It turns out most stock photos are taken with one purpose in mind: to be generic stock photos for general use. But others are simply sold to stock photo companies for a little extra cash.
That's what Yair Kivaiko did with a casual photo of himself and his parents' dog. But what he thought was a clever way to earn a quick buck turned into a minor nightmare.
It all started with a post from Twitter user @marleybennett, who noticed a familiar face on the health warning for a packet of tobacco:
With the benefit of hindsight, accepting this modelling job was definitely a mistake https://t.co/FeKHUaqX3F— Marley 🏴🏴🏴 (@Marley 🏴🏴🏴) 1527974551.0
Everyone saw where he was coming from.
@marleybennett Lol https://t.co/WuyqB3vqoS— isla martin (@isla martin) 1528145042.0
But Yair Kivaiko had a story that topped Bennett's. It turns out that photo he'd innocently sold to a stock photo company had been used...for an article about bestiality.
@marleybennett I hear ya. This is me :( https://t.co/UfSRRmugpy— Yair Kivaiko (@Yair Kivaiko) 1528023339.0
Yair explained the situation to The Sun:
It was just a photo I'd taken for fun with my parents' dogs in their backyard about four or five years ago and I decided to sell it via an app online to make some extra cash.
I was mortified when I saw it on an article about bestiality.
@Kobaiko oh dear— Marley 🏴🏴🏴 (@Marley 🏴🏴🏴) 1528026916.0
When the article came out, it caused Kivaiko a fair amount of embarrassment.
It took me a really long time to tell my friends and family what had happened. I would never want to be recognized as "that guy" by people that had read the article.
@marleybennett @Kobaiko Actually it’s a dog— joshua ilon 🍞🌹 (@joshua ilon 🍞🌹) 1528056772.0
@joshuailon @marleybennett @Kobaiko At first sight, I thought it was a goat— (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧ (@(ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧) 1528058699.0
@nerdingitout @joshuailon @marleybennett @Kobaiko They cropped the goat out.— Geek Support (@Geek Support) 1528104264.0
Fortunately, the article in question is no longer active, so Kivaiko can finally walk his parent's dog in public without fear of judgement. However, he HAS seen the same photo crop up in a few other places...
@marleybennett To be fair, I found out yesterday it was also used for a Sony xperia ad. I guess they're going to as… https://t.co/kRXSXlHZw2— Yair Kivaiko (@Yair Kivaiko) 1528055004.0
Don't worry, Yair (and all stock photo models)... in a world in constant need of stock photos, you've got plenty of equally embarassed company.
@marleybennett Atleast you’re not this one! https://t.co/tN7w1S9DRn— Jack Murphy|Actor (@Jack Murphy|Actor) 1528145158.0
@marleybennett Looks like they have worldwide rights to the image 😂 https://t.co/5QPVaqHJJ0— tudur (@tudur) 1528570432.0
@marleybennett https://t.co/k3WXuWfULP— erik (@erik) 1528142150.0
@Kobaiko @marleybennett I love that this has become a support group for folks who regret posing for stock photos.— Ash Menon (@Ash Menon) 1528047724.0
H/T - Indy 100, Twitter, Getty Images