Ego & Greed? Not So Fast! (Or: How Misunderstood Is The Value Of A Photo?)

We’ve all done it at one point or another. We find an image online that we want to use for any myriad of reasons. We don’t think twice…we right click, or hold the image down on our phone and save it. Particularly in this world of compulsive meme sharing, I don’t think many people actually think about who made the original picture.

But how often do you find yourself in the middle between the author and a random end-user?

That’s where I found myself this past weekend.

My good friend and fellow photographer Christopher Taylor Dantonio made the image (found above in the A-Spot) of Philadelphia shortly before the last time our fall sports team made the big game a few years back. It was an instant hit. Naturally, everyone had been re-posting the image as we got closer to this year’s final game of the season. It’s been used in local newscasts, hype messages, and so on. Hell, even our local power provider PECO has used it.

I happened to notice an acquaintance post this image as their cover photo on Facebook. Now, as the middleman between the two…I tagged Chris in the image as a formal introduction to the person who liked it enough to download it off the web and use it. I also informed them they were fellow cigar aficionados. To me, it was connecting two like-minded individuals.

Chris privately asked the poster if he could swap the image out with one that had his watermark on it.

Long story short, it did not end well. The words “ego & greed” were bandied about because someone had the nerve to ask for what was well within their rights as the creator.

So, rather than give up precious column inches about what people think they’re entitled to just because they want it…let me explain a few things about how photography works, and what we as photographers, photojournalists, etc. are entitled to under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.

• At no time did Chris ask for money even though he could have under the DMCA. It’s a copyrighted image. It is expressly his intellectual property, and he can use it, revoke it or share it as he sees fit.

• To a degree, ego plays into anything a creator creates. Images, articles, code, or even a bespoke product. We CRAVE societal accolades. Anyone in any job sector looks to get a pat on the back for a job well done. Would I personally have sent a request to swap the images? Probably not, but Chris was well within his rights to request him to do so and was protected as such under the DMCA.

End of story.

Greed doesn’t play into this situation at all…and I’m about to explain in detail why.

Chris never made these images knowing there could be a possible payoff at the end of the rainbow. He made the images because he loves the city, he loves the team, and he loves both traditional photography and drone photography. He is a second-generation photographer. His love for the craft runs deep.

BUT…let’s talk about what it cost for Chris to make this image in money and time without knowing if he would ever recoup it.

• Part 107 Drone Exam: $175

• 15-25 hours to study for the 107 Exam (time away from his wife and children)

• Recurrent training of new drone technology

• Registration of his drone with the FAA; secure an additional waiver to fly over 400 feet AND an additional waiver to fly at night in Philadelphia – especially since he was flying within 10 miles of Philadelphia International Airport (various fees…maybe a top out of about $100-$200)

• Buy the equipment (with his level of gear, let’s start the bidding around $2,500)

• Edit the images with software he had to purchase (anywhere from $100 - $1,000 annually)

• Insurance on his gear in case of catastrophic failure, etc. (call it $1,200 a year at minimum)

• Time and travel from his home to Philadelphia and back (gas, tolls, etc.)

Now did he ultimately get some business referrals from this shoot and sell prints due to demand? You’re damned right he did. Did he turn away that business? Absolutely not, because it ultimately paid for his shoot and then some.

‘MERICA!

Anyone making an image and posting it online will lose a certain level of control over the end use. Most pro-level shooters have attorneys on retainer (we certainly do) to send take-down notices & violations of the DMCA to companies using those images without permission. As a matter of fact, a good friend of mine was telling me recently about an issue he ran into. An office admin downloaded an image from the web to use on some project they were working on. The photographer found out doing a routine reverse-image search and sent them an invoice for use of the image. Under the terms of the DMCA, they had no choice but to pay it. They wouldn’t have stood a chance in court otherwise.

So at this point in the story, I’m hoping you’re asking, “So then, how do I avoid copyright infringement?”

Glad you asked. You look for free images to use on a website called Creative Commons. There are also a plethora of websites like Unsplash, Pexels, and old standbys like Shutterstock and Adobe. Of course, the more in-demand an image is…the less of a chance you can find it for free.

