I should have been alerted because of the typos in the email, but since English is not my native language, I am tolerant about this. Here is my reply:
“Hi Isabella,
I have thousands of landscape and wildlife images. Do you know what region you are interested in? You can search on my website for images. It is good to be specific. As for the price, what magazine is it. Do you have an online version or some PDF’s you could send me? Thanks for contacting me. How did you hear about me?”
Her reply:
“Torres del Paine National Park ©Wolfgang Kaehler AND Torres del Paine ©Wolfgang Kaehler on http://wkaehlerphoto.com/photoTourTitles/2012%20Unique%20Patagonia%20and%20Atacama%20Desert.pdf They will be inside the magazine a 1/2 page.”
We had a few email exchanges and I was trying to figure out which magazine it is and how much they pay. Here is her reply:
“I will need them by 5 nov, 2012. Metro Magazine, 10 project road, Imus Cavite, Cavite, Phillipine. The rate I can afford for both is $350”
I uploaded the two files she wanted and including the invoice and submittal memo. Last week I followed up and resend the invoice because I have not heard anything. No reply. I did a search for her email address and found out that she is scamming other people. Do a search yourself for:
Lesson learned: if you don’t recognize an email address, it might help to search for it.
PHOTO SCAM ALERT: email doyen00066@ymail.com. "Isabel Benson" in the Philippines poses as an intern at a magazine in Manila and requests photos to use in Metro Magazine, 10 Project Road, Imus Cavite, Cavite, Philippines. Don’t send her anything: it is a scam. She asked for two of my images, a wildlife photo and a landscape. I don’t know what she does with the photos, but they probably will show up somewhere. I invoiced her and probably will never see a payment. They might be printed as posters, postcards, etc. I will keep my eyes open.
Our first day on Kauai was to explore the surroundings of the resort. Walking at the golf course, I spotted a Laysan albatross. The partner was sitting on a nest about 100 feet away incubating a single egg.
The Na Pali coast on Kauai is spectacular. Every time I see the jagged coastline, I am inspired and take a lot of photos. Yesterday the waves were crashing on the rocks and backlit by the setting sun it was a photographer’s paradise.
On the north side of Kauai almost at the end of the road, you can find the Limahuli Garden and Preserve, a valley full of native plants and birds, about 50 of them are on the verge of extinction.
Hibiscus kokio subspecies saintjohnianus is endemic to the island of Kauai
At Kealia beach which is Kapaa’s premier surfing beach, the surf was up
These puma cubs are about 7 months old.
I included Torres del Paine National Park in Southern Chile in my favorite places because of the spectacular scenery and wildlife. Here are a few photos of the wildlife, with getting 10 yards close to puma cubs on a kill as one of the highlights of the trip.
Darwin rhea dad taking care of the chicks
Guanacos with Paine Mountains in background
For more photos please visit: www.wkaehlerphoto.com.
To inquire about the Patagonia trip in 2014 please email me at: photos@wkaehlerphoto.com
Our first day in Torres del Paine National Park in Southern Chile started with a spectacular sunrise. As a photographer there is no better reward when getting up early to be rewarded with beautiful light.
For more photos please visit: www.wkaehlerphoto.com.
To inquire about the Patagonia trip in 2014 please email me at: photos@wkaehlerphoto.com
I have seen many glaciers over the years of traveling around the world, but no other glacier impressed me more than Perito Moreno glacier in Patagonia. From the Atacama Desert we traveled to Patagonia and spent a full day photographing this glacier.
At the waterfront of the town of El Calafate we found a group of Chilean flamingos in a lagoon of Lago Argentino.
For more photos please visit my blog at:
or www.wkaehlerphoto.com. To inquire about the Patagonia trip in 2014 please email me at: photos@wkaehlerphoto.com
On the way back to Salta, Argentina we visited the cloud forest. This is an ecosystem in the Andes foothills which gets its water from the clouds. The visitor can see beautiful trees, plants and wildlife.
My annual Holiday Light Photo Workshop was held last Saturday. We lucked out with the weather and stayed dry. The workshop was about how to use slow shutter speeds to your advantage and create some interesting compositions and effects. Here are some photos.
The photo on the left was taken with 1/500 sec, the one on the right with 1/10 sec.
Slow shutter speed and still having ambient light to show details in the shadows.
For more images please visit www.wkaehlerphoto.com
Andean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus andinus)
Next to the spectacular landscapes in the Atacama Desert, we had lots of opportunity to photograph the wildlife as well. Here are a few images. For more photos please visit my website at www.wkaehlerphotos.com
Andean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus andinus)
Vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna)
The Vizcacha (Sagirium viscacia), a rodent (I always think that they are half asleep)!
Andean geese (Chloephaga melanoptera) and a Baird’s Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)
For more photos please visit my website at www.wkaehlerphotos.com