In mid-November, a woman approached me via Flickr, asking permission to use one of my photos (see above) as part of a book interventions and architecture exhibit that would accompany a book fair in Moscow.
I was skeptical. I also wasn’t sure about my rights, since I took the photo without getting permission from the owner of the object within. (I’m new at this whole photography thing.)
After taking an informal poll of my friends, I decided I was being a self-defeating control freak, so I said “yes,” as long as she was willing to name the rural bookstore where I’d taken the photo. She agreed.
A couple of days ago, I wondered idly if they’d been able to use my work. The photo was so old, I couldn’t even find it on my hard drive; I had to download it off Flickr and send it as-is in the hopes that the file was large enough.
This morning, I woke up to find, in my in box, an email notifying me and several other photographers that our work had been used in posters that were displayed outside the event. She event sent us a video clip of local news coverage (which I’ve asked a Russian-speaking, book-loving friend to translate for me).
I have to admit, this is pretty cool. One of my photos has made it to Moscow before I have.
The last time my art was displayed publicly was when my third-grade watercolor of a lobster was selected to hang on the wall of my elementary school. This is better.
I’d like to thank Maria in Moscow for making me feel a little bit like an artist.
You can learn more about the non/fictioN book festival in Moscow by clicking here, and you can see my photo in the poster itself by adding me on Google+ and clicking on this link.