I would guarantee that any sports fan, while balking after being asked to simply credit someone for use of their image saying, “I shouldn’t have to…” most likely owns team schwag that they paid handsomely for. So if you’re willing to pay for one company’s product, why is a photographer’s work valued any less, especially when it spoke to you enough to want to use it?

Sadly, the only ego at play here was on the part of the poster who used the image without permission, and the perceived greed was just that, perceived. Again, the photographer asked simply for credit vs. his right to legally backed compensation for usage.

And, you may have also noticed that not once have I called any mentioned parties or events by their proper names. Turns out, they don’t like it when you use their copyrighted wordmarks without paying them.

‘Merica.

Sometimes You Get Lucky

On a recent Sunday, my wife and I were having our morning coffee and she commented on a picture I’d posted on LinkedIn. I had made some promotional images for a musician friend who was in need, and Michele said “I really love this shot…it invokes such a strong feeling in me. The lighting, the angle, just all of it. I love it!”

Musician Catherine Offner

I responded “Thanks! Sometimes you get lucky”

She responded “I really hate when you say that…just take the compliment! It’s a great shot!”

I sat there dumbfounded for a moment, collected my thoughts and said the following:

“I say that because sometimes that’s what photography boils down to. Luck. Had I not scheduled the shoot for that particular time of day, the sun wouldn’t have been coming through the window. Had the sun not broken through the clouds 5 minutes earlier, I may not have made the same framing decision. Had the piano been in a different location of the studio and not NEAR the window, I wouldn’t have been able to use it to help frame the shot in conjunction with the window and the light. So, when I say sometimes it comes down to luck, It doesn’t mean I didn’t hear or accept the compliment. It means just that…there was a lot of luck that went into that feeling you got when you saw it!”

She sat silent for a moment and said “ok…you need to write a blog about that” – so here I am.

Any professional photographer will tell you that luck plays a huge part in what we do. A ray of light here, a fleeting facial expression there. One moment morphs into another and what once was there is no more. If we missed it, we missed it. But most times…we’re the Radar O’Reilly’s of the photography world. We just know.

A child gets spooked as he pulls himself up and is startled by the big lens (and man) he sees

Being a professional photographer is somewhat of a calling. See, anyone can learn how to use a camera, but those that are bestowed with “the eye” see the world in much different way than the average muggle.

Where other people see a window or a piano, we see light, angles, and reflections.

While people can appreciate a good sunrise/sunset, we’re thinking “oh man…do I want to silhouette all the people on the dock watching it, do I want to wait and see if a plane flies across the giant setting orb or do I want to get all artsy and shit with this?!”

Sunset at the Kimberton Fair in Kimberton, Pa.

And every time we change our mind in that split-second, we change the outcome of the image we’re about to make.

And that’s where luck plays in.

Two planes fly into the frame without you realizing they were coming. Luck.

Takeoff and landing queue at San Francisco International Airport

Maybe the light hits the rain in just the right way at just the right moment to give you even better shot than you would have had otherwise. Luck.

A veteran waits to get his first COVID-19 vaccination at North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pa.

Hell…you manage to capture something you didn’t even REALIZE you were capturing because you were so focused on the major portion of the shot that you didn’t even notice a much smaller detailer that makes the image that much better. Luck.

cars leave water trails on the highway after a thunderstorm rolls through Las Vegas

Then there’s the luck of just being in the right place, at the right time, with the right lens. It happens to all of us FAR more often than we’d ever care to admit.

baptism in a local creek in Chester County, Pa.

I’ll be the first one to admit that I’ve never been a huge fan of my own work. I’m 100% self-taught, I hardly follow the rules of photography and most days I feel like I’m just faking it till I make it. I’ve also never been able to take a compliment well and chances are I never will. It’s just not how I’m wired and I’m ok with that.

But all that aside, I’ve been incredibly lucky in life, lucky in love and lucky in business. So it only makes sense that I’m also lucky in photography.

one of the first deliveries of Covid-19 vaccines in Pennsylvania in early 2021

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes about luck that fits perfectly in the world of photography.

Spoken by the 14th Dalai Lama:

“Remember that sometimes, not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”

Under The Influence? Don't Be...

Hey there internet…it’s me, BP.  Can we chat for a second?

Look, I get that you absolutely have some cool advantages, and you have somehow managed to invade everyone’s homes, minds, cars and phones 24/7. 

