Wal-Mart and other photofinishing labs are refusing to print out digital photos if they appear to have been taken by "professionals" because photographers' associations have frightened them off with the spectre of scanned-in studio shots.
Photofinishing labs increasingly are refusing to print professional-looking photographs taken by amateurs.
The reason: Photofinishers are afraid of infringing on professional photographers' copyrights…
It happened to David Watson earlier this year as he tried to get old photos of his mother printed for her funeral. The photos were of his mother, taken years ago by family members, some since deceased.
Like Helmick, he had uploaded them to Walmart.com, then went to pick them up at his local Wal-Mart in Charlotte, Mich. Watson said the manager of the photo department "felt" that three of the photos were possibly taken professionally. One of the photos in question was of his mother 50 years ago.
(via Waxy)
Update: Neil sez, "Costco not only has dirt cheap prints (like Walmart), but all of their printers are profiled twice a year and the profiles are made available on the web. They don't have a problem with photos that "look professional", print them well, and at a great price."
