In case you didn’t see my previous post, it shows the photos from the shoot for their new album that I did with them.
The Successful Failures album launch happened on October 2oth, 2017 at The Record Collector with The Paper Jets opening for them. The Paper Jets are a local NJ band and my friend Mike Virok is a member of. I don’t know why I didn’t know this, I guess I’ve been under a rock or something LOL! Mike also owns the Bordentown Guitar Rescue.
Before the show starts, I walk in to see what’s going on and where I should stand, etc. It was good to see everyone, they’re doing sound check, and I’m pretty excited to hear the bands play. I packed light that night, using a Canon 50mm f1.8 lens, Canon 16-35mm f2.8 L lens and a Canon 100mm Macro f2.8 lens with my Canon Mark 5D III camera. I didn’t want to bring my huge Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L non-IS lens because that night I didn’t think it was necessary and I was right. But I did have to push the ISO way up for the lighting inside.
The Paper Jets were INCREDIBLE! I bought their CD Strange Friends that night. The SF gave me their Ichor Of Nettle CD and I bought their live vinyl LP, Into The Battle.
Finally at one point I just sat back and relaxed to watch the show. I did take a video below:
Here’s another one of my cell phone videos:
These down below are from another channel and I did my very best to stay out of the frame. But you can see me on occasion.
At one point I was taking pictures behind the stage and they had just finished a song when they started talking about the album and how it was all done with people from the Bordentown area. When they mentioned Mike Virok who did the graphic design and then they mentioned me as their photographer. I was so flattered and caught off guard because I was still taking pictures. LOL I’m wondering if anyone has video of that? And if you do can you contact me please? Thanks 🙂
It was a great night, my friend Jim Parker helped hold my lenses while I was in between the aisle. My friend Dolores was in town visiting a friend and so she stopped by. After the concert, my friends, Stephanie and Jackie went to the H.O.B. Tavern for some food and drinks and invited the band to join us and they did. My husband’s train had also just come into town, so he was able to join us which was a really nice surprise. It was the perfect way to end a great night.
Thanks to everyone that made it possible!
http://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/IMG_5870.jpg601900Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-11-13 19:50:312019-10-17 17:43:03The Successful Failures Ichor Of Nettle Album Launch with The Paper Jets Opening
Now that their album has launched, I can post some photos from our shoot.
In case you didn’t hear, it all started one night, I was at the show to watch Men Without Hats and The Successful Failures opened for them. Quite honestly, I was amazed, I was like holy shit, these guys are awesome! Then I posted that blog link, and Mick, the lead singer of the band contacted me. They really loved the photos that I shot. We went back and forth and next thing I knew, we were trying to get a date to photograph everyone for their next upcoming album. Even saw the band perform at the Chesterfield Inn, chatted with Mick’s dad along with our friends. That was a really good night. Then this past January of 2017, we finally did and it was a cold day. I mean it wasn’t just cold, it was REALLY bitter cold, like it was about to snow with ice mixed in. And I had a gig at the NJPAC up in Newark that night too and the weather on the NJ Turnpike was horrible. But we got it done and I made it to that gig safely.
They wanted pictures of them at their recording studio and then I wanted to get some shots at a location in Bordentown, and we did, bitter cold or not, it got done! LOL
Inside while they were playing, I used one wireless Canon 600EX RT flash with a Westcott Rapid Box on a lightstand. When I’m shooting, my goal is to not be there, or just be a part of the environment. And since I had to use the flash, I decided to be a part of the environment, we chatted, joked around, but I mainly listened and looked for cues. Being in an intimate session like this was great, getting to know the guys better in their studio surrounded by items that enable them to create was helpful for me. And for the most part, I just let them do what they do best, be themselves and play. (Behind the Scenes Photo by David Ryan) After they finished playing, we took some shots of them all together inside the studio. At first some were sitting down, so then I had them stand up, then I said, ok, grab an instrument. These are what they picked up. Then I saw the couch behind Rob’s drum kit, so I had them get cozy with each other on that. And I was like, these are okay, but I still want to take you guys to another location. So we had some time and we did. I was thinking back to what Mick was saying what he originally wanted and there was this alleyway/street in Bordentown that has these fire escapes. So we get in the cars and head over to the location. I get there first, setup my wireless Canon 600EX RT Flash and a Photek Softlighter on a stand and use my husband as a stand in and I’m ready once the guys show up.
It’s bitter cold and the temperatures dropping. These guys, I tell ya, I really love them. They take their warm coats and hats off and endure the temps and me telling them what to do for these shots. I love that they trusted me and what I wanted to do for them.
So there’s a shot before this one, we’re all trying to get Ron to smile and he’s doing his best, and then Pete does his “thing” and that’s how this shot came to be. LOL
Then we went across the street to my friend’s house because these row of colonial homes fit what I was looking for. So with her permission, we used her front porch.