As a matter of fact, I love that it’s never been easier for me to order stuff I never knew I needed! Why just the other day I was talking to a friend about how this other person ended up being a total douchenozzle and then BAM…minutes later there was an ad for the Douchenozzle 9000 XL that was available, but only in limited quantity, so I’d better go buy it now.

BUT…that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.  I wanted to talk with you about the inappropriate relationship you have with soon to be married women, and how that’s affecting how us photographers shoot those weddings.

See, you have all these fancy websites…and those sites are chock full of other people’s weddings, and that’s cool when you’re looking for inspiration for decorations, or venues, entertainment, etc.

What’s not cool are all these photos of these dream weddings that people are finding on one particular site in general. See, when you post all of these amazing photos…my brides see them and then want me to recreate those shots for them.

I’m going to say that again slower.  My brides….want me to recreate someone else’s wedding photos…at their own wedding.

They want me to recreate a dreamy scene by the ocean, except we’re not shooting anywhere NEAR an ocean, much less one on the coast of California where the sun goes DOWN over the ocean, as opposed to here in Philadelphia where it comes up.

They want me to recreate this amazingly intricate scene that was SO photoshopped, that I am shocked it even gave an option to export as a .jpeg – it wasn’t even close to being a photo anymore.

Most recently, I had a bride that wanted me to recreate the exact ANGLE, LIGHTING, HAIR & MAKEUP for a shot.  Here’s the kicker…it was a screen grab from a movie.

Now look internet, I don’t want you to think this is all your fault.  It’s not.  In the era of Kardashian lifestyles and Instagram “Influencers” – it’s just as much our client’s fault, but you’re not helping.

First and foremost, I’m a photojournalist. We’ve been so busy trying to recreate a vision of someone else’s wedding at their OWN wedding…I’m not even sure we got anything that was unique to what should have been their own special day.

More times than not anymore, the first dances are SO choreographed in an attempt to be perfect, that we’re missing those intimate moments where the bride & groom’s eyes lock, the love explodes between them, and the entire room sees it firsthand.  Now we’re just getting these awkward first dances where they’re too busy counting off the steps that they hardly look at each other at all.

That seems to be extending now to the dances between bride/groom, bride/bride, groom/groom (you get the point), and their respective parental units. 

Once upon a time you would have a crying father or mother dancing with their child…looks of admiration and pure happiness replaced with dance routines from someone else’s wedding found on a video on YouTube titled “BRIDE KILLS WITH THIS EPIC DANCE ROUTINE WITH FATHER”.

What wasn’t noticed or perhaps ignored was that in the description section, it stated that both Father & Daughter were ballroom dancers and had years and years of experience between them.

STOP THE INSANITY!!!

People are trying so hard to recreate other people’s weddings that we’re missing all those special moments at their OWN wedding. 

Those moments that are unique to them.  Those moments that NO ONE ELSE can recreate, because they are fleeting moments.  We’re hired to find those moments.  To seek them out.  To wait for them in the shadows of the ballroom and make them a part of that family history.

Look internet, I get it. You have all kinds of shiny and amazing things.  You also have lots of dark corners that should probably not be discussed.  You know what I’m talking about.

I’m going to beg of you, and anyone else that’s reading this.  Can we try and be unique?  Can we try and stop being other people for a day? Can we go back to being the wonderful, amazing, unique people we are and stop trying to recreate a day meant strictly for someone else?

Now I’m speaking to you…the brides. Can we all agree that this day is YOURS? You’ve hired us, or another photography studio because you liked the story we told of someone else’s big day. 

Guess what, I NEVER put recreated photos up on our website.  Everything that’s posted are actual, genuine moments that tell the story of that particular day.

I’m not saying don’t look at the internet for inspiration on hair, makeup, décor, etc. But there are so many things that go into making some of these images you share with us.  Be it a gorgeous sunset on a beach or a multi-million-dollar film that had at least 90 people making these two people look good with lighting and most likely a greenscreen on a soundstage.

You are amazing just as you are.  It’s ok to look for inspiration, but don’t be someone else on your big day.  Be yourself.

Oh look, the internet just told me there’s a BIG sale on “Inspiration: The Cologne” – but there’s only a few bottles left.  GOTTA GO!

