Don't get me wrong, I love photography. I love doing photoshoots for start-up models and feel like I'm really helping them out.

However, lately I have become more and more irritated at models abusing my photos.

I just want to clarify to models that when we agree on what the photos are going to be used for, using them for anything else without my permission first is BREAKING THE LAW. For example - you get me to do some portfolio shots for your online and/or printed folio. We agree that this is the purpose of the photos, and we do the shoot. It then comes to my attention that the photos have appeared on your bebo, on an agency website, in a newspaper. I am liable to sue for this, and if it was a model who supplied them with the photos, then that's big trouble.

I do photos for free on a PORTFOLIO basis, not for you to dish them out wherever you feel like. It wouldn't even anger me so much if I found my photos elsewhere with a credit to me, but apparently that is too much to ask. A little recognition, respect and gratitude goes a long way, especially as I always rave on to everyone about how great my models are, and always put credits where it's due.

I would also like to remind people that even if you are in demand now, you weren't always - particularly the ones who approach ME and beg me to do their photos. It's very very rude to turn your nose up at free photos when someone has given you a chance to prove yourself, especially when that someone helped you out so much.

All in all, I'm getting sick of my work being taken for granted. I don't bitch about certain models because I don't want to damage anyone's reputation, but my patience is wearing very thin these days.

Sorry for the rant, most of my models are amazing, and it's a case of the minority of bad ones spoiling it for the majority of the fab ones.

xxx

Before I go on about the holiday, Malc got me a Red DS Lite for Valentine's day. I got him his own camera, so prepare for his own view of the world coming to you soon :p

Well, on Fri 13th Feb, Malc and I were packed up and ready to go! We were kindly picked up by Andy and Sarah, and all made our way to Kirkcaldy. We spent the time there having some food, making Malc drink some wine to dull his nerves a bit, then went to bed at 10pm in preperation for leaving at 3am for our 6am flight from Edinburgh to Geneva.

The flight was actually great, Malc wasn't as bad as I thought he would be, and the sun was rising as we flew so it was beautiful. Once we all landed in Geneva, it was a further 3 hours of car-journey to the French Alps. The ride was nice as I found everything out of the window pretty interesting, especially once we started going up the mountains.

The total rundown of guests were as follows: Moira and Graeme (Malc's parents), Andrew and Sarah (Malc's older bro and his wife), Gordon (Malc's twin bro), Jenny and Tony (Malc's older sis and husband), Johnny (Tony's bro), Janet and Kate (Malc's Aunt and cousin), Alison, Georgina, Alex and Hugo (Malc's Aunt and cousins) and Malc and I.

I don't want to be all "day 1 - hour 15" etc, so I'll just summarise - Skiing was hard at first but after a day of ski school I was able to go over small jumps and turn ok, and go down the scary nursery slope. I was a big grumpy mess most of the time because I developed what appeared to be a golf ball on the inside of my gum. Suffering with that wasn't enough apparently, and so I got the cold too :p It was sad because I started with so much energy and spirit for skiing, but quickly felt bogged down and gunky

I had 4 days of ski school (missed one due to being ill, should have been 5 days) and it was pretty good, apart from the last day when the ski instructor decided to take us to the top of a mountain, to an area I would actually refer to as Space, and make us ski back down, which was pretty hellish!

We got lots of lovely food, which again thanks to my face/gum tumour was difficult to enjoy properly! Malc also ate SNAILS for a starter one night. yuck yuck yuck!

Unfortunately, Johnny fractured his arm 5 days into the holiday, while snowboarding.

It was a good holiday though, and I enjoyed spending time with Malc's family. I took photos, which I've uploaded to my flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirstyl... but not many of me skiing as I was too scared to take my camera up the slopes in case I fell on it!

Hey everyone,

I've been updating my website, and i've also set myself one of those 366 photo a day challenges.

To see my work, please visit any of the following places:

My new Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirstyl...

My Livejournal - http://kirstylegg366.livejournal.com/

My Deviant Art - http://kirstylegg.deviantart.com/

My website - http://www.kirstylegg.com/