09/02/2026
Hi!
I honestly wasn't going to post about this at all. I was going to go about it quietly and make changes without giving notice but given the recent appalling rulings about AI-generated content, I felt like I should go ahead and talk about it.
Maybe you've noticed, maybe you haven't... over the last few months, I have been removing any full face / identifiable images of children from my socials and website. I have changed the security and publicity settings on different websites and apps. I've started covering sweet faces in photos and compressing the images before posting. Why? The internet is SCARY.
When I had my son, my husband and I were adamant about not sharing his photos online. Our families were not and still aren't allowed to share because we don't either. Honestly, I don't even really send photos of him out to people I know. Sometimes I worry about who sees his photos when family members take them and show their friends.
When we made this choice, our primary focus was mostly on the fact that he could not actively decide what his online presence looked like and it wasn't going to be our decision. If he becomes an adult decides and wants to post all his baby pictures, go for it, kid. I *personally* did not want him to already have an online persona for a bunch of people he didn't know. (I *DO NOT JUDGE* anyone who posts their kids online. I PROMISE. It was simply a choice made by my husband and I for my son. It hasn't always been easy. I want to share everryyyything.. trust me.) AND, the internet is scary... Now, it's even worse.
With the the rapid growth of AI and abuse of images, online privacy is even more important.
>> The 7th Circuit Courts of Appeals has ruled that privately possessing AI generated ..content.. of "fictional" children can be constitutionally protected when it is kept at home.
My mind genuinely cannot process the magnitude of this kind of EVIL and I refuse (STILL) to be a part of this huge problem.
I take online privacy for my clients SO seriously. I feel like as a keeper of images and moments, it is *my job* to protect them at all costs. If someone doesn't want their photos posted, you, as a viewer, will never know they were taken. Every session I photograph requires a model release to be signed and / or specific instructions about sharing are required.
When I photographed a lot of sports, I NEVER posted photos of children without a signed model release from parents. EVER. And honestly, I didn't really post them anyway just out of respect of not knowing most of the parents personally.
>>This will never change. Your sports photos will not be posted on my social media.. ever. ESPECIALLY with their full names and schools (I cringe...) NEVER.
