Alexander Kiselev:(May 21st - 01:50) You are lucky anyway you do the things you like...So why not?

KyleBarnes:(May 21st - 02:22) Nice. Love the balance. You should be a trapeze artist in the circus.

Stormy:(May 21st - 03:06) No way I could poo in that toilet after someone said that to me, haha! Bravery points to you sir!

Elena Hernandez:(May 21st - 03:12) As usual your brilliant mind shows us simple folks what really matters in the world...That is funny! Hope all is well with you and please tell you mom i said hi!

Gianma:(May 21st - 03:49) I like your personal working conditions best. :) But balance is probably the way, so great work anyway Joey!!! G.

Steve:(May 21st - 04:09) I\'m not sure I see the comparison here. You\'re comparing welcome against welcome, bath against bath, toilet against toilet and character against character, not style of photograph against style of photograph.I was going to say that one is staged and the other just a snapshot that benefits from being in an interesting, but, I don\'t know how staged those hotel shots are. Did a lot of lighting go into them?

Commercial vs. Personal Work « Team Photo:(May 21st - 05:32) [...] Lawrence has an interesting, humorous take on the difference between commercial and personal work here. What interests me most about the article is that I’ve always prefered his personal work. My [...]

Rob Ahern:(May 21st - 07:09) lol, nice post. I dont know which one I\'d prefer to stay in though. they both have such great character! :)

Dennis Pike:(May 21st - 07:50) When Mursi asks for more lens flare... he fucking gets more lens flare

Desislav Delchev:(May 21st - 10:26) Haha, nice... 'll love to see more stuffs like this

Joe:(May 21st - 10:49) I prefer the personal work. (if i had to chose) The commercial work is certainly more visually appealing - its so clean and perfect - But the personal work is REAL. And its true to itself.Personal work with a commercial feel to it? = Enhanced emotions and understanding of meaning for the photograph. All in all? - BOTH! i say :)

Jenna Julianne:(May 21st - 10:58) Nice dude! :) The photos of Africa intrigue my soul the most! Srew the 5star hotels! but of course I bet they where AMAZING to stay in! Thanks for sharing, I have an african theme to my website you may like....That\'s awesome that you have witnessed and captured so many different cultures across the world! You will be so blessed for capturing them. Stay rad ! p.s. there is an awesome nyc blog post on my blog! see u soon!

Mark:(May 21st - 11:06) “If you don’t go back to where you came from, I’m going to blow out your car windows”Hahaha laughed out load to that one! Bet you wish you could say that to a few art directors. I know a few who I\'d like to! Keep it up mate. Greetings from sunny London (yes thats sun!) in England.

Gabriela Parada:(May 21st - 11:47) This post is the true!.. You have a great eye to create comparisons. Congrats, one more time u are amazing Joey!!

Heather Strooh:(May 21st - 11:50) I\'d luv to do both as well. All the different types of people that one gets to meet make anything worth while. I\'ll be so happy when I can make a living with my camera. =) For now, I\'ll take whatever jobs come my way and learn as much as possible along the way. =^o^=- Cheers

Bader Al Awadhi :(May 21st - 12:36) indeed we need this balance in our work !! Commercial to give us money for the personal work and trips :P for me i love ur personal work more and it has much better experience to transferee to ur follow photographers :) can\'t wait to see the Abu Dhabi Photoshoot images

Kirk Marsh:(May 21st - 13:10) It\'s amazing how different all the beauty is in the world, isn\'t it? ps.Thanks for all of your help. I bought your videos awhile back and they\'ve helped my photography and photoshop techniques grow immensely. So many situations I come across make me go back and review the chapters to glean just a bit more info. Cheers, Kirk.

Mark:(May 21st - 14:10) Ha! Love it. Thanks for the side-by-side comparison.

Sander:(May 21st - 14:55) TOLIETS :-PNice post, fun to see the contrasts :)

P:(May 21st - 16:43) Ha! You rock!

Jesse Rogers:(May 21st - 19:12) Dang, I wish I could have that kind of skill and success. You\'re definitely an inspiration to my photography.

