Do you think it is ok to put a collection of photos into a powerpoint presentation and email them to a customer in another city? In this presentation, (I've done this once so I'm trying to see what ya'll think), I had photos of my own cakes and some by others that I've collected off the web. I very explicitly stated that some were my cakes and some were the works of other decorators. I only included photos that I knew were at my level of expertise.
I some time e-mail out "Idea Cakes" but I make sure that I tell the client which ones are mine and which ones are not. Is there some way to seporate them out> Have a different backround, say one pink be yours, one blue be others. Then note that at the begining of the presentation.
I do it to be honest and because even the best decorator can not make the same cake the exact way twice....
Hope that helps...
I think the presentation itself sounds like a great idea. I have often emailed pictures or said look at this site etc... from other decorators, just as a sort of 'is this what you had in mind?' or a 'here are some other shape and size options for that number of servings' etc.. I always say where the pictures have come from, and I never post them anywhere and say they are mine. Plus, if I got them off a site like CC (not just a shop where the pictures are already in magazines) I would ask permission first.
Usually I say "you could do this sort of thing, then we can personalise it like this...." Most times brides want their own touch on it, not an exact replica.
Anyway, hope this helps!
I forgot to say - usually if the bride does want an exact replica, I tell her I need to change it in some way because of copyright. I'm not sure how copyright laws work with making cakes, I know you can't use the other decorators photos as your own, but I don't know how it works with making replicas of their work, so I play it safe!
I think it would be fine as long as you separate somehow which ones you did and which ones someone else did. This way there will be no confusion to the customer. Perhaps make one slide for your cakes and a separate one for others and title the slides to show which are which. People look at magazine cakes all the time and take them in to bakeries to get them replicated. It is no different. I agree with Jessica176 about changing something about the other cakes to make them your own..even if it's the border or design on the sides, etc. Good luck!
I'm probably not the person you want on this thread considering the other 11 page thread going on at the moment about my views on a similar subject, but, here goes.
I don't think you should put together a presentation with other people's photos on them to send to a client. I think it's definitely a bit of a grey area, because you're not putting them on your own website and trying to pass them off as yours, but still, you are using someone elses photos as advertising for yourself.
I find it very difficult when I have a bride who is unsure of what she wants, and I have had them bring me photos, and pictures they've found, I like to sketch up a design for them incorporating their ideas.
Just my opinion, you should of course make up your own mind as to how you want to handle it.
I would personally, be fine if you used one of my photos to do that, so long as you took 5 minutes to email me and ask politely. I don't think that is too much to ask, but I'm not sure whether Collette Peters wold be as happy about it 
You know... I just took Colette's class, ans she is totally fine with people copying her work. She knows it happens a lot and laughed about it. It would be nice to add "inspired by Colette Peters" on the pics. 
Thanks for your input. The photos that I've collected were from sites like wedding.com, etc. I think I'll take your advice and separate my own cakes from the ones that were done by others. I don't think I've ever replicated another cake exactly and probably couldn't if I tried!!
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