Back in May they performed at Randy’s Man Cave and used one of the images I shot for the promotional poster and the single online. And of course I took pictures. The space is tiny and they had someone take video, and if you click on the link for Randy’s Man Cave, you’ll see it all there.
The album launch happened on October 20th, 2017 at The Record Collector. The Paper Jets opened for them and I am now a fan of them. The two bands compliment each other really well.
Working with the guys, collaborating, staying true to who they are, their brand, what they wanted for their new album was just awesome. I let them tell me what they wanted, listening to their ideas, and it went from there.
The Successful Failures gave me a copy of their CD, Ichor Of Nettle and I bought the LP, Into The Battle. Here’s what it looks like(I just used my iPhone SE):
At first I wasn’t sure about the cover art, and Mick was like, she’s going to KILL US. But honestly I thought well there has to be a reason behind it all. This is their vision to go with their music.
And then he showed me what happens when you pull out the insert:
Now that’s cool! These are the details you miss when you buy on iTunes or a digital download from Amazon. I recommend going to your local music store and buying the physical CD and ripping it to play on your iPod or phone. I also love seeing my name and work in physical print again 🙂
Below are two music videos to market their new album and in my next post, I’ll show images from their album launch with video from a guy who seems to be at every local band event. He’s super cool and I’m so glad that he’s there to document these.
Thanks to Mick, Pete, Ron and Rob for having me to photograph you and having a great time. I’m forever thankful to you guys! To see the album launch party at The Record Collector, CLICK HERE.
If you’re interested in having me as your photographer, please contact me and let’s get together to chat about your project. Thanks!
UPDATE:
Here’s more of my images, but this time in print for New Jersey Stage Magazine, thanks for the photo credit!
http://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/TheSuccessfulFailures2017-Deirdre-Ryan-Photography-348.jpg900601Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-11-13 16:54:112019-10-17 17:43:35The Successful Failures Album Ichor of Nettle Cover Art Photoshoot
I’m pretty excited to have had this post re-posted in very well respected The Phoblographer <—–click on link. Thank you Chris for spreading the word! Since then, I’ve tweaked the formatting on my post, but it’s still the same. I have also heard from another photographer whose work was also stolen from this same band. I’m waiting to hear the outcome of that. When I do, I’ll update this post.
In this post, I want to share a “bedtime story” with you all. Yes….for my closest friends and family members, you know what this post is about. I’ve waited a long time, but with so many stories showing up on PetaPixel, two years is long enough I think. For the sake of what happened, I can’t name the band.
But first!
Why do I need copyright my images? I mean, once I click the shutter and take the picture, it’s mine.
Ok, technically that’s true legally. However if someone steals your images, if they are not registered with the U.S. Copyright Office prior to anything bad happening, you may only recover “actual damages” instead of “statutory damages.” What this means is that you as the photographer will only be entitled to the “fair market value” of your work, instead of what could be up to a $150,000 award, plus legal fees. (Parts of this description came from https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/photography-copyright-law-guide )
So if you need to hire a copyright lawyer, the first thing they will ask you is if the images in question have been registered yet. If yes, then you can proceed. If no, well, that’s going to be harder if your case goes all the way through and in front of a judge. The reason behind this is that professionals take the time to register their images because of the value to them and their livelihood, whereas say a, hobbyist, may not. Someone stealing images from a person and using it means a huge loss in revenue for a photographer.
I’m not going to go in detail on how to go through the process of registering your images. There are plenty of sites that can help you with this if you Google it. My favorite sites are:
Here is a great video from Scott Wyden Kivowitz on how to prep your images for the US Copyright Office using Lightroom. Lately I’ve been using Capture One Pro, but I can apply what he does here to that too.
A fellow photographer got me into this site Pixsy and what they do is really cool. You sign up, and sync your images with them either directly from your computer or social media site, website, etc. They find matches of your images online, and send you an alert. Then they’ll give you options on how you want to proceed, and yes they can handle international infringements. The service is free for up to 500 images. If you have more images that you want to have monitored they have different monthly plans. Now you don’t get the full amount if you win, they keep 50% except the the highest paid plan, you keep 55%. Overall, it’s not a bad system and I did have an image that their software found. I contacted them and they took care of it, done. I highly recommend trying it out and going with it, if you do find something that’s a huge deal then get a copyright lawyer.
Ok now that we have all of that taken cared of let’s go one with my experience shall we?
