AYFKMWTS?: Why I Think The Whole Photo Exclusivity Thing Is Stoopid

You know how some blogs and magazines have this policy where they won't post any projects that have ever, ever, ever, ever been included in any other mag or blog? Right, well I think that that whole policy is completely retarded.

Here's why:

No one knows OR cares that all of your photos are all exclusive.

I mean, it's nice that you have that whole exclusivo policy, and I'm sure it's a helpful way of deciding which projects to include and which to ditch, but newsflash: like 99.9% of your readers don't know about this policy of yours and even if they do, 99.9% of them don't give a shit. I subscribe to your mag or read your blog cause I think that you have good taste...period.

If your good taste comes across a project that once appeared in some other mag 8 years ago, 8 months ago, or 8 weeks ago, and you think I should see it, why should I give a rat's ass that it once showed up somewhere else?? I don't...and I'm guessing that most of your readers feel the exact same way.

If it's a kickass project to begin with, people like to see it from different photographic perspectives and with different styling.

all photos Melanie Acevedo for Domino Mag

I mean, look at J. Crew Creative Director Jenna Lyons' house. That shit has been covered in every design mag (both living and dead), as well as every design blog on planet Earth...at least once. And ppl STILL can't get enough of that shit.

In fact, now ppl have started to do posts examing the varying styling techniques used throughout all of the many, many, many Jenna Lyons spreads. And if some 10 page JL piece hit the streets tomorrow featuring all of the same rooms that we've all seen before, on a different day, shot by a different photographer, with different light, all our asses would be eating it up like a fat kid with a piece of devil's food.

Truth.

Things move very fast these days. Like V-E-R-Y.

I barely have enough time to read all the blogs I have in my RSS reader...or all the mags I get every month. I can't possibly see every single picture posted everywhere. I mean, does anyone???

There are so many projects that have likely been published before that all you exclusive peeps won't ever post again just because they've been somewhere, so they're used goods. BUT I DIDN'T SEE THE PHOTOS WHEN THEY WERE ORIGINALLY POSTED SOMEWHERE! And neither did like a billion million other people. So now we all just need to miss the hell out on killer project xyz cause it was in Architectual Digest when President Bush #1 was in office?! Or on some other stupid blog for a day and is now buried in the archives?

It's just so effin stupid.

Now, I get this whole policy a teensy, weensy bit more for magazines...I mean, yeah: if Veranda publishes Jane Doe's joint in July, then Country Living sure as shit ain't gonna pub it in August. But once a year or so has gone by who cares?

And for blogs, I just don't get it at all...like not even a little bit.