Joe H:(May 21st - 20:31) Can I borrow your \"personal\" Art Director? Might come in handy for my next gig...

William:(May 21st - 20:55) I love the contrast. :)

Sodabowski:(May 21st - 21:43) Hardcore bathtime FTW.

Jaz:(May 21st - 22:04) There is no pinkberry in personal shoots...

Padraic Deasy:(May 25th - 09:58) I love the comparison and the contrasting lifestyles! you are blessed to want to experience both and to capture such thought provoking images.

Moshe:(May 27th - 13:55) I think you do the right thing.

Marcel:(May 27th - 14:36) How about this title \"a commercial boy on a personal journey\"

char:(May 28th - 01:59) Just saw your segment on Carson.What an amazing talent you have! Your portraits really look deep into your subjects souls.I\'m a fan!

Mike Lopez:(May 28th - 05:05) Hey dude you got an awsome talent! Keep up the good work! Keep on fighting for what you believe is right. I'm there with you. Would love to chat more with you. Let me know if you have Facebook or Twitter. My Facebook is under an old email... WackyPill@yahoo.com Hope to hear back from you Joey! Best wishes to you! Mike Lopez

Michele Z:(May 29th - 08:05) Eloquently illustrated!

ATOR:(May 31st - 19:09) It\'s the contrast that keeps your vision fresh. Very inspiring work !!

peter hearl:(Jun 04th - 03:32) I would have to think twice about the toilet as well.

John Loydall:(May 05th - 03:37) With work like yours Joey, I imagine you get people imitating your work all the time but this series is very similar - however, the difference is that yours has that sublime quality that lifts it above what other photographers are doing. Diego\'s lighting is flat, pale and lacks punch and his composition lacks imagination. I don\'t think anyone who is interested in photography would have much trouble spotting the difference.

mattbeaty:(May 05th - 04:04) I agree with John. You\'re going to have to get used to people ripping you off. Once in a while, somebody will even do a decent job of it. It\'s not the same and we the people know you did it first. My suggestion: Don\'t worry about it - just keep doin\' what you do!

Jason Smtih:(May 05th - 04:15) I saw @dancarrphoto tweet you the other day about this issue and followed the link. I was shocked. It was a very obvious rip-off. People are free to visit with the Mentawai and photograph them, there is nothing wrong with that, but when someone copies your personal style then that crosses the line.And like John commented above I too agree that your photos are far superior. -jason

Josh Gruetzmacher:(May 05th - 04:34) I really appreciated all of the energy you put into describing your slow method of hanging out, getting to know people, and then taking photos. Your blog posts from your trip were full of interaction photos with you guys and the Mentawai. I can tell that you came deeply about your subjects, and this can also be seen in your images. Anyone going to a remote location owes this respect to the people. It should never become a common photo destination to go to the Mentawai to snag frames.

Kristian Olsen:(May 05th - 04:38) If was there in 2003. On the same ferry to Siberut (I laughed when I read your story about that boat because it was exactly what we experienced). From Siberut we went to a tiny island out in the open sea that I don\'t remember the name of. I have images of the monkey skull\'s over the entrances of those houses too. Your pictures are just better (than mine and DV\'s also), so don\'t worry! Keep striving for perfection. That\'s why people imitate your work, and not the other way around!

Jacqueline :(May 05th - 06:00) So lame J, if imitation is a form of flattery - you must be incredibly flattered :P but seriously, that sucks I\'m sorry to hear it.

Chris Aadland:(May 05th - 06:35) A great photographer once told me.Copy your idols. Copy copy copy.But never let anyone see any of it. Not untill you are 10x better than your idol.

george pahountis:(May 05th - 06:57) I see people copying all the time...he is not even half as good as you but what is the point joey?picasso once saidgood artists copy, great artist steal.In Verges case, he only managed to copy, nothing more.for years people copied Avedon and others...

Adam Sasim:(May 05th - 07:32) Ohh Joe.. I hate when some one great put such a effort to make something special and then other one just go and rip it off !Your series was one of greatest series I have ever seen in my entire life and nothing can compare !Wish you best Joe and keep your head up !