Chorus Photography to Open New Studio and Meeting Space in Downtown Phoenixville Pennsylvania in July 2019

Working in close proximity with Mind Fire Creative at 10 N. Main Street in Phoenixville will bring new partnership opportunities for companies to incorporate true photojournalism into their brand identity and online presence

PHOENIXVILLE, Pennsylvania May 23, 2019 – Chorus Photography, an award-winning, bicoastal photography studio based in Philadelphia and San Francisco, is solidifying its presence in the community in which co-founders BP and Michele Miller reside.

“We’ve been looking for a place in downtown Phoenixville for some time now because it’s important for us to be a part of the town with which we’ve so closely aligned,” says BP Miller, Co-founder and President of Chorus Photography. “Chorus Photography has become very immersed within the Phoenixville professional and cultural scene, and we’ve watched many friends and business owners lay roots in this amazing town. We wanted to double down on our commitments by having a physical presence here as well.”

“Mind Fire Creative is excited to announce a new tenant to our building at 10 N. Main Street,” says Mind Fire Founding Partner, Bob Kropp. “Our long-time friend and business associate, BP Miller of Chorus Photography, will be moving a new office into the second floor loft. As Phoenixville continues to grow by leaps and bounds, the companies at 10 N. Main will strive to help small business here in town grow, and in turn, keep our community moving in the right direction. We have big plans for growth at 10 N. Main….stay tuned!”

“We’ve had a relationship with Mind Fire for many years,” Miller added. “So when this space presented itself, it was a no brainer to take advantage of it. It’s important for us to have a space conducive to executive portraiture, headshots, and meetings.”

Phoenixville continues to experience significant growth as one of the hottest growing towns in America, and touts a vibrant and collaborative business community. All of these factors, in addition to a walkable downtown, position Chorus Photography perfectly to continue to expand its footprint in suburban Philadelphia. There is a huge opportunity to help companies become better storytellers by leveraging the visual narrative skills of professional photojournalists.

“The Phoenixville community has long been home to talented and creative individuals, who work and draw inspiration from our beautiful town,” says the honorable Peter Urscheler, Mayor of Phoenixville. “We are so honored and fortunate that BP and his team from Chorus Photography have chosen to open up a physical location in Historic Downtown Phoenixville. BP has been an integral part of our vibrant business community for a number of years, offering his guidance and services to numerous community organizations. His talent for photography is beyond compare and I look forward to seeing the next chapter of Chorus Photography and Phoenixville through his stunning photographs.”

Chorus Photography’s distinctive approach to corporate photojournalism is driven by the knowledge that photography is paramount to brand identity and loyalty. Photography permeates every essential tactic in marketing, awareness, lead generation, social media and online presence. It creates the human connection required to establish familiarity, develop a bond, and instill trust in the desired audience.

"Chorus Photography has been providing amazing photography services to the Phoenixville area for many years, and has served so many non-profits and events,” says Jessica Capistrant, President and CEO of the Phoenixville Regional Chamber of Commerce. “We are thrilled to have them join the downtown business community and look forward to many more years of engagement with their team."

“We’ve been able to accomplish so much within the borough of Phoenixville without a physical presence,” says Miller. “We’re looking forward to what else is possible by establishing ourselves even further within our hometown.”

The Chorus Photography Studio opening at 10 N. Main Street in Phoenixville is scheduled for early July. More information coming soon.

About Chorus Photography

Chorus Photography is an award-winning photography studio founded by BP & Michele Miller, and based in suburban Philadelphia and northern California. Their client roster features both for profit and not-for-profit organizations including: 93.3 WMMR, The Preston & Steve Show, 102.9 WMGK, 95.7 BenFM, B101, DIA Global, The Greater Philadelphia Film Office, Habitat for Humanity, and many others. Co-founder & President BP Miller is an award-winning photographer, photojournalist and speaker whose work has been published in both local and national publications like The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Daily News, Rolling Stone & The New York Times. Subjects in front of his lens include local families and businesses, as well as national and international celebrities, politicians, and dignitaries. BP is the former Mid-Atlantic Chair of the National Press Photographers Association and a former board member of the Northern Short Course In Photojournalism. He can be found speaking across the country about non-profit photography as well as photojournalists' rights.

