Michael Ventura

This is fascinating to me. So the photo credit (online) says "Photo by Betty LaRue for the Oklahoman". That implies that you made this for them or you provided it directly to them. Your contributor name on Alamy is "B LaRue". So it seems unlikely that Alamy was involved. Is there any other source for your photos? Some 15 years ago I used to contribute to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, shooting some travel articles and my credit was always "Photos by Michael Ventura for the Star Tribune". I hope you get the mystery solved and let us know the results!

Another thing, if they took elements from two different photos, they should be paying for two uses.

I have been using the manual “Remove” tool a fair amount. Works really well for many types of objects.

Thank you Betty! Maine is a special place for me. Been there many times and love Monhegan Island especially. Was even married there, in Rockport. Even though it didn't last we are still close and she is even up there now, on a week long trip. My son and I made a great trip to Maine a few summers ago (when I took that photo), he said that he could see himself living there someday, even if the winters are brutal. In fact he was kinda named after a town where we have vacationed many times, Camden.

Like John said, I would contact The Oklahoman, see if you can talk or email with someone who does design/layout/photo editing. Especially since it was credited to just you and not you/Alamy. Let us know!!

Couple sales today A U.S. standard license for high $. An air quality warning flag (film scan) U.S. worldwide editorial use for mi $$. Morey's Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey

Yes, but it is rare that I find a totally unexpected photo in print, that is whole other level of fun!!! I remember once seeing a surprise photo of mine (with credit) of a concert pianist, in the Washington Post. I get the post delivered so I saw it while having my morning coffee. Maybe a year before then, I had been hired to photograph him through his PR firm for promotional photos. But the funny thing about all this is that, later that day, I went to visit an old photographer friend, with whom I grew up, he was visiting his parents (lives in NY now). When I got there, they had the article out on the kitchen table about the pianist and I thought maybe they saw my photo credit! So I said; "Hey that's my photo!" They replied; "Oh wow that is crazy, we know him, Peggy (my friend's sister) was in a serious relationship with him, almost married him". But no one noticed the photo credit 😔

So great! Nothing like seeing a photo of your own, published, when you least expect it. Hope it shows up soon in your sales.

A magazine I have been working with for the 20 years of its existence, was recently bought and the new owners came out with a rights grabbing new contract. All the regular contributing photographers banded together and said No Way! So then they made revisions but even then there were some very un-workable clauses. Again we fought back and then a third revision was produced with much more reasonable rules of the road (so to speak). We did run the risk of the new owners dumping all of us and then search for new photographers who would work with their contract demands but we were pretty confident that very few good ones would want to.

U.S. editorial use for mid $$. Monhegan Island, Maine

Windows 10 login page wallpaper Sept 5th 2024 New Zealand landscape, DPK-Photo E8PWY7

Sorry to see this Wim! Not good. Beautiful photo though.

My first for the month. A U.S. Standard License for high $. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama

According to what I found with Google Lens, it is just representational of "Winter" by Felice Raini Not sure it is of anyone in particular. (edit) Double checking the artist name, doesn't seem to be accurate so I would not use that name.

USA, National Geographic (online), September 2nd 2024 For an article on the Apostles of Christ Image of The Last Supper, Lebrecht Music & Arts ERHG59