Back in 2015, I went to a concert here in my town and thanks to my buddy, a popular band from way back came to perform. The opening act was The Successful Failures and that was my first time seeing them. I was in the audience doing my usual thing, taking pictures. I wasn’t paid to be there, actually I paid for my tickets. But I asked if it was ok to take pictures and he said sure. I had my Canon Mark 5D III, the 16-35mm f2.8 L lens, and the 70-200mm f2.8 L non-IS lens. I’m working the room, doing my best to not be in the way of people enjoying the show. And we’re all having a great time, enjoying the hit songs we all love.
After the show, my husband and I meet the performers, the lead singer is a friend of my friend, and he introduces me. We get our photos taken, hands shaken, it was a great night. Before they went onstage, I met the previous band this way too, exchanged information.
Later on, I post the images from that night to this blog, watermarked them as you see here. Shared the post to social media and of course to my friend. The lead singer of The Successful Failures reached out via email and told me how he and his band members loved the images that I had posted. He wanted to know if they could use some of the images on their website and social media and how much it would cost. And touched upon the photo project for their new album.
I got back to him because at the time, I wasn’t sure how to price this sort of request. But I could see the value in what they do and they knew the value of what I do, there was going to be an awesome photoshoot coming up, I love their music, and most importantly, they asked for my permission. So I came up with a web sized per image price and we agreed upon it, had them sign a contract and that was it.
I follow the bands that I photograph on FB, Instagram and on Twitter. That’s when I noticed that that well known band had screenshot my images right off my blog and was using them on their FB, Twitter and Instagram with a link to their merchandise section to sell stuff like shirts and cds. That’s called using my work illegally for advertising. So at first I was pissed, but I played it cool because this is a friend of my friend. So I private messaged the band with this and I’m so happy that I had the insight to make screen copies.
If you can’t read it here’s what it says:
“Hey there! While I’m flattered that you like my images, I’m not cool with the screenshots and on my blog it does state that all images are copyright Deirdre Ryan Photography. Please do not copy in any way, this includes screenshots, thank you. I wanted to be nice, be cool. I’ll let it slide this one time, but please tag me and please change all posts to include Photo by Deirdre Ryan www.deirdreryanphotography.com thanks. This includes Instagram 🙂 My FB Page is http://www.facebook.com/deirdreryanphoto I’m re-branding myself again as a commercial and editorial photographer, so this would greatly help me and as a friend of Randy’s 🙂 Oh I forgot, if you could tag my IG with my IF @deirdreryanphoto Thanks again! Have a super awesome day!”
Looking back now I realize what I dork I sounded like LOL! I wasn’t asking for money or being a jerk. I just wanted photo credit. And as you can see, it was seen.
I waited a while and nothing….crickets…so I added my photo credit in the comments. Then, and I wish I took screenshots of those, they deleted my credits! And I saw that some fans had shared my image.
I tried again and they blocked me! WTH? So I hopped on IG and not only did they block me, they cropped out my watermark and slapped some crappy IG filters on some of them. The reason I knew this was because I had another IG account that they didn’t know about(ha!). I had added my credits in the comments there and at the time you couldn’t delete them, but I was blocked from their Twitter too! So I had my friends monitor their account for me. I think that they asked them in the credits who took the photos, etc. and they got blocked and deleted too, I can’t remember right now.
Here is what the originals looked like on my blog posting:
(If you notice, the copyright symbol isn’t on them, at the time, I didn’t think I needed it. But now I have them on now, but I wanted to show you what they looked like for reference.)
So I first I got a hold of my friend that I network with, she is a copyright lawyer. In fact we’re still in touch. She suggested that I email the band first, so I found their manager’s email. Btw, they have a different manager now.
Dear _______,
My name is Deirdre Ryan, I’m a professional photographer in New Jersey, (USA).
I’ve spoken with an attorney with whom I’m in the process of retaining. Before I go ahead and do so, I want to give you an opportunity to take down all of my images.
Please call back as soon as possible _________.
Take down you images from where?
_____,
These are images I shot of ________ that I posted on my website’s blog(Recent Work). These images are on their Instagram and Facebook accounts and they were Tweeted. Two were posted last week, and four this week.
So let me get this straight..
You went down, and shot the band… The band posted low rez pictures that you posted online of THEM live… and you have a problem with this… and now have the nerve to threaten us with lawyers?? am I getting this right?
Based on the tone of his last email, I called my lawyer up and I said, you deal with this. I could tell right away that this guy was hostile and would not offer a dime. I put her on a retainer and then the nightmare began. But I was really thankful that I had her. She then asked me to draw up an estimate of what this would cost them, so I did.
Their manager was rude, mean and over the phone with my lawyer, it was F this and F that, he clearly had a problem. He didn’t see the issue with what I had with my work being stolen to be used on their social media outlets and with a link to sell merchandise. I wasn’t asking for anything other than taking them down. I tried to be nice, asking for photo credit, then emailing with a polite and direct message.