Khashayar:(May 05th - 07:32) hey joey,he is not even 0.1 of you !I think he just wasted his money traveling there !!don\'t even bother, you did the best in that kind of photography.I\'m planning for a trip like yours to Cuba, to photograph the cafe owners and Che lovers :D...greetings from Iran,Khashayar

Deannda:(May 05th - 07:34) Similar? Yes. Ripoff? Most defiantly. Even in the same neighborhood as far as quality and overall talent? Not even in the same universe! Good for you for standing up to this. Keep going, love your updates and traveling vicariously through you! :) Forgive any spelling errors, too early to think. :)

Christophe Duran:(May 05th - 09:27) Hi Joey, I\'ve just had a look to Diego\'s website and it\'s indeed similar... scary...This story remind me a similar post from another photogs I like Tom Hoops : http://tomhoops.com/blog/?p=176

Justin Van Leeuwen:(May 05th - 10:37) Your lighting and composition DO stand out though - that\'s the kind of quality your career is built on and it\'s tough (if not impossible) to replicate.It must be equally nice to see someone try, and fail, at achieving your level of work. Your ability to stay ahead of the game is what\'s going to keep you going man... great work.

Collin Hughes:(May 05th - 10:47) As much as a ripoff as it might be, I think Diego is missing the most important piece to his work: emotion. Your series are always compelling and dramatic, and you have an eye for capturing that and helping make a connection between the viewer and the photo. I felt bored going through his series, and that is where your work stands apart.good use of etid\'s song title too!

Glen Peter:(May 05th - 11:12) Joey, take this blog post down. Why give this guy your time? Why give him publicity. Who would of heard of this guy if it wasn\'t for you posting a blog about him?Can\'t wait to see more of your personal work. I\'d love to know what was going on in Dubai!

Freddy:(May 05th - 11:22) Hey Joey! Your work will always stand out in it\'s realm against others, you have a definite style, and like it or not, people look up to you and your photography, and people will always imitate it. Just be proud, you inspire the masses, are not afraid to share you knowledge, and put out outstanding work. P.S: Your latest tut is awesome.

Geoff Heith:(May 05th - 11:25) Wow...I have no words...

P:(May 05th - 11:31) I\'m with you dude. \"Flattery\" only goes so far with photo plagiarism, but it\'s off your chest now and time to move on. Looking forward to the next series of your insanely good images.

Brett Arthur:(May 05th - 13:09) I agree with Collin. Emotion is lacking in Verge\'s photos. It is obvious that he did not take the time to interact with the people the way you did. Knowing how much you care about the people and how much you respect them shows in your series, not his. It\'s inevitable that people will copy your work, but they cannot copy the experience and the stories of your work. That is something that is 100% unique and personal.

Sodabowski:(May 05th - 17:42) There is something about your work that no one will ever replicate: your personality. It shines through your pictures. Even your early insect macros on flickr were impregnated of your own touch. The good surprise of this post has been the way you exposed the issue without attacking that guy, remaining the nice dude you so damn sure are. Good karma always "pays off". Thanks for all that you share with us :)

Diego Fan:(May 05th - 19:14) I like Diego\'s work.

Claude Etienne:(May 05th - 23:39) Hi Joey, first time posting here. I\'ve been a fan of your work for a while now. Your pictures have a clear distinct style. Diego clearly saw your work. There is nothing wrong with admiring a photographer\'s style and trying to learn from it in order to better ourselves. But, it must be done in the pursuit of creating our own voice. Diego did not do that as you pointed out. I actually like his other series. I just hope it\'s not someone else\'s work he tried to copy.

Cain:(May 06th - 00:38) Joey, I think you\'ve taken this far too seriously. As you point out, you weren\'t the first, and you\'re not going to be the last to embellish the Siberut myth. These smart jungle entrepreneurs acted for you/us (who wrote the script - you or them?). what do you expect rocking up with generators, and invasive equipment? As for the lighting

sl:(May 06th - 05:44) I just got linked here from another site and am not familiar with your work. Diego\'s lighting is unpleasant and his compositions are cluttered. It sure is strange that he chose to make the same shots (or nearly so) but if I saw yours and his side by side for sale in a gallery I\'d pick yours every time. Your photos are pleasant to look at, his are not.

