in which my friend plays with her new iPhone

Someday, I'll learn to smile without smirking. Oscar looks a bit uncomfortable, no?

luneray--professional photographer?

the other day I received this email via flickr:

:: Inquiry from SPIN magazine


Hello! I am interested in using your photo of a steamer
trunk in the April issue of SPIN. I want to make certain
that is acceptable and ask how you would like to be
credited.

Please be in touch with me at SPIN at your earliest
convenience.
yours, jen

I thought this was rather odd, and possibly shady. I know people who are actually skilled photographers, and post really lovely photos on flickr. However, I'm not a skilled photographer and these photos are most definitely amateurish, done with a cheap digital camera, and taken only because I was trying to sell the trunk on craigslist and needed some pictures. In fact, the only reason these images were still on flickr is because I never got around to deleting them. (stupid flickr merged with yahoo and I couldn't remember my login info.)

But after hearing from some of these same skilled photographer friends that they had also received requests to use their photos in major publications, and that the contact info contained in the original email does in fact match up with an editor at SPIN magazine, I decided "what the hell" and wrote back giving my ok.

Her response:

So pleased to hear from you. Your photo of a steamer trunk will be running
quite small but it is just what we need for the page.

Hear that? "just what we need for the page."

Now, in answer to your burning question...no, I'm not getting paid. I get a free issue of the magazine with my credited photo. c'mon, do YOU think these photos are worth paying for?