Randy Blythe, Lamb of Good and more than 8000 hits..

UPDATE: Editor of What Culture has been in touch, and we've chatted about usage - based on their model, it is hard for them to regular - well, it's not exactly hard, is it, I mean a google search gives me the original image in mere seconds, but hey.. Happy that he tried to explain - Thanks.

So, You've had an image used by someone without your permission? Here you go, try this one... I photographed Lamb of God back in 2009 at Sonisphere... The guy did something to a fan (that jumped on stage) that same year (fan dies, not sure if Randy is to blame, not the point of this post) ..anyways, I just popped into webmaster tools and saw that one of my images had over 8000 hits last week...

That's a few more than normal, so I dropped the image into Google Image search and this is the result I got...

http://bit.ly/Os8gDJ [and below, for those that can't be stuffed clicking]

Most of the usage is social media type stuff, Tumblr, Facebook etc, and really, I'm not that fussed - well done, you have a 640x480 at 72dpi, you didn't link me, but what am I going to do.... There are a couple of websites that charge for advertising and that have business models - They have been sent invoices. WhatCulture.com and Indeep-Media.com naughty..

I see What Culture have since removed my image (in the last 20 minutes) but frankly, that model doesn't wash with me... you don't take a car, and then when the dealer calls you up and asks for money, give it back... You don't take a CD and listen to it, then give it back when the shop calls up asking for cash...

Anyways, sure I'm not alone, I'm certain a zillion of you have had your images used multiple times... I got as far as emailing the two companies that obviously make money from their websites, straight up invoices and posting under the image on one 'Save Randy' Facebook group (Please ask next time, whatever) ....and for those of you that need more images, please comment where they will be used below and here's a few (gratis)... If you link back to gtvone.com, that'd be nice - thanks.

If you don't want to a. see your images used by others or b. go through the fuss of having to invoice companies that see fit to use your image without prior consultation... I guess don't post 'em online... Maybe...

Old Festival Images.. different perspective

You're right, those images, they're sitting in a hard drive, nobody is looking at them, how will you ever sell one of them? You won't... Here's a handful that are free to use for whatever you like (with a credit / link to gtvone.com if there's space) [gallery link="file" order="DESC" orderby="title"]

Better day, more coffee...

Have you had a pit full? Music Photography

It's been uttered recently that there are too many "unpaid" photographers in the pit that are taking work from other photographers who are trying to make a living from music photography. Let's just get one thing straight from the off... of the many music photographers I know, very few of them make a living from music photography, some of them make a little and a lot of them make less than that... so take your dreams of fame and fortune and dash them on some cold, wet rock somewhere... (and I don't mean "it goes to eleven" rocks) It's 6:30 am and I've been up an hour trying to get my little boy (above) to go back to sleep, he's not up for it, so I've handed him off to the mothership. I've had these thoughts whirring around my head since the last Podgoat recording... Danny North mentioned that some other bloke, Dan? (from Australia... typical complaining Australians) had penned a well balanced article on gig photography and how there ain't enough room for us all to be involved. I'd suggest there is, and when asked on Podgoat, I said the same but couldn't put my finger on "why"

Why? Well, what I was trying to articulate, and failed, was that there are as many places at gigs as there are publications and webzines that want images - if the PR / Band / Band Management will allow it, which they won't... So, there are places enough for those that are a. from a major publication, b. in with the band, c. good blaggers... Now, Danny North, he's an NME boy amongst many other things - and a damn find music photographer, one whom I've admired for a good while... but I don't see him having trouble getting access to gigs with his credentials - you just need to take a look at his website, the wall full of AAA passes and, his gallery, to know that he's seemingly "The god of Access All Areas" ...so why would Danny complain?

I've been shooting music, just because I like doing it, for a few years now.. I've shot lots of stuff, from Paolo Nutini in my mate's lounge room to U2 at Wembley... Metallica, Prodigy, Alice in Chains, NiN, Counting Crows... look, just lots, they're a couple of the ones you lot may have heard of... and I can recall at every gig seeing someone that was there as a favour / friend of the promoter / for some random web magazine... they were shooting with a compact (on a few occasions) ...with a dSLR on some occasions, and 50% of those asked someone / me / before the gig "what settings should I use" Does Danny North need to be afraid of these people?

No... He doesn't... There's a vast difference between what he's going to capture and what they're ultimately going to produce, but only for a little while... because at some point "baby's going to grow up" and she's going to be thinking "hey, maybe I could make a buck from this" and that is the point where Danny needs to worry, right? No... No? Yeah, no... (did I just do a yeah, nah) because NME already have Danny, the world know's about Danny... and those publications that hire Danny are going to keep hiring Danny as long as he doesn't stuff up... but he needs to keep pushing the envelope doesn't he? Yep... if he drops his game and one of those amateurs with a dSLR, or heaven forbid, a compact! gets good and gets noticed and some random agency approaches said beginner... (with the promise of fame and fortune, right?) well, then we're crossing into the realm of someone potentially stealing / taking... actually, legitimately doing work that Danny could have done...

What's the bottom line? If you're good at your trade and you're constantly pushing to be the best you can be, you're going to keep getting the work until someone better comes along and that, my friends, is life... So Danny, watch your back fella, I'm practising my damn FStops!

You can find Danny and his mutterings on Twitter | Flickr | MySpace ...or you could just email him and hire him (he's not like the A-Team) danny at danny north dot co dot uk baby.

--Sime