Breaking Up (Isn't) Hard To Do

“It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages.” – Henry Ford”

Let me begin by saying the opinions and experience being shared within this article come from my perspective as both a customer and a business owner.

I am a brand loyal person.  I always have been. 

My first camera at age 11 was a Canon.  Guess what brand I still shoot with?

My first car was Honda…and I’ll say that about 10 out of the 15 cars I’ve had were either Honda or Acura.

And when it came to hotels, I was a Marriott guy. I LOVED Marriott properties.  My aunt had a makeup shop for years at the Marriott on City Line Avenue here in Philadelphia.  I remember the arcade they had set up there for kids on the second floor. I was hooked on Marriott from that point.  My favorite Marriott property hands down is the San Francisco Airport Waterfront.  It was the first property I’d stayed at that had one of the new M Lounges.  The view was great (and as a photojournalist, being able to photograph planes landing and taking off at the same time was fantastic), and the staff was friendly.

I was a proud Marriott guy…until last week.

In the last year or so…Marriott has been making a lot of changes to their Member Rewards program.  Taking more and more perks away, giving you less and less bang for your buck.  The typical corporate BS that you hear more and more about.  And granted, I don’t travel nearly as much as I used to, and I’m nowhere NEAR as much of a traveler as my friends Ray or Chris…both Platinum for Life rewards members. But, when I travel and pay for it on my own dime, it’s been Marriott.  Always.

For people who travel for work, and spend long periods of time away from home and family, it’s not about the rewards level as much as it is the perks that go along with it.  Those little perks can go a long way to help you keep a better mental outlook.  Those upper rewards level perks mean you can generally grab a cup of coffee in the concierge lounge long after the Starbucks in the lobby closes.  It means you can take your client to the M Lounge for a quiet talk when you don’t want to yell just to hear yourself over the din of the lobby bar.  It gives you a slice of normalcy while you’re away from home. If you travel, you get it.

So back in the spring when my wife was traveling for work, she called me and said we’d been downgraded from Gold status to Silver.  It was the first I was hearing about it.  We were given no heads up, and I was a little miffed.  I knew we hadn’t been traveling as much for work in the eight months leading up to that time, but I also knew our status wasn’t due to reset when it did.  After talking on the phone with people at Marriott customer service, they told me there was some kind of Gold Elite challenge, and if we stayed six more nights before the end of June (this was in early April) – they’d bring us back up to Gold Status.  Knowing I had a week’s stay at a property in Boston in June, and with my wife’s schedule…we’d easily do that.  I wasn’t thrilled we got bumped, but…they at least made it easy enough for us to get back up to where we’ve been for the last 2 or 3 years.

I never gave it another thought until this past week when my wife and I were making plans for a LONG overdue vacation.  In the last year we’ve lost friends and her mother to cancer. We’ve been working our asses off and decided it was time to spoil ourselves a little.  We’d talked about going to Hawaii last year, but with her mother getting progressively sick, we pushed.  After assessing what we’d put away to take a once in a lifetime trip for ourselves…we booked our vacation.

First thing to do was secure our reservations at the Marriott properties where we wanted to stay.  We were going to spend 8 nights in Maui, and 4 nights in Kauai.  Everything was booked, deposits paid.  I logged on to our Marriott account page to confirm a couple of things, and that’s when I saw it.

We were still at Silver level. Not only were we still at Silver Level, but we were was missing about a week’s worth of stays.

So, off to Marriott I call to find out what’s going on.  I end up on the phone with Jose from Member Rewards.  Jose was…let’s just say, unhelpful. He proceeds to tell me that the challenge wasn’t six nights, but six STAYS!

WUT?

What the hell is the difference between six nights and stays?  Beyond that, I confirmed with the woman three times back in the Spring that it was, indeed, six nights.

I was livid.  I felt like I was just taken in on a bait & switch at a used car dealer.

So, naturally I asked to speak with a supervisor.  Jose proceeded to tell me he WAS the supervisor.  I informed him that I’m guessing there’s someone above him.  I also stated that I was not asking for anything more than what they had already promised.  A brand promise is still a thing, right? Next thing I know, I’m on hold waiting to talk to someone at “Elite” member services.  The last thing Jose said to me as he put me on hold was, “Now, don’t hang up.”

