According to the photographer, the image was recorded behind his house, in Campo Limpo Paulista. Woman said she took the photo in RS
An award-winning photo of a tree surrounded by clouds in Italy has sparked an argument between two Brazilians over who took the photo. According to the photographer Eder Magalhães, a woman, from ABC Paulista, said she registered in Rio Grande do Sul in October 2016, a month after the image was published by the resident of Campo Limpo Paulista (SP).
The photo shows a tree with dry branches and clouds forming a type of canopy. According to the photographer, who has worked in the area since 2013, the image was taken by him behind the house where he lives. When it was published on social media, three years ago, the record went viral.
“I make a living from photography. I do weddings and, when I'm calm, I take photos and publish them. Now that I make one that goes viral, people want to take advantage of it. If she hadn't said anything, I wouldn't even know, because I don't research who shares my photos,” she says.
Photo of a tree surrounded by clouds caused a clash between two Brazilians over authorship — Photo: Personal archive
The photographer learned of the situation recently when a Facebook page shared the photo with the woman's credits. The professional claims that the record is not entirely true. To give perfection to the contour, he, at the time, added more clouds.
On the other hand, in a text published on social media, the supposed photographer explains in detail how she took the shot.
“From inside the vehicle, with the cell phone. When I opened the image, which before I only focused on the dry tree, when I opened the image, I understood how much God communicates with us. I named it 'Angel Tree,'” the woman wrote.
Éder made a painting with a photo of the tree behind the house — Photo: Eder Magalhães/Personal archive
With the image, titled “Tree of Angels”, the Brazilian won the second edition of the international poetry and image competition “Gocce Di Memoria” (Drops of Memory), held by Poesis Associazione Culturale e Artavia, in Taranto, Italy. The award-winning photo became the cover of an anthology containing poems that won this competition. The awards ceremony took place at the Ducale D' Ayala Valva Palace, in the neighboring city of Carosino, Italy, in 2017.
Legal fight
The woman commented on the photographer's post saying she was going to sue him for using her record. She was not located by G1 to talk about the case.
“Éder, this photo is not yours, you took it improperly, which violates copyright law. I have testimonial, ocular and documentary evidence. Please delete, noting the retraction and credit to save legal proceedings”, he added.
The case sparked outrage among internet users, who started a campaign for the photographer.
“After the attacks, we saw a 2017 post on her Facebook talking about the award in Italy. I can't even eat properly. I cried a lot and I never thought I would go through that.”
By Carlos Dias, G1 Sorocaba and Jundiaí