Instead he was an asshole. Never asked for permission, deleted my photo credits, ignored my messages, and
it took about 3 months for them to take my images down.
In the end, I’m “banned” from their future shows(no big deal to me), and you know what he told my lawyer? This is “rich”….he was just trying to help a young photographer out.
Really.
If you wanted to help a “young” photographer out, you would’ve done what I asked for in the first place.
Next time someone steals my work like this again, they are going to pay me. I went through this ordeal because I didn’t want them to think that they could push anyone around, ESPECIALLY women. I didn’t this for myself, but for other creatives out there. They had stolen from the Getty’s site too so it’s only going to be a matter of time before they will end up shelling out thousands of dollars.
http://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/screenshot_07.7.jpg769859Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-08-11 19:26:572020-09-14 16:15:42Why You Need To Copyright your Images
The Successful Failures are lead singer and rhythm guitarist, Mick Chorba, Rob Martin on drums, lead guitarist Pete Smith and Ron Bechamps on bass. They’re a local Indie-Rock, Americana singer-songwriter, rock-n-roll band based in Chesterfield, NJ with quite a large following. We met about a year or so ago when they opened for Men Without Hats. I was a guest in the audience taking photos of the bands and they liked the photos that I took of them.
Since then, we’ve been in touch, then we came together this past January and I photographed them for their upcoming new album. I’m not going to share those images yet until the artwork is finalized. However I’m very excited, because not only are they an incredible band, they are super nice. We have the same interests, and sense of humor. I love seeing these guys live and wish that I can do so more often.
They played at Randy’s Man Cave recently amongst musical greats encased forever both in vinyl and CD. With this as their background, the audience was a mixture of fans, family and friends, I have to say that this was one of the best live performances I have ever seen. And not because they played some songs of my favorite band, The Beatles, either 😉
I love musicians, and to photograph them live, is a rush, because deep down inside I think part of me wants to be onstage too.
UPDATE:
Below is the video from that night featuring my photos, and yes, I do get credit on YouTube 🙂 Thanks guys, it looks great!
Pete just wails on his guitar, I love watching him perform!
Here’s Mike Devito, of the School of Rock All Star Band. He’s going to be touring with The School Of Rock All Star Band at Lollapalooza this summer. Mike came up and did an original jam with a birthday related improvisational. It was pretty awesome!
I like to call this image, “Changing of the Guards”.
As Ron was playing it looked like he was also “browsing” the records to see what he wanted to buy later LOL
They ended the evening with their version of John Denver’s Country Road, and invited everyone to sing along as loud as they could. And yes…I did just that because I love that song.
Below are videos from Commish TV, I highly recommend that you subscribe to their channel. You can see me sitting on the floor taking pictures and sitting on the chair to the left, my foot “tapping” to the beat. I do my very best not to get in the way of other people who are there to enjoy performances. There was another video crew there, and the space was small. However everyone was very nice and seemed to understand our purpose.
I’d like thank The Successful Failures and Randy for allowing me to be there as always. The band has a YouTube Channel and are on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. You can purchase their albums on iTunes and Amazon. Like I mentioned earlier, they are going to release a new album soon, so subscribe to their newsletter on their website and follow them on social media.
And, be sure to follow me here on my blog, subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram and Facebook. If you’re a record label, band promoter, musician or in a band looking for a photographer, contact me.
http://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_7213The_Successful_Failures_Randy_Nows_Mancave.jpg601900Deirdre Ryanhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan2017-05-19 15:07:132019-10-17 17:50:55An Intimate Evening With Local Band The Successful Failures-NJ Music Photographer
The Successful Failures and Men Without Hats came to Bordentown back in June of this year. Randy Now is a great guy and a very good friend who brings awesome bands and talents to our little town at The Open Arts Theater.
They have a blue-sy, rock, sound that is loud and incredible. The guy on the lead guitar just wails and you can tell that he just loves his instrument and what he does with it.
Randy and Ivan(the lead singer of Men Without Hats) go way back. So it was really a treat to see Pop Goes The World and The Safety Dance, among others live and up close.
All images copyright Deirdre Ryan Photography. DO NOT SCREENSHOT IMAGES or copy in anyway. By doing so is not only illegal, but will give you bad karma. Thank you.
All images copyright Deirdre Ryan Photography. DO NOT SCREENSHOT IMAGES or copy in anyway. By doing so is not only illegal, but will give you bad karma. Thank you.
http://www.deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/RandyNowConcert_deirdreryanphotography.com00694-1.jpg602900Deirdre Ryan Commercial Photographyhttp://deirdreryanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Logo.pngDeirdre Ryan Commercial Photography2015-11-30 21:07:142019-10-17 18:10:26The Successful Failures Perform With Men Without Hats
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