This website is using photos that it does not have permission to use... on a large scale. Have a look through and make sure your work is not being stolen. We need to get a movement together to get these guys taken down... Spread this around to all your photographer friends.
and how do you know that these photos are being ripped off?
These are obviously stolen. Out of 500+ submissions supposedly from amateur photographers every photo is professionally excellent and specialized across the board. What are the odds?.... astronomical. I can only guess what the game is here, but it sure is not legitimate.
Also seriously, how does a photographer go about stopping the rip-offs?
Any one photographer whose work is compromised by copyright infringement can first get a cease & desist order from his attorney. Then, in a perfect world, the photographer can sue.... if he wants to go through the aggravation. The site can be down quicker than blinking an eye so screen shots are the only proof. And IF there was a class action suit by many photographers (years) and it was successful (?) the perpetrator would be wiped out IF he had money, or doesn't declare bankruptcy first. It's a slippery slope. So to answer your question, there is little incentive for the photographer to go after the blogger, or website "rip-off" originator. Going after an established company like a brick & mortor housed publishing company with printed proof is usually more doable, but again can take years and a lot of your money (legal) in the process.
I'm not a professional and I very seldom license photos or receive any form of compensation for my work, though I did appreciate the fellow who sent me two bottles of very expensive wine after I gave him a photo for his daughter's bedroom. He'd seen the image online and contacted me. I hardly feel inclined to waste my time looking to see if someone ripped off one of the images I've posted here or accumulated on my hosting account. Life is too short to worry about such things.
That said, I have a good friend for whom this IS a livelihood. He protects his work by only posting small images online and those have a watermark that would make it very difficult for someone to rip it off and use it. I expect professionals know how to protect their investment of time and energy, as well as their prospective income.
In this world of digital imagery, it is in my opinion a waste of time worrying about such things UNLESS your income is dependent on protecting your photos.
I make photos to share them and generally give them to anyone who wants one, much to the chagrin of my friend for whom the competition from millions of photographers pressing millions of shutters on ever better quality digital cameras is flooding the market place with images that can be used by publishers for practically nothing. But there is no turning back the clock.
Also seriously, how does a photographer go about stopping the rip-offs?