Kenny Smith:(May 06th - 12:19) Based on these examples, you have nothing to worry about. He took pictures, you captured the essence.

Andrew:(May 06th - 13:05) While I see there is a similar location and subject here the photos are on 2 diffrent ends of the game - you alone say you gave people the name of your guide - he's Gina take and show them the same stuff by your rules no one can take photos of the same subjects as you ?? There is actualy a thread here on potn http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=868426 people are saying your work is better by far but your reaction is a little OTT

Ben Mathis:(May 06th - 13:11) Man, I can\'t imagine the frustration you must feel after carefully crafting that project, and then having someone else ripping off your legwork and diluting your portfolio\'s power with duplicate (but inferior) work. You\'re more zen than I if you can deal with it with a clear head.I just hope this doesn\'t keep you from sharing your next trip, as I count the info you put out there as highly valuable and I\'d had to lose out because of someone else\'s duplicity.

David:(May 06th - 19:11) I think he did a pretty good job. I think he was inspired by your pictures. I believe he was trying to put his spin on it. Im sure you were inspired by quite a few things while learning on dpc. It inspired me, If I had the resources, I would definitely make the trip.

Carlo Donnari:(May 07th - 00:24) Joey, conoci tu trabajo hace cerca de dos a

mayra:(May 07th - 00:36) Hey, at least your fanny packs get to see new light. :DBut on the serious side, I don\'t believe you should take this too hard. His stuff doesn\'t compare to yours. I understand that it may peeve you for the similar styles but from how I see it, no ones going to respect that let alone admire it.Cheer up. :)

Ben Yew:(May 07th - 03:11) I couldnt agree more. Just had the same experience and i understand how you feel. Very dissapointing indeed. Nothing much can do, just have to live with it..

Obi Nwokedi:(May 07th - 17:56) Your work is obviously much better and while this could be annoying, I love the spirit with which you have taken it. Its sad but this sort of stuff will keep on happening. Then again I wonder why he really did it, I\'m from Africa, and I know there are thousands of very interesting tribal communities where anyone can go get a story of his or her own.

Elise Alves:(May 08th - 10:48) I guess all\'s been said. To me what stands out the most is the lack of emotional interaction or any bond between Diego and his subjects. This shows in his photographs - they are just another subject. His images don\'t portray anything about the real person behind the lens. This is one of my favorite things about your work, Joey. Plus, his editing and framing are nowhere near what you do. Parroting other\'s work may be seen as flattery but it\'s just plain annoying sometimes!

SHD:(May 08th - 16:07) Forget Joey, shit happens,hello from russia ;)

AA:(May 09th - 01:59) I see the resemblance, but it ends there. I know the tentation is to feel somewhat ripped-off, but no, it is not, there are no comparisons with your work, just similarities, one (yours) is brilliant, the other is,well, just a photograph, average, weakly composed and terribly lit. If anything it highlights the awesome quality of your work!

Sodabowski:(May 09th - 05:00) (uh, just realized I messed up, those old pictures I was thinking about were of another young talented photog, sorry ^^' )

John Erdovegi:(May 09th - 11:34) Many Impressionists created perceptions, too. Not all are remembered. Your photos are much better. been noted here, now, forget about him. Keep up your great stuff.

Michael McGowan:(May 09th - 22:42) A photo spread that was very simmilar to the series that you had shot for your holy man photo\'s. My point is, In this case Diego did most likely copy your ideas, but we all tend to bite off each others plates whether it\'s intentional or not. We all use Photoshop and are limited by a select group of adjustments and digital tools, so I can\'t accuse you of stealing my editing process anymore than you can accuse me of stealing your clothing style. Plus since you sell a DVD teaching people to...

numbeos:(May 10th - 04:05) It\'s abvioulsy clear that your photos are full of emotions which came from your heart...They\'re shining all the time...