So, I waited on hold.

5 minutes….10 minutes…20 minutes…30 minutes.

I knew what kind of game he was playing, and I had all day…so I waited and started a Twitter thread, constantly dinging both Marriott and Marriott Rewards. I eventually tagged Hyatt as well, seeing if they were interested in our business.

“It’s hard to have a relationship with 30k people in a field, but we try. And they feel things. There is emotion there” - Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden

Hyatt responded within 10 minutes…WHILE I was still on hold with Marriott, and while Marriott’s own social media team hadn’t found the time to answer me back.

Finally, Antonio from “Elite Member blah blah blah” gets on the phone, and acts like he doesn’t know anything about why I’m calling.  Which was suspect, considering he parroted some things back to me that gave away his hand.  But ok…I’ll play along because I still have some level of confidence that they will uphold their promise to us as long-standing Rewards members.  After about five minutes, I asked him a very simple question.  If it’s “impossible” to move us back to the level where we rightfully belonged, how would Marriott feel about losing a large amount of money from one customer all at once?

We’re talking about two weeks at two properties on our vacation before spending a single dollar on food, drinks, etc. That’s not taking into account other business stays we have scheduled between now and the end of the year.  So, let’s round that off to about five figures between Q4 and the beginning of Q1, 2019.

Was Marriott really willing to lose that level of investment from a single customer because, “We said stays, not nights”?

It would seem they were.

While our money isn’t a lot to a corporate entity that measures success in millions if not billions, let’s start to add up how much money we’ve spent at Marriott properties in the last 15 years. Then let’s add up how much money we WOULD have spent at Marriott properties over the NEXT 15 years.

See, Jose & Antonio are not the problem. They are directed to stick to the provided script. And rather than bring in someone above them and say, “Hey…this guy is legitimately pissed off, and is about to pull their reservations…what can we do?” They just stick to the script and get frustrated and rude when you won’t take what’s written as the final answer.

I asked once, “Antonio, I just want to make sure you’re ok with losing this much money in a single phone call?”

Antonio didn’t have much to say.

“Are you sure there’s NOTHING you can do to keep our business?”

He couldn’t even find us an upgrade.

So guess what I did? I reached out to our travel agent. I asked her to send us all the Hyatt Properties on the two islands we’re visiting.  I talked to Jessica at Hyatt Guest Care support.  Jessica has been kind, courteous and super helpful in helping us get started with THEIR Rewards program.  Including starting us at their Gold level (Explorist) based off of our NEW reservations at their two Hawaiian properties and the current points we have with Marriott.

My perception as a customer? Hyatt wants our business more than Marriott does, regardless of our longevity, loyalty, or brand ambassadorship.  Marriott owns so many hotel chains that they don’t care that they’ve lost one long-standing customer who was brand loyal to a fault.

Will Hyatt mess up down the line?  Probably.  As business owners, we all do.  The difference is knowing and realizing when you have a longstanding customer, and what you’re willing to do to keep that type of loyalty.

We recently purchased a gas fire table for our deck from Wayfair. Not a major purchase, but not a tiny purchase either. We received a Thank You post card in the mail. No solicitation, just thanking us for our business. Completely unexpected, and very much appreciated.

Friends of ours lost their dog recently. They are Chewy customers and had their dog food set up for auto-ship before she passed. They reached out to Chewy to see if they could return the latest shipment. Not only did Chewy give them a refund, they encouraged them to donate the food to a local shelter, sent two sympathy emails, AND sent flowers. Chewy took the business-customer relationship, and made it personal.

In this day and age, brand loyalty is PARAMOUNT in keeping good business relationships no matter how large or small the customer is.  Small things go a long way and don’t need to erode the bottom line to be both impactful and memorable.  Making customers feel like their business and support of the brand is appreciated will take you SO much further than saying “I can’t”, “I won’t”, or “Well, we said six stays, not six nights. You obviously misunderstood.”

Oh no, Marriott…It’s you that misunderstood.  And because of that, you lost a substantial chunk of immediate money and countless dollars that have yet to be spent. Worse than that…you lost a loyal customer.

Or as you might say, “You’ve been downgraded from Gold Elite Status.”