There’s an old saying to ”Never Meet Your Heroes” that I never followed because I always made it a point to try my best to meet the people that put a smile on my face during my highest and lowest moments in life. What’s even more interesting is being able to work with those people that make you smile, when that happens part of you feels like you’re living the dream. To me, there was nothing better than returning the favor to those that made you happy, that felt like the perfect circle because it was an amazing feeling being appreciated by those that you appreciate. It was like that for about 4 years where I would shoot the craft of the music being made and performed while they shared my work with the world to witness the magic of 2 great minds working together. With a combination like this nothing can really go wrong, there was only ONE LITTLE PROBLEM. From time to time, here and there, they would forget to give me my credit for the shots that I did for them. I never asked for money, or materialism or anything more to make them go out of the way for but all I ever wanted was for them just to say who took the photos. It was never about recognition but more of returning the favor, even though they said "everybody knows my work" it was still the fact that I asked for something minimal and it still wasn't given. I wasn't angry or frustrated just not sure how to engage it because I didn't want to admit that I might've gotten take advantage of, or was I?
My best friend was very aware of the situation because she saw what they were doing and how I was feeling about it, she talked me into speaking to the only person that always gave me the credit that I deserved. I took her advice and privately spoke to the assistant about what was going on with no anger and animosity but I expressed how I felt about the lack of credit and that I would only give her my work from here on out because she respected my shots a little more than they did, the only problem was that she told the others as soon as I left and they took it as a form of betrayal. That honestly broke my heart where I wasn't sure if I wanted to work with them again, I swallowed my pride for a little while longer until they ultimately expelled me from working with them again about a month or two later. That was a defeat that I couldn't accept for months (I even dwelled on it 2 weeks later when I took a vacation in Japan), it was very upsetting knowing that someone you appreciates wants nothing to do with you and it honestly made me feel like I failed not only as a photographer but as a collaborator. Even though I stood my ground in wanting for them to address my name in every shot of them that they posted on social media, I questioned myself for months if it was really worth it. When I think about it today it was, because it's difficult to work someone with an "if you're not with me you're against me" attitude.
When I think about them today I still have no real ill will towards them, they still do amazing work and I'm thankful that I was once part of their creative team. Since my departure, they learned certain tricks of photography that I know they most likely adapted from my previous work for them which I'm happy for, which tells me I did make an impact on them after all whether they would admit it or not. The part that hurts me the most about the split was that I still was in good terms with the rest of the staff but when I departed from there my relationship with them also ceased, it wasn't until recently that I touched base with a few that I missed the most and they were happy to hear from me again (I have not apologized for my role in the split yet but I will). To this day, I still wish them all the best of luck.
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