Paul:(May 10th - 13:59) Your works are really inspiring Joey, keep up with the great work! its a pleasure viewing. you have great vision and skill. not many people out there are as brave as you. Well, i guess its the meaning of it all that matters most, isnt it? i dream to travel and document people\'s lives with my photos too, someday. God bless and keep shooting!your fan from Singapore :D

Stewart Uy:(May 10th - 19:14) I\'ve been following your work for sometime and I find this post hilarious! I\'ve tried to bring your photo technique into my shooting but when I look at Verges photos, I never knew someone would ever go that far to imitate you. Give yourself a pat on the back; you\'re his idol!

David Lazar:(May 12th - 06:51) Even his website looks just yours - the galleries have the scrolling pictures down the bottom and the same 2 little arrows. He even does the double vertical photos side by side of similar subject matter. Interesting!!!

Mark Salmon:(May 12th - 11:43) Picasso said \"Bad artists copy, great artists steal\"This guy falls into the former section, take some comfort in that!

jt storm:(May 12th - 23:51) Definitely something we have to deal with as photographers. But, it will soon become all too common as more and more \"photographers\" pop up out of the wood-work. Quality cameras are becoming more affordable all the time, and the internet is full of free tutorials for photography and photoshop. The one thing I hear the most lately is that these new \"photographers\" copy their favorite magazines, and photographers. Our wonderful field that we play on is becoming watered down... and spilling over.

Paul Byun:(May 13th - 02:35) Joey, I respect your work and I do see where you are coming from regarding this matter. However, I don\'t think using the words \"ripping off\" is a correct way to describe what DV has done. Both of you share a common goal of documenting this particular culture in appreciation of its uniqueness and authentic values. The poses and the composition are staged, however the content(people, setting,etc) belongs to neither of you. In conclusion, how could you define what\'s truely yours in the first place?

Jimbo:(May 13th - 03:51) This is crazy! I actually had to get up from my computer and call someone over to see this, I was so suprised. If this happened to me I\'d be gutted..... something vaguely similar, happened to me a few weeks ago http://postcardineversent.blogspot.com/2010/04/ive-been-ripped-off.html...and even though its was surely coincidental I felt a bit weird...... I guess we\'ll just have to see who goes on to make the the better images in the future..... I know who my moneys on!

Dave:(May 13th - 11:54) Hi Joey, I am reading your blog quite often and I have to say that your work is amazing. However I have mixed feelings about your last post. I went to Diego website and have to say he has some great shoots there from all over the world.I think that in today\'s world of Internet and globalization it is really difficult to keep know-how or secrets (however you want to call it) to yourself, especially if you share it with everyone and you selling DVDs with tutorials.

Dominoe Imus:(May 13th - 11:56) I can say that we have had a very similar thing happen, however it was on a much smaller scale (we have people use our locations, however they don\'t have to travel to a different country to do so). What I can say, and what you should be the happiest about is the fact that your images are really amazing. You spend your life working on these images, and it shows. Someone who copies, who doesn\'t have the imagination to come up with something on his own, isn\'t going to make it in this industry.

Chris:(May 13th - 13:01) Be strong! There is a huge difference in quality. : )

Mark Cohene:(May 14th - 04:52) What I can\'t understand is: what could Diego have possibly hoped to accomplish by ripping you off? Obviously, you\'re a pretty well-known photographer, and your work is quite identifiable. Had I seen Diego\'s images of the Mentawai elsewhere, I would have automatically assumed they were yours. It seems like such a huge waste of time, energy and resources to travel so far only to try and reinvent the wheel, so to speak.

Joey Lawrence Speaks Out on Imitation. «:(May 15th - 09:03) [...] May One of my readers recently sent me a link to photographer + prodigy Joey Lawrence. He vents about copycat photographer Diego Verges and his images of the Mentawai people. [...]

Connie:(May 15th - 15:49) Hey Joey, I\'ve been following your blog for a while now. I have been a photographer for many years and envy your youthful enthusiam not to mention your beautiful use of light and your obvious connection to your subjects! One thing I have learned working side by side other professional photographers is that everyone has a different way of seeing things and that no one can replicate your vision! So rest assured your work stands alone! Your eye, your vision, your work....

Kody Tottenham:(May 16th - 17:42) Joey, as much as he has ripped you off, there is definitely a silver lining.Compared to your work with the Mentawai, the guy\'s work looks childish.

Jon Rouston:(May 17th - 05:52) I would take it as a fantastic compliment from a pint half full view, and an annoying irrelevant if your pint is half empty, it really depends on the mood that you wake up in! If someone is willing to travel half the way around the world to mimic your work then I would view it as complimentary, it emphasises your position at the top of your peers!

Chris:(May 17th - 12:11) I wouldn\'t worry about them dude, your work is far better than his. And his is just the same subjects but crappy composition.....Just dust him off ya shoulder and keep doing the best work out there man. Oh and update your blog more.....I\'m an avid reader, It\'s getting old reading posts over....

Rick:(May 18th - 16:04) if you have issue with people copying your work, then maybe you shouldn\'t be so social and post it all over the internet. just my $0.02

Edward Paul:(May 18th - 20:31) Yes it\'s an obvious ripoff and I do understand how you feel but I think you should take the high road and get over yourself a bit. Your work is head-and-shoulders better than this guy, but should no one take moody over-processed landscapes of Yosemite just because Ansel Adams did it? You don\'t own these guys, after all. most important, YOU do great original work and you are acknowledged for it. I would love to know how you got the lighting in those forest shots.

Andrew:(May 18th - 23:32) Joey your stuff is way better. Shame it\'s such a blatant rip off though. Best part of this is the \"Hi Duuuuuuurty Bud\" hahaha

Peter chatterton:(May 19th - 09:10) ETID is amazing, nice! Sorry to hear about the rips though.

Jeremy Goertz:(May 19th - 11:51) way to step up and preach it!

Joe:(May 20th - 17:29) An easy spot-the-difference!That is all...Take care.

Jordan Flynn:(May 20th - 20:01) Mad respect for the way you have handled this Joey, it really defines you as a photographer and person. People will always rip off your stuff, the temptation is always there when people see you doing such great things. You just have to take it as a compliment whilst knowing that you did it first. keep up the good work.

Elena Hernandez:(May 23rd - 06:25) There\"s nothing new in photography that has not been done before by the photographic pioneers who came before us...showing us a type of way 2 photograph people, places, things...life... What separates us from the masses will always be our personal vision on how we use the tools available to us. I think your personal vision is timeless

lauren:(May 24th - 10:41) Joey--love your work, and like the others say, the lighting etc is clearly distinguishable. I do understand being mad, BUT there\'s really nothing that\'s inherently copycat about photographing natives, even if composition is similar or even identical. Same with the skull photo . .. if one goes there, I\'m sure one would be struck by them and would take a photography, and the composition in itself isn\'t anything unusual. No one \"owns\" any particular right to how these people are captured.

Anthon Cauper:(May 25th - 22:19) that happens a lot, I\'m new to professional photography , I haven\'t study this, I just do it because i like but lately I have noticed that local professional photographers have been looking at my work and trying to imitate, one of them is a guy I know but I just don\'t say anything, still it gets me mad people trying to copy my work, I know my work is original and doesn\'t matter what they try they won\'t be able to do it the way I do.keep your good work Joey

claire:(Jun 04th - 17:09) Hey Joey, having your work copied is really frustrating Im sure, but your giving Diego free advertising moaning about him on your blog. Dont give him thanks for stealing your project... claire

Michael:(Jun 09th - 13:48) Diego\'s photos are nice, bright and colorful. But your photos have a certain flair and drama to them that Diego could not capture. That style is yours and yours alone. Your photos speak volumes of the people you visit and show a true passion for your craft. That can never be duplicated. Diego\'s galleries are nice, and although the style he has seems a lot similar to yours in terms of composition, his photos cannot match yours for their punch, power and quality.

Keith Woodhall:(Jun 13th - 01:55) After visiting Diego\'s site, i can\'t help but notice that 90% of his processing (poorly) rips off your style. Either way, when i see that aesthetic, Joey L will be the first to come to mind.